HHJ eats: We tried these Warner Robins Burger Week creations

This year’s Warner Robins Burger Week may be drawing to a close, but the tastes of those mouth-watering creations still linger.

Sunday marks the last day of the 2026 competition among 27 restaurants, dessert shops and a pizza place for bragging rights for the best burger in town.

One burger will be crowned the People’s Choice champion once all the votes are in.

Hosted by the City of Warner Robins and Visit Warner Robins, the competition provides an opportunity for locally owned businesses to showcase their creativity and culinary skills by entering a burger not on the regular menu, according to the Burger Week website.

Each burger costs $10, with drinks and sides extra.

The Houston Home Journal staff joined in the fun, sampling a variety of burger entries. Here’s what we thought of the burgers we tried:

The Butcher Shop Steakburger

Biting into The Butcher Shop steakburger, it was easy to understand why the family owned and operated meat market and caterer described its burger entry as a “signature blend of brisket, ribeye, filet and sirloin ground beef.” 

The Butcher Shop’s unique style, identity and craftsmanship was evident in every mouth-watering bite of deliciousness.

The thick burger was lightly garnished with The Butcher Shop’s own burger sauce and piled high with American cheese, peppered thick-cut bacon, lettuce, pickle and onion. The buns were soft and fresh.

On most burgers, I slather on mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard, and while I got the packets to do so, I took a bite first. None of those extra garnishments was needed. The steakburger was just right as it came – and oh, the bacon, was crisp and flavorful.

I ordered a side of fries – thick steak fries that were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Worth noting, The Butcher Shop set up its food truck outside its storefront in the parking lot and offered a shaded area with tables and chairs for guests to enjoy their burgers. I scarfed mine down in my SUV with bottled spring water.

The Butcher Shop offers fresh daily meat cuts, house-made sausages, gourmet sides, and custom catering services.

The meat market at 1957 Ga. 96, Suite 100, is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

– Becky Purser

The Maharaja Lamb Burger from Slice and Spice

Slice and Spice describes themselves as where masala meets mozzarella. Trying their entry for Warner Robins Burger Week, it’s clear they also bring the same Indian flair to American food.

I had their Maharaja Lamb Burger, a juicy seasoned halal lamb patty with American cheese, red onion, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and a house-made mint chutney aioli. 

Before I even ordered, the first thing I noticed about Slice and Spice was the smell. It was a strong wave of aromatic scents. I definitely could tell the kitchen is cooking with spices. 

If I wasn’t hungry before, I was when I walked through the door.

I ordered a side of fries, which were cooked fresh, perhaps too fresh, so I had to wait for them to cool down. They appeared to have a seasoning on them but I couldn’t tell what it was. I got ketchup with them for dipping. 

One fry had a little bit of the aioli sauce and cheese on it. Once I ate that one, I was very excited to eat my burger.

I typically don’t like pickles and even they were good. I could definitely tell it’s lamb. It had a lighter taste than ground beef and was less greasy.

The mint chutney aioli is the earthy and fresh star of the show. I could definitely see myself eating more things with the chutney.

There weren’t any flavors that were more prominent than others; overall it was very balanced. The third bite in the center of the burger was the best. That’s where the flavors really hit me.

Overall, Slice and Spice was a nice place to eat lunch. It wasn’t super busy when I went on Wednesday afternoon, but I have a feeling it’ll be more busy around dinner time and weekends.

Slice and Spice is an Indian and Italian fusion restaurant that brings bold flavors to classics like pizza, french fries and chicken wings. 

They are located at 4027 Watson Blvd, Warner Robins and open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

– Brieanna Smith

Splinters Burger from Splinters Axe House & Tavern

Axes and burgers.

Need I say more?

Axes bounce off the wooden wall in clumsy fashion to let everyone know you missed, or make a solid “crack” to announce a throw well-struck and let the bragging begin.

That, along with music, plays in the background while in the foreground what sits before you is a golden brioche bun, the Splinters Burger, inviting you to venture inside for what mysteries wait to be revealed.

It plays like an axe throwing scoreboard itself. The first bite is a one. Not because it’s bad, but because first you have to get through the onions, at least one in an extra-thick bite. (Personally, I liked the onion, but the others with me were not a fan.) 

The second bite, a “two”, introduces you to the beef patty; you’re still wading through the onion and tomato a bit. It’s there you start to get a hint of the meat’s smokiness and “grill” flavor. Not very spicy. Not yet. That begins in bite three. There, you get a hint of its signature “Lumberjack Jam.” There, you begin to think: “Okay. Now I see what the big hubbub is all about.”

At first when you taste the jam you’re like, “This kind of tastes like Sweet Baby Ray’s.” But that only lasts a split second before the other spices kick in and you’re like, “Nope. This does not taste like Sweet Baby Ray’s.”

It’s a taste all on its own. It’s a bit chunky. You look into the chunks and you can see what you think are remnants of spices … “Is that peppercorn?” “Is that clover?”

Regardless, it steals the show. You quickly go from a two, or wherever you are on the board, to a bullseye. Midway through you feel a heat on your lips and wonder where it came from. It doesn’t have an overbearing heat flavor like a hot pepper or anything like that, but it’s there, reminding you of just what makes it unique. 

You polish it off. You clean up with your napkin. You look back. You reflect. “Well, that was a killshot!”

Splinters is located at 590 Carl Vinson Parkway. Hours are: Sunday, 2-8 p.m.; Closed Monday; Tuesday, 5-11 p.m.; Wednesday, 5-11 p.m.; Thursday, 5-midnight; Friday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. and Saturday, 2 p.m.-1 a.m.

– Don Moncrief

La Birria Suprema Burger from El Mural 

Cultures unite to create the ultimate dipping burger. 

El Mural may be located away from all the noise, but inside is loud with Hispanic culture and rich flavors. 

Whenever I heard that the restaurant would be unveiling a birria burger for Burger Week, I had to try it. 

La Birria Suprema Burger has an eight ounce Angus beef burger patty, lathered with their Oaxaca cheese, their famous birria on top with red onion, salsa verde and cilantro, all on a buttery brioche bun.The burger was also served with their in house consomme for dipping. I also got their french fries with it. 

It also seemed like everyone who was in El Mural got the burger, so I knew it had been pretty popular so far. 

When the burger came out, I couldn’t wait to dig in. I tried the burger by itself without the consomme first to see what we were working with. 

The birria was the star of the show. It was very rich and had a smoky flavor with a little bit of sweetness to it on the back end. It kind of didn’t need to be dipped, but I had to dip it anyway. 

I was hoping dipping the burger in the consomme would make the bun quite soggy, but that wasn’t the case. The bun held up well and the consomme added so much more flavor. I continued to dip before each bite. 

The cheese wasn’t too overbearing, and for someone who doesn’t prefer cheese on their burger that was a plus. 

The only knock I’d give it was the burger patty. Although it was quite good, It felt like too much with the birria on the burger as well. It was so filling I didn’t finish, but that was probably because I filled up on chips and dips beforehand. Maybe in the future they could do a birria sandwich without the burger patty. 

If you’re a fan of birria and burgers, I’d recommend trying La Birria Suprema Burger from El Mural. 

El Mural is located on 1291 South Houston Lake Road, Suite J. Hours are: Monday-Wednesday: 11-9 p.m., Thursday-Saturday: 11-10 p.m. and Sunday 11-8 p.m.

– Owen Jones

The Mad One from Mad Hatter Cafe and Confections

Mad Hatter Cafe and Confections is definitely one of the most unique businesses in the city. Its “Alice in Wonderland theme” and Victorian details always makes me want to take more photos. 

So, it’s safe to say that when I heard they had an entry for the city’s annual Burger Week, it was my first choice. I went during peak lunch hour and the cafe was already packed with customers, many of whom were also trying the burger. 

The Mad One is a jalapeno popping burger with sweet and spicy jalapeno jam. It also has rich cheddar cream cheese, crispy turkey bacon, and jalapeno chips all in between a brioche bun. 

When I looked at photos of the burger, I thought the jalapeno popper was an egg. I never tried one before, which made me even more excited. Its creaminess as I bit into the burger was a bit surprising but delicious. Not to mention the bun was toasted to perfection and slightly crunchy. Due to the popper, I didn’t notice the bacon or the jalapeno chips, but it still mixed well with the burger. It was a perfect size so it wasn’t overwhelming for a quick lunch. 

I also had a Rosy Posy, a sparkling lemonade with strawberry puree and a hint of rose. The drink paired with the sweet and slightly spicy burger was even more delicious.

If you don’t like spice, don’t be alarmed. The burger wasn’t very spicy at all and leaned more on the sweeter side. As a person who can handle spice, I expected it to have more of a kick, but I still enjoyed the burger. 

The Mad One will indeed make you go mad…in a good way. I can confirm I am going mad as I am craving the burger now. Maybe I will stop by for lunch again before burger week is over. 

Mad Hatter Cafe and Confections is located on 85 South Highway 247. Their hours are Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The business is closed on the weekends. However, due to Burger Week, they are extending their hours on Friday, Sept.25 from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

– Sandra Hernandez

Glazed & Confused from Decadent A Coffee and Dessert Bar

Billed as “the burger that skipped the grill and headed straight for dessert,” Decadent A Coffee and Dessert Bar’s sweet imposter burger was certainly “glazed & confused” as it was entitled. 

Resembling a burger, the entree was a tasty dessert.

The chocolate cake doughnut “patty” was topped with raspberry puree for “ketchup” and colored buttercream icing for “lettuce” and “cheese” and then sandwiched between glazed doughnut buns.

The dessert was not too rich and not too bland, and with the raspberry puree, just the right amount of sweetness.

I paired it with a creamy caramel cold brew. 

The coffee and dessert shop is filled with all sorts of treats with barristers ready to deliver coffee drinks.

Decadent A Coffee and Dessert Bar at 1012 Ga. 96, Suite 100, is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m to 6 p.m. Sunday.

– Becky Purser