Bun B’s Trill Burgers Finally Opens in Houston’s Montrose

Houston rap legend Bun B’s smash burger sensation Trill Burgers has finally found a home, albeit temporarily.

The award-winning pop-up opens its first brick-and-mortar location on Wednesday, June 7, at 11 a.m. at 3607 South Shepherd Drive — the former location of Houston’s oldest James Coney Island outpost, according to a release. As expected, Trill Burgers will grill up some of its signature burgers served during its pop-up events, including its OG Burger. Made up of two smashed all-beef patties and topped with pickles, caramelized onions, American cheese, and Trill sauce, the burger remains a mainstay menu item along with the Vegan OG burger that’s topped with vegan cheese and vegan mayo.

Though a two-patty smash burger is typically the model, Trill Burgers will also offer single and triple patties, plus Baby G burgers for children, and will provide fountain drinks by Texas-owned company, Dr. Pepper. Chef-partners Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares will also reportedly introduce new menu items at Trill Burgers’ grand opening in the coming weeks.

Dylan McEwan

Mark Champion

Dylan McEwan

The 3,236-square-foot restaurant, which is painted in a standout yellow and black, certainly has Bun B’s print on it. The restaurant features his likeness on its burger boxes and has a “Trill” mural inside with an homage to his former UGK partner Pimp C, who died in 2007, with a Rest-in-Peace mural. With 125 seats at a mix of picnic tables and square tables and chairs, Trill Burgers will offer dine-in and walk-up ordering to start, followed by drive-thru service and the capability to order online or by phone available later.

Trill Burgers first opened its doors on June 1 for an invitation-only friends and family night, in which some of Houston notables, like rappers Slim Thug, Lil’ Keke, Willie D of the Geto Boys, former Texan Andre Johnson, Houston restaurateur Johnny Carrabba, and Riel chef Ryan Lachaine were in attendance.

“It’s been a dream for us, and it’s actually coming true,” Bun B said in a statement. “It’s been our sole goal to open up an establishment where we can serve you guys Trill Burgers consistently at a high level on a daily basis.”

Mark Champion

Mark Champion

Mark Champion

Trill Burgers features hints of Bun B everywhere.

Despite the Montrose spot being Trill Burgers' first brick-and-mortar, the smash burger business isn’t slated to be there for long.

According to a release, the smash burger joint will use this space as an “extended pop-up” location for six months, while Bun B and his team search for a permanent home in the area. In the meantime, the restaurant will be open for limited hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Since launching in August 2021, Trill Burgers — the brainchild of Bun B (formally known as Bernard James Freeman), restaurateur Andy Nguyen of Bored & Hungry, and publicist Nick Scurfield — has largely operated on the road as a pop-up venturing off to music festivals like California’s Coachella, Rolling Loud in Miami, and LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells festival in New York where it made its debut at the first-ever “hip hop food court.” Here in Houston, the pop-up has built a devout fanbase, garnering long lines that wind around buildings with people in line for hours.

Dylan McEwan

In July 2022, Trill Burgers entered a national Good Morning America competition where it was named the “Best Burger in America.” The week-long contest catapulted the brand’s popularity in Houston and beyond, concluding with Bun B’s smash burger reigning over competing burger restaurants from around the country, including Houston-based burger-chan. The pop-up followed that win up with a four-week residency in Las Vegas at two hotels, where the burgers were served, allowing Trill Burgers owners to witness how the burger could be prepared, scaled, and replicated at various locations.

The Trill Burgers team announced it had found its most recent spot in December.