Long-Awaited The Burger Joint in the Heights Is Now Open

Boozy milkshakes at the Burger Joint Heights location. Photo by Becca Wright Photography.

POSTED: February 21, 2020 10:56 am / BY Jamie Alvear / comments (0)

The highly anticipated opening of The Burger Joint’s Heights location at 2002 North Shepherd is finally here. News first broke of the upcoming second location way back in late 2016, but the locale (formerly a gas station) presented some unexpected hurdles when it came to construction. However, the delay allowed business partners Shawn Bermudez and Matthew Pak to design a restaurant that will be the model for future locations. (Pak hinted that a third location would be announced soon.)

The 3,300-square-foot covered patio has plenty of seating, 12 TVs and is equipped with fans and patio heaters for the constantly changing Houston weather. In an area where parking can be a challenge, guests have access to 100 parking spaces reserved just for The Burger Joint.

The Cowboy Bacon Burger featuring a dry-aged patty and beef bacon from Black Hill Ranch is available for a limited time. Photo by Jamie Alvear.

The menu is the same as the Montrose location with one addition: the Cowboy Bacon Burger, featuring a 25-day, dry-aged beef patty and beef bacon from Black Hill Ranch. The burger is topped with crispy onion strings, spicy barbecue sauce, grilled onions and pepper jack cheese. There are also daily specials.

The location’s larger kitchen allows Pak to continue his guest chef series called Joint Venture. He hopes to start those in as soon as two months. “We are hoping to do some out-of-the-box specials; more than we can handle at Montrose,” explains Pak. “We are actually using this kitchen as a commissary for a lot of the product we make in house so it can alleviate the pressure on the Montrose kitchen.”

The Burger Joint’s Heights location features a large outdoor patio and bar. Photo by Becca Wright.

One noticeable difference in the two locations is the full bar serving a menu designed by Present Company beverage director, Rex Nielsen. The menu consists of five boozy milkshakes, five signature cocktails and two frozen cocktails: spiked pink lemonade and a margarita. The restaurant has not only one, but two tap walls with 24 beers, most of which are from local brewers. This is likely going to be a hit with late-night diners since The Burger Joint is open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Burger Joint’s hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.