With hordes of eager eaters forming lines around select restaurants–if not the block–you’d think those diners were gum-snapping Swifties clamoring to enter the venue of a Taylor Swift concert That’s the case not only in barbecue joints anointed with Michelin star and James Beard Foundation honors, not to mention restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Queues for ‘cue, lines for lasagna, cavalcades for calamari…that’s pretty much the way it is at all the time in Austin. It is a foodie city after my own heart. I loathe lines so much, I’d rather arrive half an hour early than to stand in a line for more than ten minutes.
Alas, on a day in which drizzle spritzed city streets, I arrived at Jewboy Burgers fifteen minutes after it opened. Forget what you hear about Austinites being fair weather diners. They were there in droves with a lengthy line literally out the door. That’s where I stood (in misty rain) for twenty minutes before making my way inside. There was a long line inside the restaurant, too. Sullen diners also waited for a table to come available, the more intrepid among them taking their burger bounty outdoors. A fellow queruer related that this is normal for JewBoy Burgers. At least, she explained, JewBoy is no longer operating solely out of a food truck. Thank goodness for that.
Honestly, I wasn’t planning on visiting a burger joint during my jaunt to Austin. Then Jan from the delightful “All About The Flavors” Instagram site messaged me: “You owe it to yourself to visit @jewboy burgers. You’ll be glad.” She later added “They’re delicious and the guy who runs it is a mensch. You’re going to love it.” That evening I asked the hostess at Nixta Taqueria about the burger joint with the quirky name. With the alacrity and enthusiasm of a real fan, she told me JewBoy was her favorite burger joint. I asked her if the liberal-leaning Austinites found the name offensive. She said the restaurant is especially beloved by students at the nearby University of Texas. They recognize that owner Mo Pittle is poking fun at himself. He equates “Jewboy” to “homeboy,” a common colloquialism among the Hispanic kids with whom he grew up in El Paso.
Before visiting JewBoy Burgers, I asked my Sephardic friends Loren and Bruce Plata what they thought of the name. While they were surprised at what might be considered the Jewish equivalent of the “N” word, they have hope that the name’s acceptance is indicative of a more tolerant and less antisemitic society. Or perhaps (as writer Ali Khan surmised in an edition of Texas Highway), it speaks of “a climate that disavows political correctness.” There was no evidence of malevolence in the hearts of any of the diners (save for being peaved at the wait). If anything, everyone seemed very happy to be at a burger joint consistently earning “best burger” honors in local publications. There’s certainly a lot to see on framed photos and posters festooning the wall. One of my favorites depicted the manager on duty “Mongo Goldstein” (of Blazing Saddles fame). Lucha libre luminaries hold prominence on some of those framed photos.
Loren Plata studied the JewBoy Burgers menu and declared it “definitely Jewish food.” Yes, that means such Jewish favorites as braised brisket, slow-roasted brisket, housemade pastrami and all-meat hot dogs. Now, if you’re offended by some of the names with which menu items were christened, you probably need to find another burger joint. The menu includes such items as “The A$$hole From El Paso,” a burger with incendiary ingredients; “The Goyim,” with meat (beef patty) upon meat (pastrami) upon meat (bacon); “The Yenta,” a burger topped with a fried latke; and “The Mensch,” two roasted latkes with Hatch green chile. Yes, that Hatch, the one in Southern New Mexico. More evidence of owner Mo Pittle’s upbringing in El Paso is a framed photo of signage for Chope’s in La Mesa, New Mexico.
My expectations for a green chile cheeseburger outside the sacrosanct borders of the Land of Enchantment are pretty low. In recent years, only Amarillo’s Golden Light Cafe has surpassed those expectations. Still, I was four days removed from New Mexico’s enchanting official state vegetable so seeing the Oy Vey Guey burger (a JewBoy patty topped with roasted Hatch green chiles then covered with melted pepperjack cheese with a little mustard on the bottom bun) whetted my appetite. If that doesn’t sound like a green chile cheeseburger, nothing does.
Each burger starts with a six-ounce 80% lean, 20% fatty patty ground by hand at Longhorn Meat Market). Onions are cooked right into the beef patty which is nestled into a pillowy soft Martin’s potato roll. Only the “vile, invasive, bitter fruit (tomato) that leaves its stain on everything” is missing from the ingredient list (though you can bring your own if you insist). Had I known how good the Oy Vey was going to be, I would have ordered a second one. Quite frankly, it’s a green chile cheeseburger of New Mexico quality though the green chile barely registers on any piquancy scale. The Martin’s potato roll is unbelievably soft and sweet (like a King’s Hawaiian bread roll). The beef patty extends beyond the roll’s perimeter with molten pepperjack peeking out, too. A tinge of green is slightly visible, denoting that there is Hatch green chile somewhere under that cheese.
Though classic (crinkle cut fries, tots, battered onion rolls) are available, sides also include potato latkes (with Hatch green chile and Chedddar) and homeboy chile con queso with chips. Ground beef is more prevalent than chile which again barely registers. A side of rich, creamy guacamole is also provided. A sealed bag of chips should last you, but the gracious staff will provide another should you polish off the one provided.
Owner Mo Pittle was glad-handing and making the rounds, but the restaurant was so crowded I didn’t have an opportunity to speak with him. Had I been able to talk with him, it would have been a conversation replete with praise for a wonderful burger.
JewBoy Burgers
5111 Airport Blvd
Austin, Texas
(512) 291-3358
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 22 February 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Homeboy Chile Con Queso With Chips, Oy Vey Guey Burger
REVIEW #1455
