The Early Word on Hopdoddy Burger Bar

[Photo credit: Hopdoddy Burger Bar/Facebook]

Eco-friendly Austin import Hopdoddy Burger Bar arrived in Dallas just three weeks ago, flinging open its Preston Center doors to crowds eagerly awaiting the arrival of its in-house ground burgers and extensive drink selection that includes milkshakes, local beers and creative cocktails. Crowds are packing the dining room of the new University Park location nightly, but it's not just Park Cities residents stopping in for a bite close to home: The OG Hopdoddy on Austin's always-buzzing South Congress is often seen with lines out the door and wrapping around the building, so naturally Dallas burger fiends from all over the city are trekking over to see what all the fuss is about. So is Hopdoddy's Dallas outpost developing a following akin to its Austin forefather, or is it just another brick in the city's towering wall of burger joints?

The New-to-Us Ordering System News: DFW.com reporter Bud Kennedy says, "It'll be interesting to see how Dallas responds to the Austin-social ordering system: You line up past the bar, order a drink and wait for a table number, then proceed to the order counter and finally on a row-by-row search for the assigned location." Patrons seem to be responding favorably to the system, with SMU paper The Daily Campus noting that "Hopdoddy's service consists of a three-step process to make the dining experience easier and more enjoyable for customers." [DFW.com/The Daily Campus]

The Habit-Forming Fries News: Carol Shih of SideDish says, "Hopdoddy Burger Bar's fries are like crack." She compares them to the ubiquitously adored fries at McDonalds, "except these fries are more potato-flavor heavy." [SideDish]

The Too-Cold Beer News: As CraveDFW points out, Hopdoddy's got an impressive beer selection: "Look for some really nice local beers from Dallas including selections from Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Peticolas, and around the state featuring brews from 512, St Arnold, Live Oak and Austin Beerworks." But a Yelper complains that the beer is actually too cold (yes, apparently such a thing is possible): "The biggest knock on the place is if they are going to serve craft beers, they should at least know to serve beer a higher temp than what Bud/Coors/etc are served at. When you serve it at near freezing, you lose the taste, so good micro brewers tend to frown on that. Nice try, but show the beer a little more respect..." [CraveDFW/Yelp]

The Impressive Burger News: Bloggers the Dish on Dallas have praise for one of Hopdoddy's unique burger creations: "... the Terlingua was amazing. The Angus beef patty knocked it out of the ballpark all on its own, but this burger also had chile con carne, Fritos, Tillamook cheddar, and sassy sauce. We love Fritos pie, and this burger did it right." A Yelp commenter favors another variety: "I tried the Llano Poblano, which was an awesome mix of roasted pepper and bacon. The burger was cooked medium and came out extremely juicy. Nice large patty, very flavorful, just the right amount of pink." [The Dish on Dallas via Pegasus News/Yelp]

The Deliciously Unique Milkshake News: "They have a great Nutella and pretzel milkshake that you definitely shouldn't miss out on. It has chunks of pretzel in it that makes the milkshake even better," says a Yelp reviewer. [Yelp]

The Drinks So Good, They're Coining New Hashtags News: A Facebooker proclaims: "You have officially spoiled me drink wise. The prices are good and the quality of the drinks there are phenomenal. #ruinedfromotherbars" [Facebook]

The Neighborhood Favorite News: An Urbanspoon reviewer thinks Hopdoddy is destined to become a Park Cities staple: "The location, atmosphere, and price point suggest that this will be a local favorite - surpassing Liberty Burger, whose burgers are not as good." [Urbanspoon]