Robert’s Grill

This is a great lunch spot for burgers and Robert’s onion burger is top notch. Robert knows the town of El Reno and can tell you all about it. Don’t forget to try his original recipe of slaw on your burger or hot dog or by its led out of the bowl!

Good burgers! I’ve ate here off and on for almost 40 years. A hole in the wall but with great food. Love it fresh off the grill. It’s the only place I will eat coneys with slaw.

So, when you have an opportunity to try a place where onion burgers originated, how can there be anything to complain about? This is absolutely nothing fancy about Robert’s. This is a you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit type of place. The bar stools are probably 20 years old and the bathroom is cramped as all get out, but they grill up a damn good burger. I prefer onion burgers in general and it was great here! Very reasonable prices as well and I was happy to see they take credit cards! Sometimes I worry that small town places like this are cash only, but it is 2015 after all. I also shared an order of chili cheese tots with my boyfriend and it was plenty for the both of us. They don’t skimp on the grease here though so just be warned.
It was so neat to talk to the employees and hear how Robert’s gets visitors from around the globe. It’s not picture perfect, but I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with these burgers.

Ventured out to El Reno with some friends to try this little hole-​in-​the-​wall diner. Now the particulars…
Yes, the place doesn’t look like Mickey Mantle’s, but honestly… what do you expect a diner to look like that is located in a small town in western Oklahoma? It’s not in the best shape and really shows it’s years, but I wasn’t really bothered by that. If I’m driving to El Reno for food, I care about the food, not how old the building is.
I had bites of chili cheese tater tots and french fries as well as a sampling of their slaw… which was freaking AMAZING. I end of putting some on my onion burger. Yea… their slaw is next level.
Their onion burger was fantastic. It had that signature greasiness that you expect a diner burger to have and it had the right amount of onions on it. Also, it wasn’t too big. I was able to eat all of it and eat a good amount of the sides.
The staff were very friendly and had our food cooked up pretty quick. All in all, I had an excellent time at Robert’s. I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again!

Best onion burger I have had in Oklahoma. Fiancée told me El Reno was the birthplace of the onion burger. Didnt believe her at first, but after doing some research its true. The other «diner» place down the street gets all the hype, but Robert’s Grill is a true diner. You walk in and its an L-​shaped bar around the entire kitchen. Its grimey, flys everywhere and has the true dirty diner feel. You have to step in to an added part of the building just to go to a bathroom. This place truly has been here since 1926, i can only imagine what it used to look like. Service was prompt and very friendly. They started us with a sample of sauerkraut and chili, chili was dead on and perfect for Fries or tater tots. I tried the deluxe onion burger, because what is a burger without lettuce, tomato and pickle. If i ever find myself close to El Reno again, I will be stopping here. Robert’s Grill definitely deserves more pub than their competition down the street!!!

Yum! Robert’s definitely lived up to the El Reno onion burger hype. The onion burgers are of course delicious, but you have to get something with the chili. The cook brought us some chili and sauerkraut to taste when we sat down, which is what they put on the coneys. It was soooo good. I debated getting a fried onion cheeseburger and a coney, but settled for a fried onion cheeseburger and chili cheese fries. The fries had old school Kraft singles as the cheese, and then that amazing chili on top. So. Good.
I hate seeing one star reviews for the atmosphere alone, saying there is no «diner charm» to this place. Yes, it’s small. Yes, it’s smoky. Yes, it’s dirty. It’s an old school, hole-​in-​the-​wall diner, not a restaurant decorated to look like a «cute» diner from the 1920s. From the looks of it, it hasn’t been updated since it opened in 1926, and I find that awesome. The cooks were super friendly and shared some good tidbits with us about people from all over the world who come in for fried onion burgers. I’m sure we smelled like smoke and onions leaving this place, but isn’t that part of the fun?

First Onion Burger for us and it was pretty good. We also had the hot dog with chili and their special slaw. Needless to say our plates were clean. Not the greatest atmosphere but full of old school roadside hole-​n-​the-​wall charm.

Everyone has their favorite onion burger place in El Reno. I personally like all three. They each have their pros and cons. I like Roberts as the owner remembered me after only two visits. He even remembered my order and asked me if I would have the usual. This makes me feel like a valued customer. The food is always good and the atmosphere is always «cozy.» There are only about a dozen seats so you are forced to get to know your fellow diners. It makes for a great time as everyone is so friendly. Almost like eating with family. Ed, you are the best!!!

I usually eat at Sid’s but they had a line out the door. Johnnies was about the same on this Saturday noon. I’ve never tried Robert’s before so Mrs. Eva and I went to Roberts. The burger was good and the fries were excellent, but this place is pretty dumpy, stinky, and filthy dirty. The grille is bent in the middle and almost to fall off the wall. The prep area was loaded with junk and tidbits of food. Poor cleaning of the counter was the norm and I had to keep my balance on the loose and worn out seat. When the teenage cooks made hot dogs, they used their fingers to handle the dogs, then took money, cleaned the counter, then made more dogs — all without washing hands. We were grossed out and will not return.

the burger was more like four stars. and the environment was 1 star. i was nowhere near being in the mood for a burger, and i only went by because of jane and michael stern and their roadfood website. so i generously give it 3 stars, because once i got over how run down the place was, and how desperately it needed a power wash, i was instantly soothed by the cute zen-​like young burger flipper, who asked me if i wanted onions in an obi wan kenobi way. and then i realized that why, yes, i did want onions. and, sure – i’ll have cheese, too. and the burger was exactly what i wanted and super delicious. mmmmm… may have to stop by again on my road trip back.

It’s been around since the 1920’s. I had to try it out, so I went for breakfast. It was not what my mind’s eye had envisioned. The place is very small, no classic 1920’s charm and all the character of a hole-​in-​the-​wall dive kind of place. No breakfast menu to be found. You have to just tell the cook what you want, then he tells you how much… and no bill given at the end.
That was a fun different kind of experience for me. Average breakfast and good coffee.

One of the problems with being a «legend» and lasting 50 or more years, is… you’ve lasted 50 or more years, and you’re damned tired, it’s easy to rest on your reputation, and who can blame you for wanting to squeeze a few more bucks out of your place for your golden years?
But I do like it when there are «two legends», across town, or down the street, and locals are passionate about one or the other being the best.
Such is the case in my home town with «Deluxe Coney Island», and «Original Coney Island.» (No question, Deluxe rules!). Such is the case in El Reno, OK, the «birthplace of the onion burger.» In fact, if you find yourself on Route 66, in the spring of any year, El Reno is the place to be in May for Fried Onion Burger Day. I swear. A giant onion burger is cooked and served up to the curious, tourists, and locals alike.
So what is a fried onion burger? Well, at Robert’s Grill, around since before grills were invented, the cook takes a handful of fresh ground beef, slaps it on the flattop, and smashes is once with a spatula.
Sprinkle a mess or raw white onions on top, and smash the crap out of it, so it’s a thin patty, awash with onions, sizzling at a hot enough temp, that the edges are going to get crispy. And I like that. Let it cook for quite awhile, or at least until the blood is coming thru the top. Flip it once, so the onions are ‘neath it, and place the bun on top to warm. Flip again, slab o’cheese=food. Counterman turns, asks «mayo or mustard.» «Mustard,» sez I.” «Pickle?» sez he. «Aye» sez I. I splurged and ordered a side of tots.
I paid («make it an even $ 5,» sez he,) and retired to my usual preferred dining spot on these outings, the trunk of my car. Small problem. Oklahoma, OK or not, has a serious fly problem. Has anyone pointed this out?
There are hordes of flies everywhere I stopped (no, they were not following me), so al fresco dining (who’s he?) was out of the question for the Robert’s parking lot. I would have sped out of town, but I was on «E», so I packed my hamburg sandwich and tots and moved a block away to the gas station, planning to dine and gas, but the card readers on the pumps were taped over, so I had to go into the station twice. Gassed, but not yet gassy, I drove across the street to the parking lot of Johnnie’s, another place in El Reno that was built by the Egyptians, after the finished the pyramids.
I intended to do a side-​by-​side comparison, but after polishing off the Robert’s onion burger, which pretty much tasted like a giant White Castle, but grilled, instead of steamed. I will admit tho, for being grocery store beef and buns, I did like Robert’s version of the o-​burger.
Walking into Johnnie’s, the only midday customer, I spied the menu board and out slipped, «two coneys to go, please.» My eyes wandered right. $ 6.50 for two? WTF? Are you making the weenies here?
They were ready in a sec, of course, the chili was meaty and sweet, like a bbq sauce, and the tiny diced onions were awash in a mustard/​vinegar concoction. It was a sweet and sour dog, and I quickly soured on it. I thought that maybe the frank itself would have given the sandwiches some redemption, but scraping off the good, picking out the dog, and taking a bite, revealed nothing more than a standard 10/​lb, «mixed meat» hot dog.
Could have even been a poultry one. No knack, no flavor. The upside was I was happy I didn’t order the burger, which no doubt would have been a frozen puck from Sam’s Club.
Oh, I know. I didn’t hit the «popular place», but then I rarely do.

I spent every lunch in junior high running to Roberts to get a stool before they were all taken up. I still have a scar on my chin from slipping on the ice in ninth grade as I grabbed the doorknob to be the first in and landed on my chin. It required three stitches, but I got my burger to go before I called my mom to take me to the doctor. And that was back in the day when Robert was still in charge. My first boyfriend with a car was a cook at Robert’s. Oh, and the food was good, too, but that was many, many years ago.

Words cannot express the deliciousness. But I’ll give it a try anyway.
It’s right off historic Route 66, it has 14 bar seats wrapped around the single grille area. Cash only, locals only.
The menu is sparse, but everything is perfect. The french fries are pulled right out of the fryer, drained, salted and handed to you. Piping hot! No heat lamps here. When you order your onion burger, Ed (not Robert) starts grilling the onions first and then starts smashing them right into the burger as it’s cooking. We also had a chili dog with cole slaw on the side, not on top like it’s usually served. Fresh bun, spicy chili, perfectly cooked hot dog with the right amount of crispness to the skin. The slaw was a little sweeter then it looked.
There are 2 other onion burger places around the corner. I asked my dad why he didn’t go to the others. (he comes to Roberts 2 or 3 times a week) He took a bite of his burger and said «why bother, nothing else can be this good?» Enough said.
I mentioned that it is locals only and they don’t seem to happy when a group of 7 strangers walks in. Especially when they have a 3 year old. But my dad filled us in. Walk in, get a stool right away. If they are all full, stand behind and wait your turn. Don’t speak until spoken to! I mentioned in the survery that it was children friendly. That’s only if your child is perfect like mine :) Basically she said on my lap the whole time, colored and ate french fries and didn’t talk. She was as happy as the rest of us.
We also went for breakfast. Hot fresh eggs, bacon, sausage and hashbrowns cooked righ in front of you and handed right to you. Really good, really greasy. Ed actually pours something onto the hashbrowns as he’s cooking and flipping them. Oil, Crisco, bacon grease? I don’t know or care because they were delicious.
We’ll be back next summer!