Mesa’s newest burger joint is cartoonish and whimsical. The name Main Burgers is painted across the stucco building in a mustard and pink logo, with a 3D quality. Inside, an anthropomorphized burger painted on white tile waves hello with a retro charm.
Main Burgers opened on the corner of Main and Robson streets in January.
The menu is simple – inspired by the pared-down format of In-N-Out Burger. Next to the counter, in an open kitchen, cooks work fryers, flip patties and dress burgers.
The oversized menu that hangs behind the counter looks hand-drawn and shows hands holding a burger, pinkie up. The menu also breaks down the ordering process. Customers start by choosing a single or double, then combo or not.
In addition to a hot dog and a salad, the menu offers three burger choices – Classic, Sonora and Chiwas. If that last option rings a bell, it’s because the couple behind Tacos Chiwas opened Main Burgers along with James Beard Award-nominated chef Roberto Centeno.
Centeno, Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin are the team behind Santo Arcadia, a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. The trio, along with chef Rene Andrade, are also behind the upscale, neighboring Mesa restaurant Espiritu. Main Burgers is two doors down from Hernandez and Holguin's popular taqueria.
The Sonora and Chiwas burgers from Main Burgers are topped with unique ingredients such as chiltepin, roasted green chiles and Mexican cheeses.
Sara Crocker
As we grabbed seats in the bustling dining room, it started to feel like an In-N-Out Burger experience. The food's arrival wasn’t as expeditious as the ordering.
There’s clearly a ravenous appetite for a casual spot backed with serious cooking chops. Plus, we arrived in the midst of the dinner rush during a busy weekend that was packed with St. Patrick’s Day revelry.
Those are all factors, but scanning the room over the next 20 minutes, we saw plenty of other folks sitting at tables with their order markers, eagerly watching the team running burger baskets to diners.
Once our fluorescent pink baskets finally hit the table, any impatient hanger melted away. Hernandez has described the patties as “semi-smashed," and these aren’t paper-thin, lacy, crisp-edged smash burgers. Main Burgers have heft.
The Chiwas version uses ingredients similar to the taco of the same name at Tacos Chiwas. The beef patty is topped with savory ham, queso asadero, umami-laden caramelized onions, roasted green chiles, house burger sauce and lettuce on a sesame-seed brioche bun. Like the taco, it’s rich with layers of roasty, meaty flavor.
The Sonora burger had an extra spark from zingy chitepin. It's topped with rich caramelized onions and costra de queso, or griddled cheese studded with crisp bits of bacon that add some of the snap that smash burger fans may be seeking. The burger is decadent without being sloppy. Between bites, we reached for well-seasoned, crispy fries and briny pickle chips.
The Chiwas team is growing its collection of restaurants in the Valley, and with this latest opening, it's clear the trio has tapped into just what downtown Mesa needed.
Main Burgers offers a fresh take on the classic fast food joint. While it may not be swift, it's satisfying, and we’re looking forward to returning – maybe at a quieter time.
