Larry Ray Reed
Flavor: A- Service: A Tea: F Solo dining: A I’d heard of Pumpers but recently saw it on a best San Antonio burgers list and knew I must go. That said, The Burger Trail doesn’t go where there isn’t parking. And Pumpers teeters on the edge of that criteria. The place is tucked in the corner of a larger building in a seemingly-trendy area. I’m not sure you could get a two-bedroom house inside this restaurant. It’s an order-at-the-counter kinda place with some bar seating and a few tables inside and out. They call themselves an “adult burger store” which I think is just a tip-off to their 21 & up after 9 PM rule. No complaints here… I’m all about enjoying a late-night burger without plain-and-dry burgers clogging up the order line. The burger comes wrapped in foily paper so you get to open up this beauty like it’s a present to yourself (#treatyoself2025). You could immediately tell this milk bun was fresh and homemade with perfectly grilled edges. All the burgers come with two thin chuck-brisket patties and the perfect amount of melty American cheese. I wouldn’t call this a smash burger but it might be made that way and it is similar. I got the #2 that comes with special sauce, lettuce, pickles, and sweet onion. The ratio of meat to bread to cheese to sauce to veggies was quite strong. A rarity. And the flavor, oh the flavor, was full. The one and only drawback to this burger was that it had too much char on the patties which lost some of the goodness of its flavor. So this one gets an A- on flavor but it could so easily get to an A. The fries are not a good match for the burger - bland, thin, and undercooked. And the beverage selection is, well, they tried. No fountain drinks, no ice, no tea. Only canned Cokes and a couple of specialty bottled drinks in terms of non-alcoholic options. So obviously we should keep our focus on the burger. Cheers to Pumpers for birthing a nearly-ideal burger creation! #theburgertrail #texasburgers
