Best Burgers in Sharpstown and Gulfton: 9 Picks, Bison to Halal Smash

The best burgers in Sharpstown and Gulfton start at Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack, a bison burger shack at 5230 Westpark Drive in Gulfton that opened under the Westpark Tollway in 1985. For a halal smash burger, go to Hotline Burger at 8880 Bellaire Blvd in Sharpstown. For a burger you won’t find on a chain menu, order the Hamburguesa Mexicana at Tacos El Jaibo, 5821 Bellaire Blvd in Gulfton. Six more picks, including a Denny’s and a Whataburger drive-thru that are both open 24 hours, fill in the rest.

Here’s the line worth stealing: in Sharpstown and Gulfton, the burger to know isn’t beef. Bubba’s says it has cooked more than a million bison burgers, and its bison patties are 100% grass-fed bison from South Dakota.

What counts as Sharpstown and Gulfton in this guide?

We use the City of Houston’s super neighborhood lines, and we checked every address on this list against the city’s super neighborhood map. Sharpstown is Super Neighborhood 26: Beltway 8 on the west, the Westpark Tollway on the north, the Southwest Freeway (I-69/US-59) on the east and Brays Bayou on the south. Gulfton is Super Neighborhood 27, the dense wedge just outside Loop 610 on the other side of the freeway, north of the city of Bellaire. It’s the same line we use in our Sharpstown and Gulfton brunch guide.

Two boundary notes save you a wasted drive. Bellaire Broiler Burger on Bellaire Boulevard sits inside the City of Bellaire, not Gulfton, so it lives in our Bellaire burger guide. And anything west of Beltway 8 is Alief or Westchase; for the next district north and west, see our Westchase burger guide.

Both neighborhoods have a backstory. The Southwest Management District says developer Frank W. Sharp announced Sharpstown on March 13, 1955, as Houston’s first large-scale, master-planned, car-centric suburb. The City of Houston says most of Gulfton started as a rural subdivision called Westmoreland Farms, whose big parcels later made room for the area’s large apartment complexes.

The quick list

• Best burger, full stop: the bison Houston Burger at Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack, Gulfton
• Best halal smash burger: Hotline Burger, 8880 Bellaire Blvd, Sharpstown
• Most unexpected burger: the Hamburguesa Mexicana at Tacos El Jaibo, Gulfton
• Best sit-down burger at 3 a.m.: Denny’s on Hillcroft, open 24 hours
• Best 24-hour drive-thru: Whataburger at Hillcroft and the Southwest Freeway
• Latest dine-in on weekends: Whataburger near Fondren, dining room typically open to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday
• Earliest burger: Sonic Drive-In on Hillcroft, typically from 6 a.m.
• Late burger on the Gulfton side of Hillcroft: Wendy’s, typically to 1 a.m. on weekends
• Deep in Gulfton, any hour: Jack in the Box on Gulfton Street

How we chose

Every pick had to sit inside the city’s Sharpstown or Gulfton boundary, serve a beef or bison burger, and show its current address on its own official website or ordering page, checked in November 2026. We geocoded every address and confirmed it falls inside the right super neighborhood on the city’s map.

We started with the independents, because a neighborhood burger guide should lead with the places you can’t get anywhere else. Sharpstown and Gulfton have only a few of those that we could verify, so we filled out the list with the chain stores locals actually use, picking each one for a reason: the hours, the drive-in, or the dining room that stays open. We left out places that had no official website or menu we could confirm.

Hours and menus change, so treat every time below as typical and check the official site before you go.

Where is the best burger in Sharpstown and Gulfton?

Our pick for the best burger in the two neighborhoods is at Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack in Gulfton, which has been grilling under the Westpark Tollway since 1985.

Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack

Gulfton, 5230 Westpark Dr, Houston, TX 77056 · typically 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily

Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack is a small, family-run burger shack right under the Westpark Tollway, and its story page says it has been serving bison burgers there since 1985. A new owner bought the shack in 1990, and his daughter now helps run it.

What to order: the Houston Burger with a bison patty: cheddar, bacon, pickled jalapeños, grilled onions and barbecue sauce. The menu lets you choose beef (a 1/3-pound patty) or bison (a 1/4-pound patty) on every specialty burger, including a Frito Pie Burger topped with Fritos, house-made chili and cheddar sauce, and a Vegas Burger with a fried egg, bacon, avocado and Bubba’s mild habanero hot sauce.

Insider tip: order the jalapeño potato salad. Bubba’s calls it its signature side from before it added fries. The menu also sells Bubba’s own hot sauce and a handful of books, which is not something you expect from a burger shack.

Best for: anyone who has never had a bison burger, and anyone who has and wants the original. Bubba’s takes reservations for groups.

Where can you get a halal burger in Sharpstown?

Hotline Burger on Bellaire Boulevard in Sharpstown serves certified halal smash burgers.

Hotline Burger (Bellaire)

Sharpstown, 8880 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036 · hours on the official ordering page

Hotline Burger started as a roaming pop-up in 2019, according to its official site, and now runs two Houston stores, including this one on Bellaire Boulevard near Gessner Road at the eastern end of Chinatown. Every burger is 100% halal.

What to order: the Hotline Burger, a smash burger with the house Smack Sauce, grilled onions, American cheese and pickles. If you like heat, the Jalapeño Burger swaps in ranch, fresh jalapeños and Swiss.

Insider tip: get the Smash Fries, which are fries topped with a whole beef patty, Smack Sauce, grilled onions and melted American cheese. It’s a burger in a basket, no bun required.

Best for: a halal burger, or a smash-burger fan on a Chinatown food crawl. More picks are in our halal restaurants guide and our smash burger guide.

Which burger in Gulfton can’t you get anywhere else?

The Hamburguesa Mexicana at Tacos El Jaibo on Bellaire Boulevard in Gulfton is the burger you won’t find on a chain menu.

Tacos El Jaibo

Gulfton, 5821 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77081 · typically 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily

Tacos El Jaibo is a Mexican restaurant best known for tacos and seafood, but its menu lists a Hamburguesa Mexicana: a Mexican-style hamburger with ham and yellow cheese, avocado, pickled jalapeños, tomato, lettuce, onion, mayo and ketchup, served with fries.

Insider tip: the ham is the point. Layering ham and cheese on a beef patty is a classic Mexican hamburguesa move. Add the Hot Dog Mexicano for the table, which the menu loads up with sausage, bacon, pickled jalapeños, mayo and mustard.

Best for: the friend who says every burger tastes the same.

Where can you get a burger late at night in Sharpstown and Gulfton?

Denny’s on Hillcroft and the Whataburger at Hillcroft and the Southwest Freeway both list 24-hour service, and they sit only a few blocks apart.

Denny’s (Hillcroft)

Sharpstown, 6060 Hillcroft St, Houston, TX 77081 · open 24 hours

Denny’s on Hillcroft is the one sit-down burger on this list that never closes: its location page lists it as open 24 hours. The burger to order at 2 a.m. is the Slamburger, which tops the beef patty with hash browns, an egg, applewood-smoked bacon and American cheese: breakfast and dinner in one bun. The menu also lists a Chorizo Queso Burger and a Double Cheeseburger.

Best for: late shifts and groups that can’t agree. More ideas are in our late-night food guide.

Whataburger (Hillcroft)

Sharpstown, 6520 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074 · drive-thru listed as 24 hours; dining room typically 6 a.m.–midnight

This Whataburger on the Southwest Freeway frontage road at Hillcroft lists 24-hour drive-thru and delivery on its location page, while the dining room keeps shorter hours. If an out-of-town guest wants a Whataburger, this is the closest late-night one to the Hillcroft cluster.

Best for: a burger after midnight, from your car.

Whataburger (Fondren)

Sharpstown, 7411 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074 · drive-thru listed as 24 hours; dining room typically to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday

The second Sharpstown Whataburger, on the freeway near Fondren Road, earns its own spot for one reason: its location page lists the dining room open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, so you can sit down instead of eating in the car.

Best for: the after-party table. Pair it with our Sharpstown and Gulfton bars guide.

The reliable chains: drive-in, early and late

Sonic, Wendy’s and Jack in the Box cover the early mornings and late nights the independents don’t.

Sonic Drive-In (Hillcroft)

Sharpstown, 5902 Hillcroft St, Houston, TX 77036 · typically 6 a.m.–10:45 p.m. Monday to Thursday, to 11:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m.–10:45 p.m. Sunday

Sonic on Hillcroft is the earliest burger stop on this list. Its store page says the drive-in makes burgers with 100% pure beef patties and hand-dipped onion rings, and it lists a drive-thru.

Best for: a burger and a cherry limeade without leaving the driver’s seat.

Wendy’s (Hillcroft)

Gulfton, 6101 Hillcroft, Houston, TX 77081 · typically 10 a.m.–midnight, to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Wendy’s on Hillcroft sits on the Gulfton side of the street, across from the Sharpstown cluster. Its location page lists the dining room and drive-thru open late, plus mobile ordering and Wi-Fi. Order a Dave’s Single and a Frosty.

Best for: a late burger when you want a square patty.

Jack in the Box (Gulfton Street)

Gulfton, 5550 Gulfton St, Houston, TX 77081 · drive-thru listed around the clock

Jack in the Box on Gulfton Street is the one burger stop in the heart of Gulfton’s apartment district, and its location page lists the drive-thru open from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. every day, which works out to around the clock.

Best for: anyone who lives or works in central Gulfton and needs a burger at an odd hour.

Save this: the Sharpstown and Gulfton burger checklist

Screenshot this before your next burger run.

• First bison burger: Houston Burger with bison at Bubba’s, plus the jalapeño potato salad.
• Halal smash burger: the Hotline Burger and Smash Fries at Hotline Burger.
• Something new: Hamburguesa Mexicana at Tacos El Jaibo.
• 3 a.m., sitting down: Slamburger at Denny’s on Hillcroft.
• 3 a.m. on a weekend, sitting down at a Whataburger: the Fondren store.
• After midnight, from your car: Whataburger at Hillcroft.
• Before 7 a.m.: Sonic on Hillcroft.

The Hillcroft burger crossroads: four of these picks, Whataburger, Sonic, Denny’s and Wendy’s, sit within about half a mile of each other where Hillcroft meets the Southwest Freeway, right on the line between Sharpstown and Gulfton. Start with lunch at Bubba’s on Westpark Drive, then save the crossroads for a late-night second round.

More burgers and more Sharpstown

If you’re willing to drive, our best burgers in Houston guide covers the whole city. For smoke instead of a griddle, see our Sharpstown and Gulfton barbecue guide.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best burger in Sharpstown and Gulfton?

Our pick is the bison Houston Burger at Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack, 5230 Westpark Drive in Gulfton. It comes with cheddar, bacon, pickled jalapeños, grilled onions and barbecue sauce, and you can choose beef instead of bison.

Where can I get a halal burger in Sharpstown?

Hotline Burger at 8880 Bellaire Blvd in Sharpstown serves 100% halal smash burgers, according to its official site. Check its ordering page for current hours.

Is there a 24-hour burger place in Sharpstown?

Yes. Denny’s at 6060 Hillcroft St lists itself as open 24 hours, and the Whataburgers at 6520 and 7411 Southwest Fwy list 24-hour drive-thru service. Their dining rooms keep shorter hours.

Does Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack really serve bison?

Yes. Bubba’s menu lists a 1/4-pound patty of 100% grass-fed bison from South Dakota, and you can order bison on any of its specialty burgers. It has served bison burgers under the Westpark Tollway since 1985.

What are the boundaries of Sharpstown and Gulfton in this guide?

We use the City of Houston’s super neighborhood lines. Sharpstown (Super Neighborhood 26) runs from Beltway 8 east to the Southwest Freeway, between the Westpark Tollway and Brays Bayou. Gulfton (Super Neighborhood 27) sits across the freeway, just outside Loop 610 and north of the City of Bellaire.