Oddball restaurant name but big, beautiful burgers
Temporary sign for a burger restaurant that expects to have staying power.
Good food and drinks are the redeeming feature of a curiously named burger restaurant that I’ve seen written H Burger Co, HBurger, HBurgerCO, HBurger CO, H|Burger and H|BurgerCO and probably some others. It isn’t cute, and it drives me bonkers. But then, anyplace that serves tasty, moist, copious and fairly priced burgers can call itself anything it wants. The burgers — locally sourced beef plus bison, lamb, turkey, veggie — are thick, juicy and well matched with suggested or you-pick-’em toppings. Other menu items include salads, sandwiches and great sides that can be shared as not-such-small plates. A full bar and fabulous “new school” nitrogen-chilled milkshakes developed by culinary wizard Ian Kleinman, who also wrote the menu and created some of the sauces.
Boulder's H Burger Co layout lends itself to simple yet striking decor. The kitchen stretches across the back of the restaurant.
When the first one opened in Denver’s LoDo a bit over two years ago, I called it a “swank and contemporary burgeria” in my blog post. The newest debuted in downtown Boulder a few days ago, and this second full-fledged restaurant is the peer of the original. (There’s also a Little H on Colorado Boulevard in Denver, but I’ve never been there so don’t know how down-sized it is.) In any case, HBurger (or whatever) fresh out of the blocks won the people’s choice award in the first annual Denver Burger Battle. Boulder’s is located where The Pinyon once was — across the street from Ted’s Montana Grill. Perhaps the corner of 17th and Pearl will have its own burger battle.
A rainy evening called for a couple of burgers. Both were served on sesame-seed buns The skin-on fries that come with each can be replaced by another side dish at an upcharge. Like the generously sized burgers themserves the sides are amply portioned.
The signature H|Burger is made of freshly ground 100% Angus beef hand-formed into a robust burger and served on a City Bakery bun with Hatch chile, smoked Cheddar, sweet ‘n’ spicy bacon, Bibb lettuce,sliced tomato and onion, with served with mound of crisp friends and red pepper-tomato jam. Grass-fed beef is an option. I'm not sure what the blank space on the plate is for. Maybe the fries simply slid.
The Colorado Burger is made of ground lamb, also locally sourced, with feta cheese, excellent spicy aïoli, beefsteak tomato and H|Greens. I "helped" my husband with his fries, but I ordered my burger with Asian slaw instead.
H|Burger Co’s distinct "new school" milkshakes are quick-chilled with liquid nitrogen, which creates a dense, creamy texture and a good show for a shake with smoke billowing out of the glass. The top forms a crust of milkshake crystals over a rich, thick shake. Two of us shared this rich and filling yet small-size chocolate shake. It was plenty and plenty tasty.
Price check: Burgers, $7.95-$12.95 plus a smaller quarter-pounder (5 ounces, actually), $6.95; additional cheese and toppings, $1-$2.50; salads, $9.95-$11.95; “sandwiches and stuff,” $8.50-$12.95; $3.95-$6.95.
Urbanspoon has not yet discovered this location, which is at 1710 Pearl Street, Boulder, 720-465-9683.
Claire, thanks for this post. I just emailed H Burger (or whatever) and asked them to offer gluten-free buns as a menu option. Almost nothing (except the fries!) on their menu works for those of us who are allergic. Bummer.
Glad to get your insights Claire. I was unable to go to the soft opening and perhaps after reading your prior commentor’s remarks that was ok (on the gluten front). Hope they will find success in Boulder. Enjoy your long weekend!
I received word back from the restaurant – they DO have gluten-free buns! Yay!
Thank you Andy for checking! I’m much more apt to go now.
Andy – So glad you did the research. I had intended to get an answer for you but was on deadline and didn’t get to it yet.
Toni – I didn’t get to the soft opening either but ate there a couple of days later.
Everyone – If there’s a place on the planet whose reraurateurs and chefs tend to be hyper-aware of dietary restrictions and prefences it’s Boulder, where diners can find vegan options in steakhouses, gluten-free items in bakeries and dairy-free items in ice cream and yogurt places.
Had lunch on Thursday. I’ve been looking forward to the opening and so wanted to love this place after reading about the Denver reviews. No mention was made to us about the special. Would have liked to save the money. After 20 minutes finally had the food. My friend’s well done burger was raw. Sent back and took 15 minutes more. Table next to us had both burgers delivered raw. Some tables served long after others when they were seated first. Great sweet potato fries. So so burgers. They took his lunch off the bill but as a brand new place it would have been better to comp us both and give certificates to try it again before I tell friends not to go. At this point why would I bother paying to try again??