Review #11 -- Avalon Diner

Remember when my friend at the bar suggested Annie’s and claimed it was the best hamburger in town after we debated the quality of Lankford’s? One of the other places she considered top five was Avalon Diner. Combine that with the fact that people on various internet forums swear by Avalon Diner and you have another one of Houston’s burger heavyweights.






Avalon Diner has existed basically longer than 90% of the population has been breathing. The website, http://www.avalondiner.com (and menu) claims 1938 as the date it opened, but the shopping center and restaurant itself felt much newer than, say, Barbeque Inn, Bellaire Broiler Burger, and Triple A Restaurant. It really just didn’t give me the classic diner vibe. Top that off with difficult hours to visit for a burger (they’re only open until 4 PM most days), and I was already annoyed. That’s why a burger heavyweight only a few miles from my house fell into the double digit number of reviews.

Nevertheless, I finally found some time on the weekend that I could make it over to Avalon Diner. I was pleasantly surprised to see they serve breakfast all day, so I ordered French Toast to accompany my burger and fries.




The burger was a good size. I would say about 1/3 of a pound. It wasn’t too thick, nor was it too thin. One thing it was, however, was cut in half. The waitress informed me that they always cut their burgers in half old-time style. I’ll admit it did make the burger easier to handle, but I’m a purist and would have preferred a single patty.

Unfortunately, the burger’s taste did not match the quality of its size. This is one review, however, where I’ll say your own mileage may vary. The burger had a strong garlic flavor (stronger than Burger Shack, the first review). I was only able to take a couple of bites before I moved on to the French Toast and French Fries instead, both of which were decent but not stellar.


Avalon Diner Final Rating – 2 (I could eat it if I had to, but I definitely would not enjoy it)