What started as a Depression-era invention derived from necessity has evolved into a regional calling card, a source of pride, and a token Oklahoman food so appealing that it’s starting to sweep the nation. Oklahoma’s Onion Burgers are a thing of local lore — a humble creation, invented in the 1920s in El Reno, where frills-free burger joints began smashing a heap of slivered onions into beef patties to stretch their product during costly times. But since its unassuming origins, initially at the bygone Hamburger Inn and subsequently at enduring El Reno stalwarts like Robert’s and Sid’s, a burger born from scarcity has boomed into a local menu staple and, increasingly, a regional specialty on a national scale. Oklahoma’s Onion Burgers
In El Reno, Robert’s Grill has been slinging smashed onion burgers since 1926, followed by Johnnie’s in the ’40s and Sid’s in the ’80s. All mere blocks apart, the old-timey institutions comprise a kind of cottage industry in the western exurb, culminating with the annual Fried Onion Burger Day Festival — and the world’s largest fried onion hamburger — every spring. Recipes are still as simple as they’ve always been: nothing more than thin beef patties pressed on a searing griddle with a mound of shredded onions, and served on fluffy buns with optional add-ons like pickles, mustard, and cheese. It’s the caramelization and slight crunch of the onions, though, that make them so distinct. Oklahoma’s Onion Burgers
In the wake of these legends, neoteric takes have popped up consistently throughout the metro, like the Tucker’s Onion Burgers mini-chain, which elevates the form by using beef from Creekstone Farms in Kansas. Garage Burgers & Beer is another local chain serving onion burgers, topped with American cheese and mustard, and Burger Punk gets playful with its Velveeta Underground, which tops fried onion burgers with “Liquid Gold” Velveeta.
The most significant recent example, good enough to rank among our best new restaurants in Oklahoma City for 2023, is Sun Cattle Co. The closest thing to an El Reno homage that we’ve seen, this Film Row spot features fried onion burgers front-and-center, both in classic form and with toppings like hash browns and chili. It comes at a time when onion burgers are finally branching beyond Oklahoma, as iterations start to pop up on menus well beyond state borders. Oklahoma’s Onion Burgers
At Gotham Burger Social Club in New York City, owner Mike Puma leaned on nostalgia by turning a successful burger pop-up into a brick and mortar joint specializing in the dish, though adding fewer onions than traditional Oklahoma onion burgers to emphasize the beef. “When I had my first Oklahoma fried onion burger as an adult, I felt all those childhood memories come back,” he said. “I’m so glad that New York has embraced the Gotham Burger Social Club and my Gotham Smash. Nothing tastes better than memories.”
A national chain with locations spanning from California to Florida, Rock & Brews has also hopped on the Oklahoma onion burger bandwagon. The Oklahoma Smash burger features caramelized onions, cheese and a thin beef patty griddled until crispy. Said Ben Magana, vice president of culinary, “We strive to nail down that classic, authentic flavor which makes this burger taste like a nostalgic trip to Oklahoma.”
Lucky’s Last Chance, in Philadelphia, introduced an Oklahoma onion burger as a special that proved so popular that it was added to the permanent menu. Meanwhile, Lil’ Eagle Burger is a Bay Area pop-up from Zack Fernandes, who likes onion burgers for their “richness and depth of flavor” that pairs nicely with beef. “People have been putting onions on burgers since time immemorial, but the Okie is such a beautiful thing because the onions are not a topping, they become one with the patty. Their simplicity is a rebuke of how needlessly complicated we’ve made burgers in this country.”
Born from scarcity, but evolved into a symbol of pride, it’s that simplicity that’s proved universal.
