The concept of Hopdoddy Burger Bar is all about feeling good about what you’re biting into. Their main staples are their all-natural, humanely-raised, house-ground burgers that arrive on fresh baked brioche buns and washed down with craft beers. The atmosphere is lively with service that is fast-paced but still takes time to be friendly. Hopdoddy Burger Bar is also a bit of a do-gooder with one particular menu item, which I’ll tell you about below.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s first location is in Austin, TX and since then their business has expanded to multiple locations in Texas and California and locations in Arizona and Colorado. Many of their locations are fast-casual and mostly located in higher-end shopping centers. With a glance around the restaurant, you will find it’s a more family atmosphere, with lots of moms rocking their Lululemons (I’m not hatin’…but appreciatin’). The location I went to was at a shopping center called The Point in El Segundo, CA and I was able to take a break and have table service with my foodie-friend, Ray of DoodonFood.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar 
The Point, 850 S. Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245
https://www.hopdoddy.com/

If you’ve been paying attention to my posts here at Girls on Food, I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m not the beer aficionado like our blogger Elizabeth is. I figured since Hopdoddy’s menu is influenced by the original Austin location, why not stick with southwest-ish cocktails? Ray started with the Doble Fina Margarita featuring silver tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec and sweet agave. Ray allowed me to have a sip and I was impressed with the freshness of the sweet and sour blend. A lot of chain restaurants use pre-packaged sweet and sour mixes, that will leave you with a raging hangover the next morning. The margarita here was made with ingredients so fresh, you could taste it. (side note: Ray was not in pain the next morning).

My cocktail of choice was the Bubbly Blonde, St. Germaine, lemon, orange, topped with sparkling wine and a fresh basil leaf. I’m a fan of white wine spritzers and I thought the mason jar was a fun glass to serve it in. The basil adds a herbal note not commonly found in spritzers. I could totally picture an Austin-raised blonde, like Amber Heard, sipping on one of these. It’s light, fizzy and floral from the St. Germaine.

 

 

The Thunderbird surprised us upon arrival, in a fantastic way. When we saw there was a chicken burger on the menu, we both assumed it would be more like a chicken breast grilled. Nope! We were wrong and the ground chicken patty was packed with flavors and so moist. This burger was sandwiched with applewood smoked bacon, pepper jack, avocado, seared poblanos, pico de gallo, avocado, chipotle mayo and red leaf lettuce. This burger beautifully pairs Tex-Mex flavors in every juicy bite. The Truffle Fries are my favorite kind, Kennebec fries with parmesan cheese, parsley and an aioli on the side.

For every purchase of the Goodnight/Good Cause Burger, all Hopdoddy locations will donate $1 of the sale to a charity (charities rotate among locations). The manager Dan told me he was never more proud to be an employee than when he personally got to deliver a check to a charity. See their site for more info.

For lovers of a more wet, finger-lickin’ burger, this is your jam. This burger is packed with angus beef, Tilamook cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, jalapeños, a hickory BBQ sauce, red leaf lettuce and a beefsteak tomato. This burger is the epitome what how I think a Texan burger should be, sweet, spicy, smokey and cheesey goodness altogether. And, you don’t have to feel completely guilty about consumption. It’s all for a good cause.

I hope this Texas-born burger joint becomes one of America’s next great chains. Since they have a charitable outlook along with flavorful burgers, I believe karma will reward this business superbly.