El Chubby’s burgers have a loyal following in Aurora because they’re made to order in a kitchen that is best known for its green chili, and any burger on our menu can be smothered with your choice of hot green, mild green or red. That pairing is a Colorado favorite. Once people try a cheeseburger under fresh green chili, a plain one can start to feel like it’s missing something.
It might seem funny that a Mexican restaurant has a burger following at all. But we have served breakfast, lunch and dinner at 1191 S Abilene St since 1991, and our burgers are a big part of how a lot of families eat here. One person wants enchiladas, another wants a double cheeseburger, and nobody has to compromise. After 35 years at the same address, we’ve learned that a good burger and a good burrito can share a table just fine.
What burgers are on the El Chubby’s menu?
The burger section of our menu keeps it straightforward. You can order a hamburger, a double, a cheeseburger, a double cheese, a bacon cheeseburger or a double bacon cheeseburger. Fries and onion rings round out the section.
There’s nothing complicated about that list, and that’s part of the appeal. You know what you’re getting. And because everything we cook is made to order, you can have it the way you like it. Add cheese, add bacon, make it a double, leave something off. We’d rather get your burger right than hand you something that was sitting around waiting for you.
The doubles are for real appetites. If you’re coming in after a long shift or a Saturday of yard work, the double bacon cheeseburger is the obvious call. If you want something lighter, a plain hamburger with a side of fries is a classic for a reason.
Can you get a burger smothered in green chili?
Yes. Any burger on our menu can be smothered with your choice of chili, and this is where an El Chubby’s burger turns into something you won’t find at a fast food chain.
Our green chili is made fresh every day, and it’s the thing we are best known for. You have three choices. Hot green has real heat and is the one people know us for. Mild green is easier going. Red gives you a different flavor altogether. Pick the one that fits your mood, or the one that fits your tolerance for heat.
A smothered burger is a fork and knife meal. The chili soaks into the bun and melts in with the cheese, and the whole thing eats more like a plate of comfort food than a sandwich. Colorado has a long love affair with burgers and chili. Down in Pueblo, for example, a burger buried in chili is famously called a slopper, and plenty of Coloradans grew up eating burgers this way without ever thinking it was unusual.
If you’re not sure how much heat you want, start with mild green, or ask for the chili on the side so you can add it as you go. We’ve written more about why our green chili stands above the rest, but the short version is that it’s made fresh every single day, and you can taste it.
What is the Mexican Hamburger burrito?
If you love a burger and you love a burrito, the Mexican Hamburger is where the two meet. It sits on our burrito menu right alongside bean, beef, beef and bean, chicken, carnitas, carne asada and Philly cheesesteak.
Around Denver, a Mexican hamburger usually means a hamburger patty rolled up burrito style, often with beans, and smothered in green chili. It’s one of those regional dishes that gets a puzzled look outside Colorado and a knowing nod inside it.
Like every burrito we make, the Mexican Hamburger comes five ways. Plain has no chili or cheese. Chili puts green chili inside. Special has green chili and cheese inside. Smothered covers it with green chili and cheese. Deluxe is smothered and then topped with lettuce and tomatoes. For burger fans who want to try something new, a Smothered or Deluxe Mexican Hamburger is a good place to start.
What goes with an El Chubby’s burger?
Fries and onion rings are the classic pairings, and both are on the burger menu. If you want to go a little further, look at the smothered fries on our specialties menu. They take the same green chili idea and apply it to a pile of fries, which is about as Colorado as a side dish gets. There’s also a Cheesesteak Smothered Fries if you want a full meal out of it.
Then there’s our signature dish, Carne Asada Fries. Our carne asada is thin strips of steak grilled with jalapeños, onions and tomatoes, and it’s a favorite way to turn a side of fries into dinner. A burger and an order of Carne Asada Fries split between two people is a solid plan for a hungry evening.
And if somebody at the table isn’t in a burger mood, the rest of the menu is right there. Combination plates, tacos, enchiladas and burritos all come out of the same kitchen, so a mixed group can order whatever they want and eat together.
Why do people keep coming back for the burgers?
It comes down to a few things. The burgers are made to order. The green chili is made fresh every day, and you can put it on any burger. The hours are easy to work with: we open at 7am Monday through Saturday and 9am on Sunday, and we stay open until 9pm every day. And when you’re in a hurry, there’s a drive-thru.
There’s also something to be said for a family-owned place that has been in the same spot for 35 years. When a restaurant becomes part of your routine, you want the burger to be the way you like it every time you order it, and that’s exactly what made to order means here.
If you haven’t had a smothered cheeseburger with hot green chili, come hungry and give it a try. You can dine in, use the drive-thru, or order online for pickup or delivery through DoorDash. We’re also on Uber Eats.
Recent Comments