Fans of Trill Burgers have been anticipating the opening of its brick and mortar for a couple of years now. And we’d love to tell you that the wait is over. However, we cannot say for sure when it will open to the public, though sources say it’s getting very close. That’s what we’ve been told and that’s what the team at Trill Burgers is sticking to.
While we, the public, are still left craving the smashed patties covered in melty cheese, caramelized onions and Trill sauce, Trill Burgers hosted a family and friends night at the upcoming location this past Thursday, June 1. If you weren’t a friend, relative, professional athlete, media personality or local rapper, you were probably not on the guest list. However, we have a few photos of the evening to share while we wait for the big announcement.
The smashburger concept was first conceptualized in 2021 as pop-ups with local restaurateurs. It was founded by Third Coast rapper and Port Arthur native Bernard ‘Bun B’ Freeman, California restaurateur Andy Nguyen, Houston public relations guru Nick Scurfield and chefs Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares.
Trill Burgers soon earned a following among locals with pop-ups at Houston’s City Hall, fundraisers such as Southern Smoke and its very popular food stand at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in both 2022 and 2023. It took home the Gold Buckle Foodie Award for Best Classic Fair Food at HLSR 2023, where we at the Houston Press were lucky enough to be part of the judging crew.
Its acclaim has spread nationally with its pop-up presence at music festivals such as Coachella, Rolling Loud, Rock the Bells and Something in the Water. That national recognition was topped off with a cherry in July 2022 when Trill Burgers was voted “Best Burger in America” in a burger showdown hosted by ABC’s Good Morning America.
In March 2023, Trill Burgers began selling its smashburgers to Houston Dynamo fans at Shell Energy Stadium, along with other local restaurants such as URBE, Hugo’s, Taqueria Arandas, Vinny’s Pizza and Roostar Vietnamese Grill.
Some of the guests at the event were rap artists Slim Thug, Lil’ Keke and Willie D of the Geto Boys. Notable locals in attendance included restaurateur Johnny Carrabba, chef Ryan Lachaine, media personality Courtney Zavala and Kam Franklin, lead singer for The Suffers. Country music singer Rich O’Toole was also in attendance along with radio host Charles ‘Big Angry’ Adams, sports radio pundit Lance Zierlein and local street artist and muralist Alex ‘Donkeeboy’ Roman.
Many of the evening’s attendees were family and friends of Bun B including his wife Queenie Freeman, her family and a slew of nephews, nieces and cousins. He said of the event, ” It was nice to invite some friends over to the new space and cut on the equipment for the first time. We learned a lot last night and realized we are a lot closer than we thought.”
The soon-to-open (we hope) burger joint is located at 3607 S. Shepherd in the former home of one of the longest operating James Coney Islands in Houston. The 3,236 square-foot building will have a convenient drive-thru but many fans are eager to see the interior of the restaurant itself. The menu will feature its original smashburgers along with some new items and undisclosed signature burger.
In a press release Bun B said, “Stay tuned, Houston, we might be open soon.”
We’re waiting.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
