Hidden gem: Mission spot highlights Valley flavors in specialty hamburgers

MISSION — The Rio Grande Valley is full of hidden gems in the most random places, and my quest to find a good burger joint has taken me all the way to North Mission — to HamburgeLunas, which serves up mouthwatering burgers with a South Texas twist.

HamburgeLunas is just down 107 from where I grew up in Alton, located at 10320 Mile 7 Road Suite 5.

If you’ve ever been in or passed through Alton, you probably only went for two things: one of the pulgas in the small city or to one of the many taquerías.

Are those places technically Mission? Maybe but I’m too lazy to Google, so Alton can just claim them.

Growing up in the pueblo of Alton, there really wasn’t much to eat out aside from Mexican food and the legendary Yum Yums (IYKYK), so I was a bit surprised seeing there’s just something else close to my parents’ house that I’ve never heard about.

Sending out a bat signal asking for recommendations for burger spots on my Instagram, I learned about HamburgeLunas and just looking at the pictures online, I knew I needed to go by and try some things out.

After some historic and devastating flooding the night before, I was hoping that the restaurant was open and did not get any damage from the storm.

Thankfully, the storm only affected their Internet, so they were accepting only cash or CashApp.

HamburgeLunas is located in a small plaza right off of 107 and is a family-owned restaurant.

The owners are very welcoming and friendly. The menu is small and simple, but most burger option have a unique Valley twist to it and I give them props for the names.

Pictured is the middle of a Popper Burger at HamburgeLunas in Mission. (Omar Zapata | The Monitor)

There’s about 12 burgers with such options, such as the Takis Burger, Frito Pie Burger, Hot Cheetos Burger (all self-explanatory). There’s also a burger called La Alton-A, which is a double meat burger and even La Hennifer, a chicken burger with bacon, swiss cheese avocado, “Luna Sauce” and your choice of veggies. Each burger ranges from $7 to $10.

What I came for, though, is the Popper Burger, a simple burger that comes with a “Luna Patty,” grilled onions, American cheese and two jalapeño poppers. It was recommended, and I knew just by the picture I had to get it. I love jalapeño poppers, especially ones at Carne Asada’s with family.

We call them ratones and I’m sure a lot of folks down here do as well. To kick up the spice, we leave the seeds in them but it’s like a game of Russian roulette — you pick your ratone at your own risk.

The sides are separate and include fries with cheese, chili or both. I got the chili cheese fries, which were great and hit the spot. I ate them all before my burger since the owner warned me that the poppers were boling hot.

It was truly love at first bite. Tasting the well seasoned and juicy burger patty, the cheese, the hot jalapeño wrapped in bacon with the cream inside of it was a bite like no other. The burger is not small but if I was really feeling it, I could have eaten another.

The Popper Burger at HamburgeLunas comes with two Jalapeño poppers, grilled onions and American cheese. (Omar Zapata | The Monitor)

I was expecting a bit more spice to it, but the jalapeño had no seeds. It was tasty, but call me the Mexican Paul Atreides because I yearned for the spice.

It was a top-notch quality burger and with a Manzanita Joya, my meal came out to about $16, which I think is great when compared to burger prices from other establishments in the Valley.

HamburgeLunas is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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