Five Burgers of Little Rock But Not Five Guys

If you're new to Little Rock, then it's easy to fall back on the National Fast-Food Chain hamburger. It's the same everywhere, and you can depend on it. If you're ready to explore some other options though, then New to Little Rock has five burger venues to offer you: The Hop Diner, David's Burgers, Dugan's Pub, Big Orange and Capital Bar & Grill. All are Little Rock places, and we've grouped them into two categories: Traditional and Gourmet. All of them are good, but we'll still rank them accordingly.

The Traditional: The Burger in a Diner or Burger Joint Setting

David's Burgers. This is the Double I ordered before I knew better.
Keep your babies close. 

The Hop and David's fall into this group. The Hop is on the edge of the River Market area near Main Street. It cultivates a Fifty-ish vibe with the occasional image of Elvis on the wall and a genuinely relaxed, family-run atmosphere. It seems to track a mix of downtown working folks, tourists and folks visiting the city center from the 'burbs. I've enjoyed more than one good, well-cooked patty. The last time I was there, I especially enjoyed the fries, although I'm not sure why. I'm all but certain these are frozen fries cooked in hot oil, but they were done just right. I could argue with my mouth, but I won't try. On the menu, you'll find a bacon burger, a mushroom and swiss as well as other fairly conventional offerings. Nothing is bad and most is much better than OK.

David's is kin to David's Butcher Boys in Conway. In fact, the naming has me a little

confused. Nevertheless, I ordered the double combo. Whoa, that's a load of meat! My biggest complaint is how messy it is. (Hey, dummy, you ordered the double. ... Yeah, yeah, I know.)

Now, complaining about a messy burger might seem as ridiculous to some as complaining about getting your fingers sticky while eating barbecue. However, this ain't just because I'm a Felix. When a burger is particularly wet, it tends to soak the bun. By the time I was half through my double, the bottom bun was a sopping mess as were my fingers. Sandwiches were invented in part to create an edible finger-food entree that leaves your hands relatively unsullied. Additionally, I always have contended that the bread of a sandwich or burger tends to get short shrift even though it is the first part to hit the tongue. The meat is the thing, but the bread is the first-act. It's critical to the mouth feel. That's why I'm mentioning the super-wet patty here. On to the meat; yep, it was very good. If you had any doubt about its freshness, David's shows its ground meat in a glass display near the cashier station. Fries here are salty and fresh cut. They are delish.

David's inside is Fifties-ish, too, but in a much more studied way than at the Hop. It gleams with polished smooth surfaces and tile. Everyone wears a red apron. That's OK, but like the service, a little overdone.

Service ... well, service is overly attentive to the point of being close to annoying. One dude was circulating with a BIG mixing bowl of the fries, offering to those waiting on an order or those whose supply is getting low. Even though you order at the counter, and the David's folks give you a number, a server is nearby for refills et cetera. That's great, and we applaud this extra touch. Still, I must have been interrupted five times. Come on. One simple mid-meal check is enough. Otherwise, Davidette, I will let you know when I need something. I promise.

One last and almost completely unfair note: On their website, two guys in butcher aprons hold a baby between them in front of a glass case of red meat. This almost made me have a "Soylent Green" moment in which I would have run through David's Burgers yelling, "It's not beef! It's babies! David's Burgers are babies!"

The Black & Blue Burger at Dugan's.
All their fresh Angus burgers are surprisingly great. 

Gourmet: Trying to Build a Better Burger

Dugan's Pub probably is the most overlooked in terms of burgers. That's why we're leading off the Gourmet section with them. I've had a classic and a mushroom and Swiss there. Both were fantastic — good Angus meat on a fresh bun with some fancy extras like herb mayo. The fries are competently done but are extra. Chips come with the burgers, and these appear to be right out of the bag. Still, my first burger there was the mushroom and Swiss. I had the chips and a water and got out of there for under $10. Sweet! I ate at the bar with a friend and service was great. They never forgot about me but mostly left me alone.

I should say here that the burgers at Dugan's and the Capital might seem to some to be more in the traditional category. Hey, you certainly can make an argument for placing them there, especially the Capital, but there are nuances to how they do things that put them here in my book. Also, the venues are more upscale and not burger-jointy.

Big Orange's version of the Mushroom Melt is one of the best things
I've tasted in Little Rock.  Those sweet potato fries were mighty nice, too. 

Big Orange, however, is solidly in the gourmet category, undisputed. It's part of that Better Burger Movement you may have read about. Mine came with aioli, not mayo, for example. Another has pimento cheese on it. The fancy-shmanciest probably is the White Truffle & Pecorino. Wow, you might want to put your pinkies in the air when chomping down on that one. Overall, my burger and the burgers in the rest of my party were well-crafted with top-quality beef and real artisanal devotion. Big Orange has a full bar and wonderful salads, as you might expect from the same folks who create Zaza. Rumor has it that having revoluntized burgers, salads and pizzas for Little Rock, they soon are going to open a Mexican food place called Lime. Hmm, fascinating. I should state here in the interest of full disclosure that I am not a stickler for authenticity. If the food very tastes good and is nutritious, who cares. If you care about price, Big Orange is not the place for you. It will run you into some bucks, but I don't think they are trying to give you the cheapest burger. They know you won't be coming in for that experience there anyway. You've had that one thousands of times before.

The same goes for the Capital Bar and Grill in the Capital Hotel. Atmosphere there is decidedly upscale. Of course, the bar is well stocked. Cap's burger is expensive, very well-prepared and quite tasty. Some have claimed it as the best burger in town. It's not, but I won't start a bar fight with anyone who thinks so. It's a damn good one. Chef sautes the onions and puts them between the patty and the melted cheese slice on top. The bun and everything about it is first rate. However, I believe it is the only burger on the menu, and it's otherwise a fairly traditional one. Hey, nothing wrong with that. We put them here in the gourment category because of the price, the level of establishment and the quality of ingredients and presentation.

Ratings: Big Orange — A+; Dugan's — A; Capital — A-; The Hop — B+; David's — B.

On a side note, one of the worst burgers I've ever had was from the McDonald's on Broadway. Granted it was a late-night food run to a chain, but even so, the mushrooms on my burger should not have been leathery. Caveat emptor.

The Hop, aka Hop Diner: 201 East Markham Street, (501) 244-0975

Dugan's Pub, 401 East Third Street, (501) 244-0542

Capital Bar and Grill, Capitol Hotel, 111 W. Markham Street, 374-7474

Big Orange Burgers Salads & Shakes, 17809 Chenal Parkway, 680-9902

David's Burgers, 101 S. Bowman Road, 227-8333