TerraBurger

You will not find a better mint chocolate chip shake in the world. Seriously, I gulp down an entire shake within minutes. I should preface by saying that I don’t even like mint chocolate chip that much, but this is my favorite flavor at TerraBurger. There is only a hint of mint that’s cool and refreshing on your taste buds! And then on top of that, the shake is just so light and whipped that you’ll understand how I can finish a shake in mere minutes.
As far as the food goes, the Hickory BBQ burger is pretty good. It’s a little pricey in my opinion and has a lot of sauce on it.

Two separate trips here to chronicle:
1. It was Friday, and they had half-​priced beef burgers. I don’t think they’re doing that any more, as I walk by this place daily and don’t recall seeing the sign. I stopped in to try it for the first time, and ordered the cheddar, BBQ, and bacon burger. I forget the name. I just got a burger, that’s it. And it was very delicious, and filling. And I got it for less than $ 5, which I considered a steal. I know that organic costs more, and when I’m willing to pay the price, this will be my go-​to spot. They also have only organic condiments and sodas.
2. It was a cold morning, and as I was walking to class, I decided I had 10 extra minutes, so I stepped up to their walk-​up window and ordered a latte. It took them 9 of those 10 minutes to make the drink after I ordered, so needless to say, I was late to class. The girl taking my order was obviously new and the managers/​supervisors decided that that would be an appropriate time to teach her how to make coffee drinks. It cost as much as a Starbucks equivalent, but was smaller, but again, that’s the price you pay for organic.
I’ll try it again.

Mother Earth, you should be glad to know that I went beyond eating organic beef at TerraBurger last week; I had a kick-​ass veggie burger, actually. It wasn’t soggy like the previous burgers I had, and the patty was very flavorful. Perhaps a bit dry, but I didn’t mind – it was still delicious. This was during my vegetarian phase, which is over now, and I’m still very much an omnivore as ever, but I’m definitely going to cut back on my meat consumption just for you, Mother Earth.
I know, I prefaced this a bit too much on the environmental side. GLOBAL WARMING, BLAH BLAH BLAH – there’s a guy in one of my classes who doesn’t believe global warming is happening, but I’ll leave that out for another day. I think TerraBurger’s still pretty top-​notch in my book. I don’t go there too often, but I’ve never had a disappointing experience to feel sour about their service or food. The place is always clean, and everything tastes great. A little expensive, but their meals are pretty big! I can never finish my fries, actually…
I was giddy to find that they serve different options for buns now: white, wheat, and gluten-​free! They also let you order fries half-​and-​half – a mix between regular and sweet potato. How cool is that?

I had to go to Eclectic Eyewear for a lunch appointment and so I was like, «I know! Terra Burger!»
I ordered the veggie burger and sweet potato fries. The nice girl asked if I wanted a drink and I didn’t; I had my SIGG in the car. Then she informed me that the combo meal was like $ 2 cheaper than a burger and fries. So as it turned out, I DID want a drink!
No Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke here, kids! Just good ol’ all natural soda. She recommended the black cherry and it was awesome.
I ate my lunch at my desk back at work, (I KNOW, Michael Pollan, I KNOW) and I wished I had hot sauce to go with my ketchup/​mayo for the sweet potatoes (yes, I’m a mayo-​fry-​dipper) and I found the burger a bit bland. But THEN that night I heard a report on NPR about how Americans consume too much salt so I think Terra Burger might be onto something.

I eat organic food because it tastes much better than inorganic. It’s not enough that it doesn’t have pesticides or it’s free range or it’s better for your health… it HAS TO TASTE Better… for me, that’s the only reason to pay half again the price.
So it’s a SXSW afternoon and I’m strolling down the drag with baby and wife in tow… and we come upon Terra Burger. OK, let’s cut to the chase… No, let’s fast forward past the chase and to the dénouement… when the protagonist looks up skyward with a lump of dry, tasteless, gamey organic burger slathered in mayo, mustard and ketchup in his mouth and wails: «You Maniacs!»
Bun…good.
Sodas…good selection of real sugar favorites
Fries…a little too «home made tasting»…oily…
Toppings…really limited selection.
Intangibles…credit for being organic.
Meat…well just ask Charlton Heston how he feels about it.

Yum. I was afraid to go here because I thought the food at the 183 location wasn’t all that amazing the last time I had it. But it seemed like the best option on that part of the drag so my husband and I gave it another try. I don’t know how or why this place could be any different. Maybe we had a new perspective because we just saw The World According to Monsanto. Or maybe it really was better. But here you actually do have the option to sit inside if the weather’s not cooperating and you can help yourself to refills of cane sugar soda (no high fructose corn syrup, yay!) or organic iced teas. I also like it better than Elevation Burger just because they have more options for the non-​beef eater. My husband’s grilled chicken sandwich was very good and my veggie burger with fries was equally satisfying.
I know that it’s more expensive than your average burger place but real food costs more to make. So if you can afford to eat out, you might as well spend an extra couple dollars on something that’s much more beneficial for your body and the earth as well!

Basic burger joint. All the trendy organic stuff along with prices. I enjoy Mighty Fine or Elevation burger much more if having to chose.
Menu is limited. Usually no one is eating there when I stop in and the taste of the food just isn’t up to par with the other quality burger spots in town. Plus the sweet potatoe fries are a let down sooo…

No breakfast after 10:30!!! What is this, McDonalds?! Not quite. All natural, locally baked buns, 100% USDA Organic beef! I decided to have the thousand island burger w/​bacon. Aside from the sloppy state it was in before I even touched the thing, it was pretty good. I’d say just knowing that I was eating something organic and natural probably helped me ignore the sloppiness and enjoy my $ 11.00 burger and soda!

Had a veggie burger and fries.
Not impressed, even with the student discount it was overpriced.
There are much better veggie burger and fries options by other local businesses in Austin.
Also, the whole «organic» thing is way over the top, to the point of absurdity.
For example, they sell organic cotton t-​shirts and contribute a portion of the money to Save Our Springs. However, they seem to fail to consider the fact that producing organic cotton takes HUGE amounts of water to produce, actually Killing Our Springs.
Another example: organic beef. Sure, organic beef doesn’t have the chemicals that normal beef does, but it’s still BEEF and still toxic to your body, increasing your likelihood of getting heart disease and cancer.
I might go there again just because there are no better veggie burger options around campus.
EDIT:
First, I’d like to say that the second time I stopped by here the veggie burger was much better than the first, bread was fresher and the patty was better. Now they just need to work on consistency and the price. The food and service is great, but the price is still absurd.
Secondly, I’ve received complaints about my comment criticizing their obsession with organic produce. I stand by my criticisms. Organic produce is great in some cases, not so in others. In the case of organic cotton, it is true that in many areas water demand does not increase when switching to organic cotton. Also, water quality issues might be mitigated when switching to organic cotton. However, the topic of organic cotton is controversial and complex, as with most instances of the «organic» brand name. In any case, organic beef hamburgers are just silly. You’re still damaging your body and the earth by eating beef.

Hmmmm. This was my second visit to the all natural, organic Terra Burger joint on the drag. And this time, much like the first, was unimpressive.
My friend and I were delighted to find that Terra Burger has its own parking spaces behind the venue, a fact that had escaped us a few months ago on our first venture. We came for the ½ price burgers in honor of tomorrow night’s UT game against Texas Tech.
I opted for the turkey burger, with a wheat bun, hold the tomatoes and pickles. My friend purchased a veggie burger with a side of conventional hand cut fries. The turkey burger was bland, the bun being the best part. The fries, which we split, were crispy and delicious, though I personally could do without the organic ketchup. My friend also expressed her opinion that the veggie burger was lacking in taste.
I had an intriguing «hippie» diet soda, which was fine. It’s no Diet Dr. Pepper, but it also didn’t leave me with the jitters like Diet Coke does.
After our first visit to Terra Burger, we fondly began to refer to the restaurant as «DysenTerra Burger.» That day, we came back to work sick to our stomachs and could only pinpoint the tomatoes as the potential culprit.
After today’s visit, we’ve decided we’d rather stand inside the scary McDonald’s on Martin Luther Kind Blvd. and risk getting airborne herpes than return to Terra Burger.
The concept still appeals to us. Perhaps it would help if we’d give in to our carniverous leanings and «go full beeftard» while dining there.
Or, as my pal suggests, only go there when we have the munchies.

So, since most people probably make it over for the lunch time, I’ll share my morning experiences as of late, the only ones I’ve had actually. My regular morning commute involves a brisk bus ride, and then a hike across campus to the opposite end where the office I work at is located. On my way I get my iced coffee and breakfast, usually, and that is at terra burger. Awesome, awesome breakfast tacos for a buck. 1 dollar. 100 cents. yeah. Sweet. Salsa is complimentary, and they’ve usually got one employee camped outside waiting to talk you into buying some tacos, in the nicest way of course.
The eggs taste fresh, the bacon rocks my socks, and the sausage actually has flavor, something most other breakfast tacos I’ve encountered lack. The lunch items are a bit out of price range for the quality you get, but definitely hit them up early in the morning for those tacos.

After posting my original review I was contacted by the manager and offered a complimentary meal to make up for my not so stellar experience. This time when I went back I decided to have my burger dry and add my own ketchup and mustard from the condiments by the fountain drinks. This was a much better idea. The burger turned out pretty good and the fries were much improved. But the thing that really turned my experience around was the chocolate shake. Holy cow it was delicious. I was so full by the end of my meal but that shake was so good I would have easily been able to get another one in my belly.
Since trying the shake I’ve been back a couple more times and so far the experiences have been pretty good. I would still suggest that when you order your burger you ask them to go light on the condiments but other than that everything has improved from my first visit.

3.5 stars! I ordered a cheeseburger combo which included a fountain drink and fries for $ 10. Other than feeling good about eating organically and locally grown, the burger itself wasn’t too special. The beef was lean (perhaps due to the cows being grass fed, as suggested by a friend). It was enough to satisfy my meat craving.
The real deal at this place were the fries, I had the mixed potato and sweet potato fries. They were mouth watering delicious! Generous portions that are cut to perfection, crispy on the out side and meaty on the inside. I also have to give a shout out to the sodas sweetened with cane sugar. One sip and you can tell the difference between these and its’ distant high fructose cousins. On a side note, they’re breakfast tacos are very flavorful, especially eaten with corn tortillas.
I’ll probably go back for my fries fix and try their shakes (which I heard are very tasty too).

I’m really liking Terraburger thus far. They just opened one near where I work by Costco but I’ve only been to that one once and the campus one twice.
It’s obviously going to be a bit more expensive (being organic) than other burger places. A combo is going to set you back about $ 10 and if you get carried away with extras it could be a bit more. But it’s tasty — the burger is really good. I was a bit surprised that this burger was more like a greasy spoon burger and not something that tasted «healthy».
The hickory sauce they make is really excellent. It’s great on their chicken burger even though they don’t really advertise that you could get hickory sauce on it.
The fries at the campus location were a lot better than the one near costco… cut a little different and it seemed like the portion was bigger also. The burger was better and seemed bigger too on campus — but they just opened up up North so maybe they are getting thing worked out.
The time I had the sweet potato fries they were not very good… maybe they will work that out also.
The black cherry soda they have is really good — way better than any soda offering you will typically get at a hamburger place (as much as I love Dr. Pepper).
So T.B. has already moved up pretty high on my burger short list. Burger Tex is usually at the top. Casino El Camino is the only 5 star burger, but, you know it’s not that easy to to whip in and get a Casino burger like it is at Burger Tex or TB or whatever.

I really wanted to like TerraBurger. I’ve been driving past the under-​construction NW location for months thinking, wow, finally a turkey burger in my (work) neighborhood.
What was great: my coffee smoothie. I love coffee shakes and could drink a frappucino a day. The smoothie was a little melted, but once the extra liquid was sipped away, I was very happy with it. Love that it’s made with frozen yogurt.
What was meh: everything else.
The location leaves a little to be desired. Because the drive-​thru exit is rather close to the traffic light, at 1:00 PM traffic backed up for a bit and the line couldn’t move. I sat there for about 10 mins. before I even moved in the line. Ordinarily I would take off with that kind of wait, but I was hungry, and I was already there. While I waited a thoughtful staffer brought out a menu so I could be ready to order when I finally had the chance. Once the line started moving, service was relatively quick.
While I sat there I had opportunity to observe the playscape and fountain. The kids were happily running around a safely fenced-​in area at the back of the property while parents enjoyed a bit of shade and watched the little ones.
I also watched some perfectly mobile jerk park in the only handicap-​accessible spot and get out to order at the walk-​up window.
The burger: Turkey burger, no mayo, mustard instead. After a quick 5 minute drive back to my office the bun was complete mush. The lettuce appeared not to have been dried adequately, and the bun absorbed the extra liquid. The patty was moist and well-​seasoned, so I was reasonably happy with that, but decided to ditch the bun. The burger was served with (wet) lettuce, 2 tomato slices, 3 pickles, and a generous slather of mustard.
The fries: These are what really ruined it for me. As I pulled away from the window and into traffic, slurping my coffee smoothie, the fries were calling my name. I got to the light (like 150 ft away?) and dug into… really mushy, barely warm fries. Ugh, I was so disappointed. While the serving was generous, the quality was very sub-​par. There was not a crunchy, hot fry in the batch. Limp, mushy fries were suck together. The ketchup, however, was yummy. It was packaged in a little to-​go cup, and had a bit of clove-​like taste to it.
TerraBurger has a good concept, but I found the execution to be somewhat less than satisfactory.
This location might benefit from the drive-​thru system employed at nearby Chik-​fil-​a, which has a similar location issue. During the lunch rush 1 – 2 staffers take orders while you wait in the drive-​thru line, and they transmit to the kitchen. Then you just drive up, pay, get a bag of delightfully crispy waffle fries, and go on your merry way.

It’s going to cost you more than other burger places but it’s worth it if you want to splurge. The burgers and sliders are wonderful, full of flavor and made fresh. I am not a fan of the fries at all (potato or sweet potato).
I like the choice of organic sodas but I haven’t tried the shakes yet.

The Terraburger is essentially a more expensive, «all-​natural,» slightly less greasy version of the Big Mac. It’s also $ 6. Fries are pretty good. Décor is minimalist. Go here if you want McDonalds without the heart attack.

Five stars for the shakes, four for the burgers, two for the fries, two or three for the environment, four for a dedicated parking lot, five for the sodas. .. you get the idea, kind of hit or miss, but more hits than misses.
I keep going back for the chocolate shakes. Little bits of chocolate and made with chocolate ice cream, and not the heresy that is chocolate syrup.
The food is solid overall. Even if I didn’t crave their shakes, I’d probably still drop in occasionally for the hickory burger. Around a third of a pound, and typically cooked to a medium, it’s pretty delicious in its own right. I would avoid the sweet potato fries– they always seem chewy and undercooked, and I always order them anyway and wish I had gotten them at Galaxy instead.

This place is just OK to me and that’s because…
Terra Burger delivers on their mission statement to serve a great organic burger and be eco-friendly…and though I «feel» better for eating here the price hits a bit harder for a burger.
I had their BBQ burger «with bacon» which turns out to be chopped bacon that’s in the sauce (I didn’t like that, felt it was false advertisement and it costs a $ 1 extra). My gf had the regular burger with cheese and though it TASTES really pure and flavorful, after adding all the cheese and sides it came to be about $ 11 a person. We also got the kid’s chicken nuggets and these were definitely really good and good portions, some people just get these themselves and fill up on them. ALSO I hear the milk shakes are great, but never had them.
Overall it’s a great burger and you may feel better knowing it’s good for the earth but do you want to spend $ 8-​$ 11 for a burger to feel this good?

Ok, so when you go to most burger joints you expect something that will taste oh-​so-​delicious, but leave you wishing that you’d gone for a salad after you finished your meal. That was not the case for me after eating a TerraBurger. I honestly did not feel like i gained a million pounds after i ate my scrumptious burger. They really do have quality burgers. Their patties were not the flimsy disks of beef that I come to expect from most fast food restaurants; rather, they were thick and flavorful. The burger did not just sit in my stomach like every other burger that I have eaten from other restaurants. And let me tell you, if you are not a pickles-​on-​the-​burger fan, you will be a believer. Their pickles are so crisp and really make the burger spectacular. When I took my little brother there, he absolutely adored the chicken nuggets. He said that it was a refreshing change from all of the other nuggets that he has consumed. Oh and the cookies and cream shake?! Man that is just ecstasy in a cup. Honestly, I thought there was cocaine in the product because I could not help myself, I just wanted MORE! I could go on forever, but you should really go and make your own opinion. I recommend going for the organic white cheese; it really does add a little more to the product.
Okay for those who say it is too expensive, go cry about it. Really? If you wanna be cheap, go to McDonalds. I hope you get super sized, literally. Honestly, to get a good burger, you’d have to go to a sit down restaurant. This is a freaking fast food place, and they deliver, not literally!
So all in all, I have a great impression of this place and intend on going there more often. I hope to try everything on the menu by… next week. Yeah, like nike, just do it. Try it out. You may love it, like i do :)