5.31.2005

Review #15: Aunt Pookie's BBQ & Burgers - Houston, Texas

Even though I had driven past Aunt Pookie's located on Beltway 8 West probably 100 times, I never knew it was there. It is located in an industrial park. As I walked in the door, I was a little worried that maybe Aunt Pookie's was more of a BBQ place than a burger joint. I was proved wrong after having a bite of my Aunt Pookie's cheeseburger.

IMPORTANT: If you haven't already, please read the Texas Burger Guy terminology post. That will help you understand this review.

Pookie's Cheeseburger
As I mentioned in the introduction to this review, Aunt Pookie's seems like more of a BBQ place than a burger joint. A dearly departed friend of mine told me about Aunt Pookie's so I simply could not think about not giving Pookie's a whirl. All in all the cheeseburger was good. It is a plain and simple burger - no frills - just a good tasting burger. It didn't have the pizzazz of a Bubba's burger or the sheer girth of a Christian's or Lankford's burger. It just had a good backyard burger flavor to it at a fairly reasonable price. This is how I see the Pookie's Cheeseburger ranking in the TexasBurgerGuy categories:

Oooze Factor
I'm seriously thinking about doing a napkin test to demonstrate the oooze factor of a burger. If I had administered that test on the Pookie's Cheeseburger, it no doubt would have scored fairly well. I can imagine about 50% of the napkin would be see through from the oooze. It didn't rank up there with the oooziest burgers I have had, but it was definitely not a dry burger.
Oooze Factor Rating: 6


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Herd Killer
The Pookie's Cheeseburger was a 1/2 lb burger. Now I have learned from the many burger joint experiences that when a place says it is a 1/2 pound burger that could mean one of 2 things. Either the burger was 1/2 lb before it was cooked or it is a 1/2 lb burger after it was cooked. I'd have to say the Pookie's is a 1/2 lb before cooking. It certainly was not a huge button buster burger, but it definitely filled me up. Not many herds died for this bad boy though.
Herd Killer Rating: 5

Handling
Pookie's has a nifty little buffet that you can dress up your own burger. Here, you can pile the lettuce, tomato, and whatever else you want on your burger as high as you want. The pictures you see show my burger after it was dressed by me. It was probably a 1 1/2 hander burger. If I had gone crazy with the vegetables or if the patty was a 1/2 lb after cooking - it would easily be a 2 hander. As it is though - this is a 1/2 hander.
Handling Rating: 5

Bling Bling
The Pookie's 1/2 lb Cheeseburger is 4.15. All in all - it isn't that bad for what you get. The burger had very good flavor. Backyard burger flavor is probably the easiest way to describe it. If you like a good flavored burger. The 1/2 lb Pookie's Cheeseburger is a pretty good deal.
Bling Bling Rating: 5

Overall Pookie's Cheeseburger Rating: 6



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Restaurant Review
The Pookie's menu is pretty heavily slanted towards their BBQ. You can get a variety of BBQ plates including ham, turkey, sausage, ribs, or beef. I can tell you the smell from the BBQ may have just made me want to go back for a taste of the BBQ. The reviews I have read about the BBQ have been favorable. I tried the onion rings and the fries. Do yourself a favor and order some onion rings. OH MAN are they good??? They are the greasy, soft variety. When you take a bite, the onion is pretty slimy. I love em that way... some people don't including Mrs. TBG. Mrs. TBG had the grilled chicken sandwich that they grilled with mesquite. It was awesome! All in all we didn't have anything that stood out as being bad. Pretty much everything we tried was good.


Front
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Back
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Onion Rings & Fries

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Restaurant/Atmosphere
Aunt Pookie's has a great little patio out front. (can't see it from my picture) The inside is pretty standard - nothing special. It doesn't have the atmosphere of a Mel's or anything like that. Aunt Pookie's is a standard restaurant type place... that's it. The waitstaff was very polite. Very good visit to Aunt Pookie's. I think one day we will be back to try the BBQ.

Directions
From I-10 and Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway), go north on the access road. About 1/2 mile on your right, you will see the Aunt Pookie's sign (see top of review).

Address/Phone:
1450 W Sam Houston Pkwy
Houston, Texas 77043
713.722.9993

Map: Map to Aunt Pookie's

TBG Overall Rating
Aunt Pookie's was a great place. It is more of a BBQ place, but they also have a mean burger. While it wasn't the best of the best, it definitely held its own. The flavor is what stayed with me... it was very good. If you are in the area and want to try a good tasting burger - give Pookie's a run - oh and get some onion rings... you will be glad you did!!!

Overall TBG Rating for Aunt Pookie's: 6

Other Reviews of Aunt Pookie's:
http://www.b4-u-eat.com/houston/restaurants/reviews/rsv2165.asp

11 Comments:

At 2:53 PM, Blogger Thao said...

I pass this place on the way to work every morning. I always thought it was a little dive and never bothered to try it out. Will give it a try now. Great blog!

 
At 5:12 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I cannot believe that you have not reviewed Prince's Burgers on SW Freeway...Their burgers are great along with onion rings and homemade rootbeer.....its awesome

 
At 10:23 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Accurate description...However, my burger was at least 1/2 pound when delivered.

Thanks.

 
At 8:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I work near Aunt Pookies and have had the BBQ. It's great. The guys at work eat there quite often and they have lots of other choices so you know they are pleased with the food, service, etc. from Aunt Pookies. Heh, with a name like 'Aunt Pookies' it has to be good :)

 
At 11:11 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You should try out Joe's Mesquite Grill just a few minutes away from Aunt Pookie's. Its on West Little York off of the Beltway.

 
At 11:59 AM, Blogger houstonmacbro said...

Okay, can I say 'Yum!"

 
At 6:44 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I work around the corner from them and we eat there often. I have not had a bad meal yet. They have excellent Breakfast Tacos and a wide variety of breakfast items. The BBQ is good and so are the burgers. The staff is great to deal with. The only thing wrong with Aunt Pookies in my book is that I find it hard to enjoy my BBQ without a Frosty Adult beverage.

 
At 11:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wondering if this is one in the same Aunt Pookie's that use to be on Richmond inside the loop by the Richmond Chill? We use to eat there many many moons ago, she had a fantastic order of fries back then. For some reason I have a waffle design, or more of a wedge actually that comes to mind!

Lisa

 
At 9:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

They have the sexiest food ever, i loved it

 
At 10:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

aMy order; a chopped beef sandwich, potato salad and drink came to $ 8.22. The bun was hard, the beef was sparse and the soda was flat. The potato salad, however, is almost as good as my own.

 
At 3:31 PM, Blogger George said...

I ate a Pookie burger today based off of this review and it was aweful. I actually saw the cook take a pre-cooked patty out of a metal container and put it back on the grill to murder it some more. It was charred, dry and had a burnt flavor. McDonalds has juicier burgers. There was not enough condiments in the world to make this burger taste good. The onion rings were good, however.

 

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