Chef Chris Shepherd’s Burger Joint Is Open at the Houston Farmers Market

Chef Chris Shepherd makes a damn fine burger, and now he has his very own burger joint at Houston Farmers Market. Underbelly Burger opens today at 2520 Airline Drive, with Shepherd’s double meat, double cheese burger as the main event.

That burger with lettuce, pickles and tomato on a potato bun is a twist on Shepherd’s Cease and Desist burger at his Hay Merchant restaurant (which resulted in a stern letter from lawyers for California chain In-N-Out). The beef at Underbelly Burger is sourced from longtime Underbelly Hospitality beef supplier 44 Farms and R-C Ranch’s butcher shop next door at the farmers market.

The menu also includes milkshakes, a veggie burger, a bacon sausage served like a hot dog, and a black pepper buttermilk chicken sandwich modeled on a Hay Merchant version. There’s also “sidewinder” fries, dusted in ranch powder.

Julie Soefer

The look of Underbelly Burger mimics a diner, with green and white tile lining the walls and counters of the 14-seat restaurant. Decor includes Shepherd’s own vintage burger memorabilia collection. There’s a pick-up window as well for those who’d like to eat outside at the farmers market’s al fresco dining area.

Shepherd and Underbelly Hospitality have been busy, per usual. He’s got a second outpost in the works for the Houston Farmers Market set to open soon, with Southern cuisine spot Wild Oats. News also broke in November that a Foo Fighters-inspired bar is incoming at the UB Preserv space.

Julie Soefer

Underbelly Burger is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with pickup or delivery at its website.

• Chef Chris Shepherd Is Working on a New Burger Joint for the Houston Farmers Market
• UB Preserv Is Closing, and Will Be Replaced by a New Bar From Chris Shepherd in January