Bernie’s Burger Bus

I’m a big fan. The menu is pretty much burgers, fries and shakes, but they have a lot of different types of each.
Burger bars these days tend to get a little overwhelming with giant slabs of beef and so many toppings you pretty much have to eat it with a fork and knife. A little background:
I’ve been going to trendy burger places since they became a «thing» BTW, going back to the late 00’s in Chicago, so I have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.
Bernie’s burgers strike the right balance between size, taste and variety. You don’t end up feeling grossed out after finishing, or so full you just want to roll over and die. and the toppings and options are delicious and go together well.
Prices are reasonable. I’ve been here for lunch twice with large groups, and the wait wasn’t bad (maybe we got lucky). If it’s not too humid out, they also have ample outdoor seating which helps.
The place strikes me as clean and well-​run as well, which are big pluses in my book. I hate giving business to places that don’t deserve it. Will definitely return to try other burgers and fries!

I give it 2 thumbs up and a wow! I tried this place today, and I must say that I am picky about my burgers (love Lankford’s Grocery and Hubcap Grill just to name a few). I will break it down like this. I judge burgers without the trimmings on the first try (so that I can judge the meat). Ok so I had mayo, cheddar, and bacon on a well done patty). The truffle fries on the side, and the homemade lemonade. Oh-​ma-​gawd… the ratio of meat: bread:fat=flavor…plenty of thick slided bacon.
2 bits of advice
1-​Do not bring a $ 4.99 value meal mentality because quality costs.
2-​Do not take it back to your office because your desk will be very messy afterward… well at least mine was.

I love this place. The food is delicious and the service is wonderful. I go out of my way to get a burger here when I am craving something a little different. The only thing I will note is the price is higher than average so this place isn’t for the frugal diner.

First off the food was delicious, the price was fair, and the staff was great. I loved the throwback atmosphere it reminded me of my old school days and the locker rooms in the back reminded me of the football days. The staff was very friendly and knew the menu very well and did a great job at explaining everything to us. The drinks were pretty good too! I would definitely recommend this place to any of my friends.

I have never eaten a bad burger at Bernie’s. Honestly everything that I’ve had there has been amazing. Only complaint is that sometimes it takes a while for any food to come to your table, but aside from that it’s definitely worth a visit.

Dropped in here today to get a burger having been a fan of the food truck for years. They did not disappoint. My burger was very well made and super tasty. I tried to stay healthy and not get fries, but saw many fries around me. That is my only regret with this trip. Next time… getting fries.

Let me just say. We were SO EXCITED to try this place, and unfortunately it didn’t live up to our expectations.
First off, we walk in and it’s super crowded! Good sign. Right? There’s a huge yellow bus that takes over half the restaurant, which houses the kitchen. Burgers were flying out of the bus so fast and the buns added height to the burger which made them so hard to resist.
I ordered the principal and the truffle fries and my husband ordered a salsa verde burger with the sweet potato tots. They recommended cooking the burger medium, but my husband recommended medium rare so I went that route. however, it turned out more rare than anything, which caused it to be a huge, messy, deconstructed mess. I was not impressed.
The sweet potato tots were the highlight of the meal. They are served with curried ketchup and those pillows of crispy, sweet potato goodness are so popable and hard to resist.
The truffle fries were just ok. The truffle oil had a nice flavor, but the fries were cut too thick, which made them more soggy than I like.
Overall, this place is ok. But I wouldn’t drive way over here again. There are better places in town.

Hamburgers are overpriced for the size but the Fries rock! They have the best sweet potatoes fries. Super thin and crunchy! If you haven’t been there yet, it’s totally worth a trip.

Based on other reviews, overall star rating and the amount of people that were there when I visited, people really love this place. Well not me! Why? Price!
What I did LIKE:
FOOD
What does make this place stand out are the FLAVORs and the UNIQUE burger options! I ordered the Cheerleader (read the menu for the ingredients). The burger tasted very fresh with all the ingredients. I loved the crispy jalapeño (I’m sure I saying it wrong) but I wished the truffle fries were a better complement to the burger. The spice and flavors of the burger and all the flavors of the fries didn’t go well for my taste. I should have ordered regular fries. I DID NOT like the KETCHUP it was TOO PEPPERY for my taste. For me the yummy flavors of the burger, with the truffle fries and peppery ketchup that I dip the fries in, were a thumbs down.
My daughter ordered the Principal and she loved it.
I thought the truffle fries could have used a bit less truffle oil and I’m not found of the fries’ texture.
SERVICE
Good service from the hostess to the server and person who brought our food.
What I did NOT LIKE:
Price. I upgraded to grass fed for additional $ 2 for each burger. (No hormone added was $ 1 extra) My total bill was $ 34 plus tip $ 6 = $ 40
All I kept thinking was I could have gone to Jerry Built down the street and paid ½ the price plus NO TIP since they’re counter service. Their burgers are no hormone added, etc, etc. with no added fee.
MAYBE I’ll just order a burger to-​go. Wonder if they have a carry-​out fee?

My favorite burgers in Houston. Great tasting meat and creative toppings.
I always love the Field Trip Burger.
Have been many times and always had good food and good service.

It was my first time trying this place yesterday. I sat at the bar and was immediately wowed by the customer service and the atmosphere.
Had the homeroom burger that was suggested by my bartender/​server. Ordered it medium well with the egg runny plus small order of fries. It was a amazing! If I could rate my experience and food I would give this joint a 10.
I’m Definetly coming back to try the other stuff on the menu.
Side note: I got a chance to try a few different selections of karbach beers on tap apparently they bring them kegs that are not in regular rotation to sort of mass test and see if people like it. So if your a beer drinker, for sure a plus.

Bernie’s Burger Bus was a popular food truck for sometime and now they have a physical store on Bellaire Blvd, right next to the intersection of Chimney Rock & Bissonnet. This physical location has their own kitchen built within a mock school bus in the restaurant. You have option for indoor or outdoor seating. They have a fully stocked bar with several TVs and waiter service at all the tables. We arrived around 12:30pm on a Sunday, and it was mostly full at the time. Just grabbed one of the outdoor benches over the covered roof with outside plastic walls to keep the A/​C in check from the extremely hot Houston sun.
The menu as you would expect is listed with a collection of many different creative burger combinations. They offer regular and sweet potato fries but no onion rings. They also offer a few salads and some creative milkshakes. You can certainly build your own burger with many creative toppings including a fried egg, guacamole, chili, Tabasco onions, and such. Also several beers on taps and several other alcoholic drinks.
I ordered a substitute, hold mushrooms, add jalapenos. My burger was cooked well done even though the server asked us if medium was ok. I actually prefer my burger well done, but obviously there was a mixup between the waiter and the kitchen. My peers ordered a Homeroom, Cheerleader, and Preschoolers. Lets break down this layers of this burger. First the beef is certainly fresh ground beef made into about a roughly 1/​3lb patty. You have a $ 2 option for all grass fed beef patty (the luxury beef?). The beef is cooked well, thick cut burger, but lacks on seasoning. Some burger spots just fear putting bold seasoning on the beef, so even though cooked well on the grill, a bit average in flavor. The bun is certainly toasted and seems freshly made based on the texture of the breading. Blue cheese on my burger was a spread instead of blue cheese crumbles. Excellent grilled onions on the burger. There was an issue with my bacon, having a few un-​chewable grissle pieces on it. It was certainly a stacked high filling burger, cooked well and mostly good toppings.
The burgers average in price around $ 10. We also ordered the truffle fries and sweet potato tater tots. Both were very average in flavor. Just because you glam up french fries with truffle oil and parmesan doesn’t instantly make them instantly amazing.
So to review, we all ate our burger and enjoyed them. Fries were nothing to shout about. One thing I will say the waiter service at this place could be a bit more organized. They weren’t terrible, but they were not efficient either. I think the waiters just being a bit more attentive to their current tables would resolve this. Now I live in Austin, but Houston is my hometown. I figure it is a limitless number of burger joints in Htown. Bernie’s Burger Bus is a pretty good burger. I wouldnt rate this as the top spot in the city, but I think this will easily be on a top 10 list. Top 5… well, maybe not. I did like it, low key burger spot, I would certainly go back, but I am curious what the competition looks like.

Wow– love this place
Have been to the BUS but really liking the venue of the store front– we have a group so we sat outside (was ideal night, even with the driving rain) and we had TONs of food, I would say that this is the GO-​TO burger place… and the shakes… go ahead… slap yo mamma… DO IT… they are THAT good… almost guilt producing– but it was my birthday so I don’t care… Fry options rock for all varieties are delicious and service was spot on…

Best thing about this place:
1.) Their spicy ketchup for the fries.
2.) They aren’t trying to be what they aren’t. They do burgers. Period.
Yes, friends, this time my 18 year old godson ordered the Detention: two crispy bacon grilled cheeses used as a bun for two cheddar cheeseburger patties, «tipsy» onions, and all «the principal’s» fixings. At 17.25 I was a bit apprehensive. But we wanted to see if he could finish it off. HE DID! It looked great! It was also a chance to see if their grilled cheeses were tasty. they were! This is not a sammy for the faint of heart. Even the server said he would serve it with a to go box… which we didn’t need.
Any of their burgers are good… be sure to get LOTS of their home made pickles and garlic tomatoes on the side or on the burger. The buns are terrific too… no sesame seeds and light and buttery.
As I have said before, don’t be scared by the $ 10+ price. You will get $ 10+ worth of goodness. These gourmet burgers are not froo froo Foie gras gourmet. These gourmet burgers are carefully crafted hand made with fresh home made ingredients gourmet.
Their fries were a little greasy this time. Usually they are crisp and stand up well to their home made ketchup. Hopefully it was just a fluke.

I’ve been a fan of Bernie’s since the bus was making appearances on Leeland. The service is some of the best around when going to either location that they have.
I’m a frequent visitor to Bernie’s and they have yet to disappoint.
My very first burger was The Detention but my go to burger is The Principal. It’s the classic burger with a choice of cheese, all homemade mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, thin sliced onions, pickles, shredded lettuce, and slow roasted garlic tomatoes, AND I ALWAYS MAKE IT A DOUBLE!

Service was great, and the food came out pretty quickly! I like how the entire menu has a school theme. Really cute.
The current Field Trip burger: 4 stars. Juicy and tasty, with a hint of crunchy bacon. It’s not on their regular menu but it’s on a special rotating menu. Has bacon, goat cheese, balsamic eggplant spread, and something else.
Cheerleader burger: 4 stars. spicy and simply delicious, says J.
Truffle fries: 4 stars. Truffle flavor is good but not too overpowering. Just wish the fries were crispier.
Salted Caramel Apple shake: 3 stars. It’s not really salted caramel, it’s just regular caramel (which is okay with me — I don’t like the over salted stuff anyway). I didn’t like the bits of apple that were ground up and mixed into the shake — it was kind of like my mouth got bombarded by little slippery marinated apple chunks, but the crunchy streusel bits were delicious.
Overall, really solid burgers. I wouldn’t drive 25 min each way just to eat here, but if I was near-​ish the area I’d definitely return for more!

I came to Bernie’s Burger Bus with my boyfriend on Saturday night for a dinner. We decided to come here instead of our usual choice Burger Palace because we didn’t want to have to deal with a long wait. We came in around 8pm and were seated right away in a booth.
We ordered:
The Homerun
The Cheerleader
Small fries
& Root beer
The burgers were pretty big but the patties weren’t all in one piece. It was kind of falling apart so the burger didn’t hold up to well. My boyfriend and I both requested our burgers to be cooked medium but they seem pretty well done. They did cook my eggs over medium perfectly. It was a little greasy but that’s what makes it good right? I don’t think we waited more than 10 – 15 min for our food to come out once we ordered.
It was good decent burgers I wasn’t too impressed but maybe I’ve just been too spoiled with Burger Palace’s quality. Either way I would come back and try the sliders and donut shake.

Delicious burgers and fries. I had their «Detention Burger» which is their top of the line option.
The only drawback is their prices. A bit too pricey for a burger. I think the Detention was about $ 17, and thats without fries and a coke.

I wanted to rate this place with five stars, I really really did.
Based on the creativity of the place I would give them 5 stars but since other things go into it… Let’s get down to it.
I went in a group we all tried different burgers and different order of large fries to try. I was in the mood for something spicy but tolerable. I got the cheerleader, looked great on paper! Jalapeños? Check. Pepper jack cheese? Mandatory. Spicy ranch!!! Well that sold it quick. The wait was unbearable. When it arrived it lacked flavor and was not even spicy. It was very crumbly too.
For fries the group got: honor roll fries and lunch lady. The honor roll fries were drowning in BBQ sauce but the brisket was SO tender. One of the best I’ve tasted. The lunch lady had beef that was tender as well but the gravy. not sure. The large portion could easily feed 3+ people.
Prices are a little ridiculous for a casual dine in spot… Would I be back? Probably not any time soon because it’s a drive for me. But if I was in the area and was willing to spend then maybe.

Sweet sassy molassy! This place is fantastic.
My brother (who is huge, so I trust his recommended eateries) suggested we try this place while we were in town. We were not disappointed!
The Good:
— Service was fantastic. We were quickly sat, waiter was very attentive, and I love a restaurant that empowers employees. When we inquired about some of the sauces or shakes, he just brought out samples for us to try without hesitation. Guess who went ahead and bought them all? This guy.
— My brother and I got the Principal and Cheerleader burgers. My Cheerleader was spicy with fried jalapenos, and cool with the jalapeño ranch to dip in.
— The fries were plentiful (but no match for us), and fantastic with the chipotle and jalapeño ranch dipping sauces.
— The Shipley’s Donut ice cream blended into a peanut butter shake was A+ diabetically fantastic!
The Okay:
— While we did have 2 burgers, 1 fry, and 2 shakes, the toughest thing to stomach was a $ 40 lunch bill. But, honestly, it was probably worth it.
Overall:
If I want a fantastic burger next time I’m visiting Houston, I know where to find it. You don’t need to look any further than Bernie’s. Make the right choice. Your arteries will thank you. #FeelTheBern

I trekked my way to this place from the Northeast side of town on MLK day and wanted to see what all the fuss was about this place. For having the word burger in your name, it better be darn good, and Bernie’s delivers amazing burgers. I ordered the homeroom which is a cheddar cheeseburger with bacon and a fried egg… it’s as good as you think it is. Even though its really a simple burger, it is tasty here. With all the essentials (bacon & eggs), it definitely hits the spot! Ordering medium gave the burger the right kind of juiciness! The bun, the patty, the fixings all A’s in my book! Then of course with a burger, fries are a must, I saw pictures online of their lobster poutine fries so I was eager to try to it out but then when I arrived they said that’s actually a special that happens only every first Friday of the month, so I was a bit bummed. But looking through their menu I found the lunch lady fries, and good gaaah what a great «consolation»! It’s pretty much poutine fries just with beef. The cheese curds and gravy on any fries is what makes the dish great, it was delicious.
This place keeps to their school theme through and through. From the kitchen designed as yellow school bus, some desks as their tables, and their menu as a composition book with relevant names to call their items, it’s a nice touch. There’s also outdoor seating for patrons. Our waiter though was great in the beginning but then I would see him chit chat with his co-​workers so it was a bit hard to flag him down that another waiter picked up our plates and checks, that’s why I docked 1 star, but overall, I enjoyed the food and would come back again!

Who: me
Where/​when: Bellaire, weekday dinner
What: substitute burger, handcut fries, peppermint vanilla milkshake
Why: Pretty solid on everything. I ordered take out and it was ready within minutes. I loved the peppermint vanilla shake, and the substitute burger was super filling and tasty. They have poutin on the menu, and I can’t wait to go back and try it! :)

If you’re a burger and fries person, you have got to try Bernie’s Burger Bus! Their burgers are absolutely delicious and worth every single bite! Oh and don’t worry if you aren’t a burger person, I peaked at the salad section on the menu and they sound really amazing too.
From beginning to end, my experience was fantastic. Service was excellent, quick and the atmosphere was very fun, inviting, and friendly. There’s even a school bus parked inside the restaurant which houses the kitchen. The place is so well thought out and every detail is somehow tied in with the school theme. Even the menus looked like notebooks and the names of the menu items were very clever.
We were seated immediately and our server was awesome. He had great personality and he was so helpful in describing the menu items to help guide us on what to order. Food came out very quickly! It probably came out in less than 5 minutes!
I ordered the home room burger and I had zero regrets. Every bite had flavor, the burger was extremely juicy and the onions were the perfect sweet addition. My favorite part was the fried egg. I had mine cooked medium so the yolk could ooze out while I sectioned my burger in half. The truffle fries are a must try and if you love sweet potatoes AND tater tots, you must try the sweet potato tots! How clever is that?
A major bonus is they have an outside patio and I asked our server and he confirmed that dogs are allowed on the patio! It’s always a plus if I can bring my dog with me!
Try Bernie’s Burger Bus if you’re looking for a new and fun place that will satisfy your burger craving! You won’t be disappointed.

Wow is all I can say about this place. I read the reviews. I did my research. I knew it would be good. I was still really impressed on how good it really was.
We arrived and we’re immediately seated in the patio area. It was slightly chilly, but we were nice and warm under the heater out there. Out waiter was really friendly and answered any questions we had. I ordered the Cheerleader Burger, my son got the Principle and my cousin got the Substitute. We ordered an order of regular fries which were amazing on its own. I also ordered the lunch lady fries which was perfect with the cheese curds and gravy. My cousin got an off menu fries order which had kimchi and Korean beef on it. They were my favorite. All the burgers were cooked just right and had really good flavor. We didn’t have room for dessert, but next time I want to try one of their shakes.
This place has moved up to my favorite burger place in Houston. It’s definitely worth the drive from my part of town.