For Over a Decade, Olive Burger Has Been Making Affordable Burger Magic

One of the quirks of food writing (or let's be honest, social media in general) is the willingness of strangers to offer up their suggestions and opinions. In our case, this is usually a good thing, as there are tons of small restaurants, often locally owned, without massive marketing budgets or skilled publicists that might otherwise slide under our radar.

Olive Burger is just such a restaurant. As it turns out, Olive Burger has quite a few fans, especially if you lived in North Dallas or Richardson when the first Olive Burger opened in 2012. And in 2014, you were likely saddened when the location caught fire and closed for several months, then thrilled with its reopening in 2015.

But with the update to our guide to the area's best burgers, co-owner Faez Miraki reached out to remind us that Olive Burger was still plugging along, now with three locations. Since it had been a decade or so since anyone from the Observer had checked out their offerings, we popped in on a random Tuesday at the central Plano location to see what we'd been missing.
Miraki and his brother Shawn have kept Olive Burger in the family, preferring to grow organically. The original Olive Burger is in Richardson, and the newest branch is near Highway 121 and the Dallas Tollway on the edge of Plano and Frisco. At the Plano store, near Parker and Custer roads, Olive Burger sits at the end of an older strip mall, but the interior is clean and bright. The afternoon of our visit, the restaurant had one customer, a Plano police officer grabbing a bite.

Despite the fast-casual counter service concept, each Olive Burger meal is cooked to order. We stuck with the basics; a single Olive burger with cheese, a side of fries and a fountain drink for just $11.49.  We eat out a lot, and the cost of meals can quickly become exorbitant. Finding a good deal helps balance out our spending.

With nearly any seat available, we filled our fountain drink and sidled up to a table by the window, and in about five minutes, our burger and fries were brought to us. The Halal-certified patty is seasoned with a spice blend that's an homage to Miraki's Persian roots and is stupendously flavorful. The flavor doesn't get in the way of what is still an American-style burger at heart, as witnessed by the melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles on our sandwich. Ordering the namesake Olive burger adds sliced olives and sautéed onions, which serve to crank the flavor knob to 11.

It took only about half a mouthful of burger to realize why Olive Burger has such a loyal local following; to quote Jules Winfield from Pulp Fiction: "This is a tasty burger." As enthralled as we were with the sandwich, it shouldn't be a surprise that the French fries are no slouch, either. Ours arrived fresh from the fryer, so bite into the first one with caution. But bite you will, repeatedly. The seasoned potato spears — bigger than a shoestring, smaller than a wedge — nailed their mark with a golden, crunchy exterior and a puffy, starchy interior.

As we ate, we browsed the menu board, already plotting our next visit. There are chicken sandwiches and salads, wraps and gyros, churros and tres leches cakes, all of it under ten bucks. We left with a full belly, a reasonably full wallet and a newfound appreciation for Olive Burger's affordable and splendid charm.

Olive Burger, 2129 W. Parker Road, Plano.