Growing up just a 15-minute drive over the border in Northeast Texas, I often said bad things about Oklahoma, like “Texas is windy because Oklahoma is terrible.” But I was fortunate to fall in love with and marry a man from Oklahoma, which meant spending more time in Oklahoma over the last decade and eating more Oklahoma onion burgers.
For those unfamiliar with the dish, the Oklahoma Onion Burger is simple: onions are thinly sliced with a deli slicer and placed on top of a beef patty, then grilled together on a griddle. As they grill, the onion juices moisten the meat and add flavor. Once cooked on one side, the patty is flipped and the onions are vigorously smashed into the burger, then left on the griddle until the meat is perfectly charred and the onions are lightly caramelized. It’s a really original way to make a burger, and it’s totally tempting. A moment It now appears on burger menus across the country, especially in New York. Hamburger AmericaBurger expert George Motz pounds and grills the patties to order. Rave reviews.
Like many strokes of genius, the Oklahoma Onion Burger was born out of necessity during the Great Depression. Legend has it that The burger was invented at the Hamburger Inn in El Reno.The Hamburger Inn opened in the 1920s in El Reno, a 20-minute drive from Oklahoma City, to keep prices down. By adding onions to the patty, owner Ross Davis was able to use less meat in his five-cent burgers. The Hamburger Inn has since closed, but the Onion Burger lives on in three established locations in downtown El Reno.
Over the course of two greasy days, I completed the ultimate onion burger crawl around El Reno, sampling three of the city’s iconic burgers at Johnny’s, Roberts, and Shi’s Diner, as well as traveling to Oklahoma City to check out Tucker’s, a new chain that’s keeping the magic of the Oklahoma onion burger alive.
Johnny’s Burgers and Connie
Just a short drive from Oklahoma City, El Reno isn’t much: a small, sleepy town located along what was once the legendary Route 66. The first thing you’ll notice as you enter downtown is the nondescript building that houses Johnnie’s, which has been in business since 1946. The burgers here are a bit thicker than other onion burgers we’ve had and are incredibly juicy.
The onion strings were charred rather than grilled, but the slightly charred onions were a great complement to the burger. The hand-grated cheese melted on top of the charbroiled patty, and the giant onion rings I ordered with the burger didn’t feel overdone. You can never have too much onion.
Sid’s Diner
Shi’s Diner is probably the most well-known El Reno spot for the Oklahoma onion burger, thanks in large part to its appearances on TV shows like: Man vs foodAs the name suggests, Sid’s offers a full diner menu including breakfast omelets and chicken fried steak, but the real attraction is the onion burger.
The burgers here are thin and generously loaded with onions that range from grilled to charred, and unless you request otherwise (which is best not to do), they’re served with mustard, pickles, and crispy, hand-cut fries. Even though I was in the middle of a burger rush, the perfectly charred patty, combined with the sweetness of the soft, slightly buttery onions and the tartness of the mustard, made me feel like I’d hit onion burger heaven at Shiz.
300 South Choctaw Avenue, El Reno, OK 73036
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Robert’s Grill
The oldest burger joint in El Reno, and possibly the entire state, Roberts Grill has been serving up onion burgers since 1926. It’s almost hard to believe that this little restaurant has survived the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and nearly 100 years of turmoil, yet Roberts is still going strong.It wasn’t until I walked inside Roberts that my excitement began to fade after slowly munching on a few burgers.
It’s a simple, small space, barely big enough for a couple of tables. I ordered the onion burger and waited happily, intoxicated by the aroma of grilled onions. Thankfully, this burger was significantly smaller than the others, but no less delicious. For me, it was the Oklahoma Onion Burger, mainly because of the grilled patty and the perfect onion-to-meat ratio, not to mention the history that lives within its soot-stained walls.
300 South Bickford Avenue, El Reno, OK 73036
Tucker’s Onion Burger
While onion burgers still pop up regularly on diner menus in Oklahoma City, I stopped by the drive-thru at Tucker’s, which is taking the onion burger to a whole new generation: the upstart chain, which first opened in 2011, has four locations in Oklahoma City and one in nearby Norman. The menu is more decidedly 2020-inspired than other onion burger joints, with turkey and Impossible meat options in addition to beef, and the fries are crispy and twice-fried, perfect for dipping into a rich chocolate shake.
Upon entering the restaurant, the aroma of grilled onions hits your nose – in a good way. I ordered a classic cheeseburger with pickles and mustard and waited patiently for it to be cooked to order. When it arrived, the reason for its reputation was immediately clear: it was juicy, perfectly smashed, charred on the outside and topped with a pile of grilled onions. I ate it in three bites in my car. While it may not have the grimy vintage feel of Sid’s or Roberts’, Tucker’s will play an important role in keeping this century-old tradition alive. The growing popularity of onion burgersBoth geographically and generationally.
324 Northwest 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118
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As my burger pilgrimage drew to a close, I honestly didn’t smell very good, onion juice was oozing from my pores, and I never wanted to see a patty sandwiched between two buns again. But no matter how much you’ve eaten or how proud you are to be Texan, there’s no denying the universal appeal of the Oklahoma onion burger.
