P. Terry’s Opens in Spring – Our First Look Review

We were excited to hear that P. Terry’s, the popular Austin-based burger chain, was expanding into the Houston area. Their first location was on the southwest side, an hour away, but we heard rumblings about a store much closer to the Woodlands.

It turns out the second Houston location is right of the Grand Parkway, about 15 minutes from the Woodlands. And it was scheduled to open in early April. Ever willing to sacrifice for our readers, we hopped in the car and headed down to the grand opening. We arrived shortly after dark, and were drawn to the store by the unmissable sign.

As expected, they were mobbed on opening day; this was the Texas equivalent of In-n-Out burger on opening day. The drive-through was so busy that they had several staff members directing traffic. We made the logical choice to go inside and order. Inside was busy but not insanely so. We waited a bit, then ambled up to the counter to place our order.

Much like In-n-Out Burger, P. Terry’s has a tightly curated menu… and amazingly good pricing.

The basic hamburger starts just over three bucks. The double cheeseburger is just over five. In these days of skyrocketing fast food prices, we applaud how P. Terry’s has kept the price down. We also think they’ve established a good balance in terms of the number of items offered; the menu isn’t as spartan as In-n-Out, but it’s not sprawling like Jack-in-the-Box. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken bites, and a veggie option. Even a breakfast burger sold in the morning. That’s a solid lineup.

We placed our traditional burger order (double with cheese, hold the tomatoes and sauce, add grilled onions, and an order of fries) and scored a recently vacated table by the window. In about six minutes our number was called; that’s an impressive ticket time, especially on opening day. The staff member at the counter connected us with our order in a friendly and professional manner. That’s no small accomplishment on opening day after being mobbed with customers since opening. We thanked the man at the counter, and dragged our order back to the table.

Presentation was very basic; the burger came wrapped in waxed paper, as if to be placed in a bag for carry out. Fries were delivered in a waxed paper bag, tied somewhat shut. We noticed that portions on both were in the goldilocks zone: Smaller than the titanic portions at What-a-burger, but larger than the petite ones at In-n-Out.

Unfurling our burger, we were greeted at first by the aroma and then by our view of this recently crafted cheeseburger. We immediately saw the hallmarks of a quality cheeseburger, including the all-important melty cheese.

The burger had the handcrafted look that’s not found at the big fast food chains. This clearly isn’t a mass produced burger that’s stamped out by the hundred by bored fast food workers. It looked more like the kind of burger you expect to find at a fast casual restaurant, an astonishing accomplishment for a little over $5.

Biting into the burger gave a good first impression. Forward was a nice beefy flavor from the dual patties, although a bit more enthusiasm with the salt would have brought out stronger beefy swagger. The melty cheese clung to the beef like a codependent partner, something we heartily approve of (the cheese, not the codependency). The bits of grilled onion added a bit of sweetness and tang, and the lettuce was… there. It wasn’t a good lettuce day; what was there was limp and chewy, and didn’t bite cleanly; we ended up removing it entirely. The bun was a fairly standard white bun, gently griddled.

All in all this is a solid burger. We’ll chalk up the unfortunate lettuce to opening day supply issues; the rest of the burger is two notches above the regular fast food suspects. The obviously high-quality beef, masterfully melted cheese, and tangy sweet grilled onions came together to create a very satisfying burger. How does it compare to other local favorites? That’s a question for another day.

We were glad we ventured down the Grand Parkway to P. Terry’s on opening day. Their hardworking staff had obviously been well trained, and their care for a good customer experience came through. We believe that P. Terry’s is a great addition to the burger scene in the Woodlands area. We look forward to returning.