Jay Roush, owner of Moonie’s Burger House off Anderson Mill Road in Northwest Austin, says he cannot eat burgers outside his own restaurant anymore. And that may be a result of his tireless experimentation with new burger recipes.

Every month, Roush and his staff roll out a new burger with loads of different ingredients. In May, Moonie’s served up its Italian Stallion burger, made with a ground beef and pork patty, a house-made ricotta spread and other Italian staples. Two months prior, the restaurant rolled out an Irish burger topped with Dubliner cheddar cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on a pretzel bun.

“We literally vary [our burgers] every month,” Roush said. “I think there’s some excitement about what it is.”

The burger of the month is just one aspect of Moonie’s that Roush changed when he took ownership of the restaurant five years ago. When he came in, Roush renovated the entire restaurant by taking out its bar, adding space in the kitchen and dining room, and installing televisions.

Roush also changed how Moonie’s made its food. The restaurant now makes all of its burgers with Black Angus beef. The sauces on Moonie’s burgers are made in-house, and the restaurant makes its own queso from scratch.

Moonie’s now even serves Roush’s own chili recipe, a classic meaty Texan chili that the owner perfected in his own house during chili cookoffs.

But the restaurant, according to Roush, is most famous for its buns. The patties in Moonie’s burgers are encased by one of six separate bun options. Moonie’s most popular bun is a sweet sourdough Hawaiian-style bun.

“There is no one in town who I would worry about putting my burger up against,” Roush said. “It is Angus beef burger, fresh buns, freshly cooked, and all the toppings are fresh.”

Moonie’s Burger House

13450 Research Blvd., Austin
512-257-9000
www.mooniesburgerhouse.com/andersonmill
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m