Latest installment of Cheeseburger Adventure: Morris Neal’s Handy Hamburgers in Cleburne, Texas. I think it was Texas Highway Warrior Chris Mulder that put Morris Neal’s on my radar.

A quick 1 hour and 13 minute drive from our house lies a legendary burger stand that has been crafting delicious hamburgers since 1932. A new owner took over in 2020 – a native “cleburn-ite” and I can tell you – these burgers did not disappoint.

When we arrived at 200 S. Mill Street we were greeted by a small, nondescript building. At 1 in the afternoon, the place was bustling. We walked in…small dining area with just 6 tables. The line to order carefully snaked thru the dining room. We made it to the counter – 2 double burgers all the way, 2 bacon cheeseburgers all the way. All 4 with grilled jalapenos, because that’s how we roll. 2 orders fries. 2 orders onion rings.

Experience tells me that when you see an item on the black and red above counter manual menu that is identified as “chl dog”…you order the DAMN chili dog. Just chili, cheese, and onions (Linda Carol Burk Rovinsky Oksner style). Mustard?!?! On a chili dog?!?! Where are we…New York?

We turned to take our seats in the dining area and the restaurant was completely full. I guess that’s a good sign for a quality burger.

Anyhow, we ordered and waited for our treasures to arrive. I asked the new owner, John Ainsworth if I could take a picture of the grill. The same grill that has been turning out these burgers since Franklin Roosevelt was in the White House. He said no problem. Working the grill was a team of young ladies that took great pride in producing a quality burger. Meat, seared on the 80+ year old flat top grill. Vegetables painstakingly prepared. Buns placed on top of the burger to soak up the goodness.

The order was delivered to our table. It looked like an AI depiction if you went to Chat GPT and queried “picture of the perfect burger basket”. The burger…beautiful…but the onion rings were AMAZING. Like the sexy older sister of the girl your age who lived across the street from you. The things of dreams.

Look at the photo of the flat top grill. You can tell the burger patties are made FRESH…none of that Sysco, pre-fab patty garbage. Burgers cooked perfectly with a great crust. Buns buttered then toasted. What a great bite. The trademark silence falls over the table as the boys turn into human eating machines.

The chili dog came out a mess. A fantastic, delicious mess. Meaty chili, diced onions, grated cheese, toasted bun. It is what every chili dog strives to be, but so seldom are.

Final rating – FANTASTIC!!! I don’t know if I would routinely make the trip from far North Dallas to Cleburne for this burger, but I’m sure glad we did today. And rest assured, if I ever find myself in Johnson County to fight speeding tickets, I will go back to Morris Neal’s Handy Hamburgers.