Bernie’s Burger Bus

Maybe you can’t find one of Justin Turner’s three school buses around town, or maybe you just want to eat sitting down. No problem: head to his bricks-and-mortar location in Bellaire, where the food truck impresario offers favorites old and new. We still love Bernie’s classic Principal cheeseburger with terrific garlic-roasted tomatoes, but find ourselves going back for the chicken burger (made from house-ground meat) with goat cheese, guacamole, and sun-dried tomatoes—that and the milkshakes, at once lighter-than-air and deceptively rich.

Grub Burger Bar

This College Station import has clearly taken CityCentre by storm—crowds line up daily for its inventive burgers and solid lineup of craft beer. We like the Lockhart Legend with Dr Pepper barbecue sauce and the Thai Peanut with sambal mayo and creamy peanut butter. But save room for one of Grub’s spiked milkshakes (we adore the Moonshine Apple Pie).

Fielding’s Wood Grill

The newest offering from Hubbell & Hudsonfounder Cary Attar, this fast favorite expands on Attar’s devotion to fresh, local food by making absolutely everything in-house—yes, even the buns (and yes, even the gluten-free buns). Even the most basic burger at Fielding’s sports house-made pickles, but we prefer to splurge for the Texas Blues with house-cured bacon, blue cheese, pickled red onions, and fig jam.