Good Time Charlie's

Good Time Charlie’s

Early August

Pretty hungry on our way back from Schlitterbahn, Geoff, Audrey and I decided to go with a recommendation from our friend Omar.  We headed to Alamo Heights for burgers and TexMex at Good Time Charlie's.

Service and Setting

On Broadway just north of the Do-Seum, sits Charlie's which has been open for almost 40 years.  It certainly has the rustic charm from its years of operation.  It was fairly bustling when we went.  It as a bit loud, and has an obnoxious digital jukebox which will randomly spout off 30 seconds of Smashmouth to place unsubtle pressure on patrons to put money in the machine to shut it up.  Service was very good and friendly, and several different servers checked on us regularly to see if we needed anything.  They really pushed for beer refills.

Menu

A long menu filled with TexMex and southern comfort food.  Texas toast is the kitchen's favorite side.  A long list of burger options included BBQ, bean, chili and jalapeno queso.

Beverage

Really a subpar beer list. Only two beers on draft (a sin in my opinion) - Bud light and Shiner.  I think they serve draft beer in a junior frosted mug which is not a full pint.  Only one IPA on their beer list, and no Texas craft beer.  Some frozen drinks that came out from the bar pretty steadily, so maybe we missed out on that.

Sides

Onion rings and fries.  We ate the onion rings as a starter.  They were outstanding.  Great batter, good crunch, and the onion did not string and pull out on the first bite.  They could include a dipping sauce, but I thought they were great plain.  The fries were unremarkable by comparison.

Patty

Geoff and I ordered the 10oz Super Burger, medium-rare.  My wife got the old-fashioned with bacon.  The Super Burgers came out closer to rare.  Good level of juiciness, but Geoff lamented over possible food poisoning implications.  I was less worried, but equally disappointed.  My burger arrived in two pieces as shown in the photo.  It was not like it fell apart on the way over either; the two pieces separated on the grill early enough for them to get a full char between them, and then they tried to plaster it back together with cheddar cheese.  Bring a broom, cause it's a mess.

Dress and Bun

They do a good job with the bun.  A nice toasted buttery finish that holds together the mess underneath.  They do a quick toast of the sesame side as well to give it an iconic browned top finish. The cheddar rolled off the burger in gobs.  They had good portions of pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and mustard.

Geoff's Take: “This burger helped me realize I am eating too many burgers.”

The Verdict

This will forever be remembered as the only burger in a dozen that Geoff didn't finish.  The patty had it's problems, and the cheddar cheese was a mess.  A nice enough place to go for TexMex, but we were thoroughly disappointed in the burger.  2 Spurs.