Petrol Station

Pretty impressive that they have actual cows on the property and slaughter them at the time of your order. That has to be the explanation because of how long it takes to get a simple burger. You might want to bring a book to read — I suggest something long like Moby Dick — cause it’s gonna be a long stay. Don’t bother going to Petrol Station unless you got a day or two to kill.

The service here is so slow. There was only one couple ahead of us and it took 20 minutes for us to get our burger. The fries that come with it are over fried (and super bitter). The burger is okay at best which is disappointing because of all the good reviews (maybe we came on an off day?). For the price, I probably wouldn’t come back.

All the food we ordered was enjoyable, you do order at the bar and food is brought out to you, we went on a slow day and enjoyed the outdoor backyard atmosphere. Plenty of outdoor seating and $ 50 fed 4 adults with a few beers.

A neighborhood pub with great outdoor seating. They consistently offer a wide variety of local ales. If you like local, ales and local ales this is a proper stop for you.

Excellent food. Again I say– excellent food.
My low star rating comes because we came in at 1:30 on a Sunday. Party of 3– myself, my husband, and our friend. Our friend ordered first and we ordered directly behind her– we were the next order. Her food came out about an hour after we had been there, which we were warned about when we arrived. Our food, however, came out early 45 minutes after her food did. In fact she ate her food and left, and we still hadn’t received our order.
When we asked one of the bartenders about it, he assured us «your order is in. Should be out soon.» And when we made eye contact with him again 15minutes later, he said «your food is being plated now.» Meanwhile we watched plate after plate come out for many other customers.
We got desperate and asked another bartender who offered to bring our burger out without the fries. We were so desperate, we said ok.
Our food finally came out a full 1:30 later. And it was great. Bottom line don’t come here if you’re In a rush… or want to eat with your friends.

In my opinion, they have the best burger in Houston. I have gotten the Rancor both times I’ve been here and both times have been awesome. This burger is HUGE! Be prepared to get your hands and face messy! It comes with bacon and a fried egg. It is about $ 12.50 but comes with fries as well. Def hits the spot!
There are only about 5 tables inside with a big outdoor back patio as well as seating outside in front.
They have good beer selection too of course.

The food here was suprisingly good and the atmosphere was very casual and relaxed. Indoor seating is limited, but it has a large outdoor patio which is nice when the weather is cooperative.
I had the pub burger. It. Was. Amazing. Seriously one of the best burgers I have ever had. It’s messy, like REALLY messy, but it’s very much worth it.
My husband had the Beef Tenderloin Stew. Another shockingly amazing dish. He’s already talking about when we will go back again.
We will be visiting often and recommending it highly to our friends and family! :)

Have no fear vegetarians — you can eat here!!! There are actual options for veg heads in the meat heavy place. I opted for the cheese plate and they will sub out some extra cheese for the meat if you ask. I also loved the kale salad here. My taste buds were happy and I was full when I left, so those are two good things right there.
I love the beer selections here. I love the outdoor patio. I love the fire pits on those cold Houston nights (that don’t happen often).
It’s order at the bar, grab a table and they bring it to you. Plus over 500 review and a 4 star rating … do you really need my opinion? Probably not, but now you can bring that veg head friend of yours and know they can eat too!

I posted pictures but didn’t write a review, so here goes. It’s a low key joint with delicious fries and as it appears the burgers were good too. Generous servings. Good beer selection. Beware that it’s got a small indoor seating area. Lots of seating outdoors up front and in the back. It’s a cozy relaxed spot. We met a rep promoting his brewery’s beer. Friendly staff. Worth a try.

This place gets a 4.5÷5 for me.
The Rancor burger rocks. The beer prices are even better. Cool casual vibe outdoor seating. I’ve been here twice. Once with a lot of people here and it was pretty packed. Another when it was pretty dead. It was a much better vibe with lots of people here. Service is a little long (about 45 min to get your food) but it’s worth the wait. A solid spot for sure!

Decided to try something new and close to home, and I now have a favorite beer joint/​hang out. Super friendly and helpful staff. Great food with amazing service. I would recommend this spot to anyone looking for a chill spot with a diverse beer selection and great burgers. I’m officially in love with The Petrol Station :)

Highlights:
Good atmosphere
Tasty, carby food (pub food)
Lots and lots of beer
Cons:
Parking
Longer than average wait times for food
The prices are a little high
This is my go-​to bar. The beers on tap are gratuitous, and the food is pretty good. You can always find someone to talk to here.

Charming neighborhood bar with beers all reasonably priced around the $ 5 – 7 mark (including glasses of wine). Maybe that’s typical for Houston but coming from SF it was very refreshing. Unpretentious staff. Good food so my family says (I didn’t eat). Casual but with personality.

A couple of friends and I met here on a Monday night just for drinks and to catch up. We sat in the back yard area with hanging string lights, and it automatically transformed the space, apart from inside the bar itself, which is small and kind of compact. One friend ordered a hamburger, which took a good 45 mins — 1 hr for her to get, and another one ordered the feta + rosemary fries. My friend said her hamburger tasted good, which I would probably take with a grain of salt, since she isn’t much of a foodie. She just likes to go out. I’d like to try their burgers myself.
I had high expectations for the fries since I was craving them, and really excited that my friend was generous enough to share. The rosemary was good, but I was little confused about the feta. It didn’t stick to the fries or anything, and if you wanted some with your fries, you probably should’ve eaten them with a utensil of some sort. I like the idea though, because the two ingredients are delicious together. The fries themselves were kind of burnt. Anyways, the beer was only $ 3 when we went, and I just kept gulping the Mr. Pineapple beer like it was juice. It’s such a girly little beer, but whatever. It was a Monday night. #NoJudgementZone

Cute neighborhood bar. It’s unpretentious with plenty of indoor or outdoor seating. Small parking lot, street parking, or at pengu if the school is closed. Service has always been a hit or miss but nothing too crazy to keep me from coming back. I mainly come here for the beer and hang out but this time actually ordered something to eat. Decided on the TBA sandwich with a side salad. Generous amount of turkey, thick cut bacon, avocado, and balsamic onions. The salad comes with a balsamic vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, caper berries, and oddly enough an edible flower. Food is pretty legit and beer selection is even better.

The rancors are large, carnivorous reptomammals native to the planet of Dathomir in the canonical Star Wars universe. The conceptual idea of the rancor in Return was described as «a cross between a bear and a potato.» Jabba’s rancor had an extended backstory of how it came to be his through misadventure of merchants, and ultimately loved by its keeper Malakili (formerly of the Circus Horrificus until The Incident on Nar Shaddaa) until Luke Skywalker had his way with her, the skull of Kwerve, and the fembot portcullis. (Return passes the Bechdel test now, yay!)
Petrol Station is my oldest Unilocal bookmark. Today was the day to check her out; principally for the Rancor burger but also cuz of the beer for day drinking purposes. Eating the Rancor is less barbaric than battling a rancor for sport in Jabba’s palace; though it will require several napkins in your arsenal to settle down the sloppy mess it will create as you enjoy the burger. Food here is made to order. 28 minutes was the wait time for me. Rabble rabble rabble I hate waiting.
The Rancor rings up at $ 12.50 + tax and brings a ½ pound patty of Angus, gooey cheddar and Swiss, lots of bacon, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and a Shania Twain-​sized slathering of mayo.
Because I am special snowflake I customized my Rancor with a request for medium well and to have the onions grilled. They obliged because I’m a gentlesir that gets what he wants; also because the bartender seemed to appreciate me as a customer being here. Since they didn’t have 512 Pecan Porter and that’s what I really wanted, he offered me a free taste of Nitro to decide if I should settle for something that was not 512.
I was one of two people ordering (they had just opened) so it was not supes busy like on a Friday night when everyone is dolled up in their goin’ out outfits. I would like to think service is consistent, but if nothing else, it was very good to me. The bartender even walked over my burger instead of beckoning me over to the bar to pick it up myself.
Rancor is a burger that is a monstrosity: thick, vertically ambitious, and messy with the fried egg. It is a cataclysm of flavors at a large scale but on a small scale each bite maintains a simple elegance that it is pleasing no matter the profile of cheese to mayo to angus patty. The bun itself is a stand out element being soft and pillowy but still dense enough to maintain structural integrity under the weight and moisture of the rest of the ingredients. The grilled onions are a must for that extra Sonic boost of flavor; and this is the most well-​done I have ever seen a medium-​well so def order medium-​well.
Simply put this is one big, beautiful, flavorful burger with plenty of bacon. Rancor is a suitable name for it since most canonical Star Wars characters had a deep awe and reverence for the rancors of Dathomir.
The closest competitor in town is Lankford Grocery’s Grim Burger (mac & cheese, jalapeño, bacon, and sunny side up fried egg for $ 9.49) which I had the ROTD for back in 2011. Lankford has fucked up hours (7a-​3p, closed Sunday) but so too does Petrol, I had to wait until they opened at 2pm to mosey on in. Rancor has the better name, but lacks the mac for substance and jalapeños for mystique. The service is downright unfriendly at Lankford; but Petrol is more in the niceness spectrum of Bubba’s, Champ, Sparkle, and Old Fashion.
Lankford has the edge on price and mac, but Petrol has the edge on better service and the beer list. I’ll leave location out of it since I live down the street from Lankford, but I was in Petrol’s hood meeting with a potential new client this afternoon. Spoiler: he went with a cheaper lawyer so I hope he is googling how to survive the prison showers down in Huntsville.
This used to be a gas station, so ironically now you can legally get drunk at it, instead of that one gas station in Metairie that seemed to have such a problem with it happening on their premises when a brother was thirsty and trying to solve problems on the fly.
It’s a serious /​dive bar/​like they mean it — it’s a no frills sort of place. They don’t have a website or online menu you can browse in advance to know accurate $$$ figures. You have to order your burger from the bartender since there’s no waitstaff. It’s a local joint for locals. It’s a dive bar first, not a fine dining establishment. They just happen to have a hella nice burger available from their kitchen.
With the /​dive bar/​status come the hipsters, which is just a fact of life that their beard hair, tats, and viscerally disturbing facial piercings are going to be all up in your grill if you choose to party here. There are benefits and burdens to dive bars.
This is a mighty fine burger you should taste for yourself if you are a person that enjoys food and unique burger offerings in the Houston scene. The fries are disappointing though. Grab a beer and wash away your sorrows over the fries.
Beer and tears pair nicely with the Rancor.

Perfect for date night. Dark, intimate, candles, craft beer (even though I don’t drink), patios out front and back and wooden tables inside w a bar.
Burgers and hummus are our faves. Plus
They serve La Croix.
I’d recommend it on a weeknight since it’s not as a busy.
Cons:
Workers are a bit distracted. A little grimey overall regarding cleanliness. Only one bathroom. Don’t like the parking situation since its limited.

Ok. Let me go ahead, get it out of the way & say I LOVE this spot! Everything about this place works. Each time I’ve come here the service has been awesome. Staff very friendly & funny too! They make great suggestions & have don’t have a nasty attitude when asking questions or for a sample.
I’ve tried a great bit of their menu & haven’t been disappointed by any. The portions they serve are massive, which IMO match the prices. I’ve gotta say my fave thing there is the garlic parmesan fries. At 1^st I was hesitant to pay so much for some fries, but once that glorious basket came out… SOLD!!! Burgers are good, club sandwich is mega jumbo & the Moroccan lamb tagine they featured was sooo good. I came for that one 2 days in a row.
Great seating out front as well as in back. The crowd here is always fun & you’re bound to strike up a convo with the person next to ya! Very friendly atmosphere.
The only things that’s not my fave is the single, unisex bathroom situation. Granted they do keep up with it for the most part, it could use a lil updating; maybe better lighting? Seems to make the space seem a lil dingy or something.
Other than that, Petrol is one of my fave spots in the area & I’ll keep droppin in for some ice cold brews & yummy foods!

It’s a nice little place in the middle of Garden Oaks/​Oak Forest area and is a favorite of the Garden Oaks/​Oak Forest residents. Located just steps away from Wakefield Crowbar and infamously known for the Rancor.
The look is definitely deceiving since it looks so small from the outside. However, the patio area is huge. There’s a patio area behind the patio area. Just make sure to bring some bug spray if you’re dining at night because they will come full force and turn you into their meals.
I really don’t need to add anything to the Rancor. One of the best burgers in Houston. However, if you plan on trying this out, come early. The kitchen service here is way slow. If the place is packed, expect to wait 45 minutes to an hour before you’re getting your burger. If you want to add any topping to your fries, save your money. They charge a pretty good chunk of money for parmesan cheese and really, they only sprinkled some parmesan cheese over your fries. Not like it was made different with parmesan seasoning or anything like that.
They have plenty of other good food to try here such as the lamb burger and different types of sandwiches. So know that even if you don’t feel like burger, you can still come here to eat.
In my experience, the people who work here aren’t too friendly. Again, in MY experience because I’m not a regular. So, if you’re a regular and you think that they’re cool people, then that’s cool dude. But for the occasional customer such as myself, not really. One of my friends tried to joke with one of the workers who came to clean out our table and he was just looking at him with an annoyed look. Also, when you’re paying, the minimum gratuity displayed is 25%. Granted that you can always punch in whatever tip amount you want, but come on! 25% for not-​so-​friendly counter service?
Craft beers! Let’s talk about craft beers! Just FYI, I’m not a big beer drinker, but they do have plenty of craft beer selections. If you’re a beer guy, this is the place for you. If you’re not a beer guy (or girl), then meh.
Anyway, Totally five star for the Rancor. Take away a star for the ridiculously long wait for the burger. Take away another star for the service. And there you have it.

They have bike parking out front which was nice to have a place to lock my bike up at. Outside there are picnic tables in the front and the back. Some are shaded. Inside there is a super small bar with 4 seats. The bar is where everyone gets their beer. They have two registers for taking orders. you form a line and get your beer. The beer offerings are listed on a chalkboard. About 30 to choose from. You can opt for three different sizes. A ½ pint is a good option to make sure you like the beer before committing to a full pint. They also have goblet glasses for a different price.
They have canned beers also. I had a dry cider which was good. Some of their beers have 10% alcohol. They serve food too. It is a great casual place to hangout with friends.

Very very small neighborhood bar smack in the middle of a neighborhood. Came on a rainy Sunday and it was quiet. Parking was not a problem, there were tons out front but I can see how it could get busy and parking would be hard to find. It’s not necessarily streets with parking spots.
The indoor seating area is small. 4 picnic tables and maybe 6 seats at the bar. With that said, the outside patio area is twice the size of the indoor bar. Could see the appeal on a nice summer day.
There are a ton of craft beers on tap. And service was great on a slow day. I had to order the Ranchor burger cause everyone suggested it with the garlic Parmesan fries and it was delicious. Patty was cooked perfectly with a pink center and the bacon was thick cut deliciousness. However the burger was ~6in high so I had issues cutting it in half and trying to eat it. Other seasoned burger eaters didn’t have the same problem. The garlic Parmesan fries were greasy but tasted as they should be — fully loaded garlic Parmesan flavor!
Overall a good experience and if you love beers — you should definitely give this place a try! The bartenders know their beers and what to recommend!

It’s good. Very good!
We have been a few times and every time has been great. This time we started off outside but moved in because it was chilly. February and all.
Rancor for sure. Parmesan fries and high octane beer.
This is the way to start a Saturday crawl.
I kinda wish they were open now (sunday a.m.) because I bet that rancor is a cure for what ales me.

It’s good. Very good!
We have been a few times and every time has been great. This time we started off outside but moved in because it was chilly. February and all.
Rancor for sure. Parmesan fries and high octane beer.
This is the way to start a Saturday crawl.
I kinda wish they were open now (sunday a.m.) because I bet that rancor is a cure for what ails me.

Petrol Station still features some of the best bar food and unique beers in town — however, I would not recommend ordering food when they’re busy.
Not only will you likely wait more than an hour for your order (which was no big deal to me since I was given a heads up), but your food could possibly arrive cold (big deal).
I waited more than an hour for my appetizer/​starter, and minutes later my burger arrived cold and the fries were burned… so burned that for a split sec I thought they were sweet potato fries. There really wasn’t any point in complaining or bringing it to their attention — as many business owners prefer that customers do before writing a scathing review — because the staff was already joking about earlier complaints. My experience would’ve fallen on deaf ears.
Another thing I wasn’t fond of is their suggested gratuity that starts at 25% and goes up to 30% and 35%. I’m a generous tipper, but really? It’s counter service. And the wait. And the food inconsistency. There isn’t much quality control of what comes out of the kitchen.
I will say that their staff is helpful at selecting beers, but man, the kitchen is holding them back.