PHOENIX — Where can you get the best burger in Arizona?
According to BuzzFeed and Yelp, the delicious honor belongs to Laura's Burgers and More, a 300-square-foot blue-tinted no-frills walk-up food stand in downtown Avondale.
"A cheeseburger is one of those foods that are often hit-or-miss: A dry patty or a bland, stale bun is enough to put a pin in your dreams of juicy meat and finger-licking special sauce," Buzzfeed wrote in its listicle. "So we reached out to Yelp to help determine the most popular burger spot in each state (and DC), which the site measured using an algorithm that ranks its reviews."
The article did not provide a reasoning for each restaurant's inclusion but included a Yelp review. Joyce W's review was left for the Arizona winner. It reads: "[I ordered] a chorizo burger, a small Thousand Island burger, and some fries, and man, was it good. We're talking fresh, juicy beef, a pair of fluffy buns, fresh ingredients, and McDonald's-esque fries with the addition of pepper. It's bite after bite of great flavor and no excess grease. It was amazing, and definitely worth the wait."
And it appears that Laura's menu resonates with its loyal fans. The restaurant's Yelp page has a solid five-star ranking with 144 reviews (129 gave it five stars), and its Facebook page has a 5-out-of-5 ranking with 147 reviews.
"Delicious! Homemade! Friendly! I normally don’t eat out for hamburgers because the quality is poor and I make better burgers then what’s around. But Laura’s burgers are the real thing!" one person wrote recently on Facebook.
According to an online menu, they have seven burgers ranging from the classic "basic burger" to the "Thousand Island Burger" and "Chorizo Burger." They also have a trio of hot dogs, a BLT, and a chicken sandwich. One of their specialties, according to the menu, is Frito Pie, which is Fritos chips topped with chili beans, onions, and cheese.
A small burger starts at $6, and a meal (small fries and drink) varies between $7.75 and $9.25.
"We would like to thank our dedicated, hard-working crew, our family and friends, and especially our customers for supporting their local, family-owned business. PLEASE SHARE THE GREAT NEWS!!!" the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post with a link to the BuzzFeed article.
Though, if you want to try it out, you will have to move quick. The restaurant will close for the summer after June 22, 2019 and reopen on September 12, 2019. The current hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
After this story published, Robin Velasquez, co-owner of the restaurant, connected with ABC15. In a brief phone interview, in between making customers orders, she said she and her partner, Laura Gonzales (the Laura in "Laura's Burgers and More") opened the restaurant in October 2016.
Not only was it Laura's lifelong dream to own a restaurant, Robin said, "Laura loves burgers. She could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner." (Laura, by the way, was busy cooking burgers during the interview.)
And Laura's cooking is pretty good, she said. So, they dove in, and gave it a try. Now they are in their third season.
Robin said they found out about the BuzzFeed article late Monday after someone tagged Laura in a Facebook post.
"[Laura] was pretty much in tears," she said. "[Because it] validates everything you're doing." They had no idea they were going to be featured.
So, what sets their burgers apart from the others?
"She genuinely makes it with love," Robin said of Laura. The patties are made each morning, as are the chili beans (a family recipe, I'm told).
"She's here," said Robin. "She never leaves this restaurant when we're open."
IF YOU GO:
Laura's Burgers and More
60 E Western Ave., Avondale, Arizona 85323
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article listed an incorrect date for the restaurant's last day of the season. The restaurant will be open through June 22. The article was also updated to include additional information and quotes from one of the restaurant's owners.
