It has been decades since tacos became mainstream in the United States, and now that signature food associated with Mexico can be found nearly everywhere in both authentic and adulterated forms. In the opposite direction, hamburgers have flowed south across the border to become hamburguesas. These burgers are beef patties in buns just like their U.S. counterparts, but with unique combinations of toppings that give them their own distinctive Mexican flavors. In downtown Mesa, the restaurant Main Burgers offers a selection of hamburguesas as its focus.
Main Burgers assumes the name of the street that forms the east-west spine of Mesa and is located just a block east of Country Club / Main station on the A Line. Bike racks are found all over downtown Mesa, both on Main Street itself and around the corner on Robson Street. Somewhat appropriately for a restaurant along a rail line, Main Burgers occupies a standalone building that was long home to an outpost of the Subway chain. It has since been redecorated in a minimalist theme that is mostly pink, including the plastic baskets used to serve the food.
The ownership here overlaps with Tacos Chiwas and Espiritu, both of which are located on the same block as Main Burgers in downtown Mesa, as well as Cocina Chiwas about five miles to the west in Tempe. Like its older siblings, Main Burgers has an enthusiasm for beef at its core. Customers order at the counter from a small menu that describes Main Burgers’ streamlined offerings. Keeping with the restaurant’s name, burgers are the main attraction, and they’re offered in three varieties, all of which can be fashioned with one or two patties inside the bun.
The Classic is a basic fast food burger at its best. The toppings are simple: American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, lettuce, and a house sauce like aioli or Thousand Island on a sesame seed bun. It’s easily the most north-of-the-border of the three burgers, but it is a capably executed favorite.The Sonora burger adds Mexican toppings like bacon, griddled cheese, and chiltepin peppers. The Chiwas burger incorporates ham, green chile, and queso asadero, echoing the Chiwas tacos served down the street at the taqueria of the same name.
The Sonora and Chiwas models are both served smashburger style, with the array of elements between the bun halves essentially merging into one assemblage. All three burgers can be incorporated into a combo with fries and a fountain drink. Unfortunately, the fries here fall short of the high standard set by the burgers. They look great in their pink baskets, but they have an unexpected and unsatisfying chewy texture, an experience confirmed over three different meals. For those who do like the fries, the small upcharge for spicy ketchup is a worthwhile upgrade.
If looking for something other than fries to accompany a burger, the salad is about the only option, but it’s a successful one. With a base of romaine, grape tomatoes, and abundant bacon under a jalapeño ranch dressing, it can even be a light meal on its own. Since there is no veggie burger or other meatless entree on the menu, a customized version of this salad with the bacon omitted is just about the only viable vegetarian option here. A distinctly non-vegetarian and non-burger entree choice is the Sonoran hot dog with the usual toppings of bacon and beans.
Every Wednesday, Main Burgers augments its menu with wings. They’re served with a changing selection of sauces, including habanero and smoky bourbon barbecue. Presented simply with a side of ranch, they’re also a good candidate to be accompanied by a salad. The featured dessert here, cheesecake, is also subject to seasonal change and is not always available. An alternative that is more predictably present is the vanilla soft serve, which can be upgraded to a concrete, a mixture of frozen sweetness with bits of Oreos and caramels all blended together.
Drinks include not only the soda fountain, but also bottled Mexican sodas and varying flavors of aguas frescas like a fresh limonada that is both tart and tangy. A liquor license to enable serving bottled beer is also in the works. In comparison to the more expansive, inventive, and varied menus of its siblings and cousins on the same street, Main Burgers seem simple and straightforward in its strategy. Although the fries still need improvement, the restaurant’s overall approach works in delivering quick, dependable burgers with a little Mexican flair in Mesa.
PHX Rail Food 