Burger Schmurger, the widely-acclaimed smashburger pop-up with Lake Highlands roots, will soon open its first brick-and-mortar location down the road in the former BarNone space.
Photo by Lauren Allen.
Lake Highlands neighbor and Burger Schmurger owner Dave Culwell signed a lease for the 3,820-square foot space near White Rock Lake on Buckner Boulevard last Friday. The space was previously occupied by BarNone, which closed earlier this year.
Culwell says he was hoping to open a location in Lake Highlands proper — the space formerly occupied by SoCo Coffee House and Bistro in Lakeridge Village was very nearly the pop-up’s new home — but was impressed with the former BarNone location and its proximity to East Dallas and Lakewood.
“We do the teacher appreciation events and we do a lot of the moms’ and dads’ clubs and all the elementary schools,” Culwell said, “It’s where my kids go to school. And so it’s a place where Lake Highlands has been very near and dear to us, and we really wanted a spot in Lake Highlands, and we figured the next best thing was this spot right here.”
The pop-up got its start in Culwell’s backyard during COVID with cookouts as a way to “keep our village together.” His daughter, impressed with her dad’s abilities on the flat top, suggested that he turn his backyard burgers into a business. Soon after, Burger Schmurger was doing pop-ups at Oak Highlands Brewery, neighborhood events, birthday parties and SMU Football games before finding a more permanent home at High Fives in East Dallas in 2023.
“The evolution of how it’s happened over the last few years, it’s been crazy, and to be in the middle of it and not really being able to see it from the outside looking in, I mean, it’s been wild, and then it’s just part of it seems like I’ve been doing this forever, and the other part of it seems like I just just started,” Culwell said.
What to expect
Culwell says the brick-and-mortar location will look like a family-friendly neighborhood burger pub with a full bar and slightly expanded menu.
The fan favorite “Schmurger,” made with double smashed beef patties, yellow onions, american cheese, house-made sauce and pickles, will headline the menu alongside specialty burgers like The Maverick, which comes with smoked bacon jam.
“We’re expanding the bar menu so we can have little fun eats,” Culwell said. “But they’re all still going to be, for the most part, house-made, in addition to fries and tots.”
New bar bites are expected to include house-battered onion rings, fried pickles made with Burger Schmurger’s house-brined pickles and mozzarella sticks.
Chicken wings and sandwiches are currently only served on “Sidechick Sunday” at High Fives, but will become full-time menu items at the location. Salads will also make their way onto the menu, as will breakfast burgers and a chicken and waffle sandwich — a nod to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in Culwell’s native L.A.
Burger Schmurger is expected to be open six days a week, closing on Tuesdays for prep work.
The space will offer a decent amount of seating, but it is up in the air whether or not customers will order at a counter or be served by waiters.
Culwell says that he hopes to open “around New Years,” but can’t definitively set a grand opening date yet.
“We want it to be kind of a neighborhood watering hole as well at the same time one that offers the best burger in Dallas,” Culwell said.
The new location will be located at 718 N Buckner Blvd #100.
