Elite Event: Burger Battle at Hopdoddy

A chance to taste specialty burgers, some tasty fresh salads, great selection of cocktails and milkshakes. How can I miss this chance to fill my belly with tasty food and drinks?
Burgers: The Ahi Tuna and Magicshroom burgers were my favorites. I’m still wondering why the Ahi Tuna didn’t win. I would never guess it was seaweed in the burger that added the unique crunchy texture. It’s heaven on a bun!
The Magicshroom burger would be my second choice. Loaded with plenty of sauteed mushroom topped with creamy Texas goat cheese. It was so fresh and juicy. I can’t believe that burger wasn’t voted as the winning burger too. Parm Truffle fries… what can I say? I can’t stop eating them.
Cocktails: I enjoyed the black cherry hard limeade! Tangy deliciousness!
Milkshakes: Shakes shakes and more shakes. The Sea Salt Caramel shake was amazing and very addictive. Next came the Nutella & Chocolate Covered Pretzel shake. This was the ultimate shake for the chocolate lovers.
Our waitress, Katie was incredible. She was extremely knowledgeable of the whole menu. She must have a photographic memory.
Thank you to Hopdoddy, Unilocal,and Lindsey for a fantastic burger battle event! I love the new Unilocal Elite 2014 beach towel! Great start to the summer!

Holy Geezus! My body has finally emerged from a serious food coma allowing me to type. The event at Hopdoddy was out of control… in an *awesome* way.
As with all Unilocal Elite events the delivery was exceptional. Unilocal Elites were treated to a feast like no other. Although the invitation said «Burger Battle» it did not say «eat until you die because you want to».
(Really the invitation should have provided a warning. Something like: Wear yoga clothing that stretches. The Buddha belly may cause discomfort.)
Greeted with a Unilocal Elite towel (squee!) I meandered over to the soda bar. Mixing and matching my soda was fun and deeelicious. My pre-​game before Burger Time was my downfall. Yes to picking up fries. Yes to the salads. (Hey, that’s healthy stuff!) Yes to the margarita. (And all later beverages.) I figured I’d nibble and be ok.
No. Definitely not.
I very much enjoyed the kale salad (with watermelon!) And I wouldn’t give up sampling cheese on my fries for anything. However, by the time we were on our third burger I was in trouble. (The second round of fries, sprinkled with parmesan and truffle oil did not help either :)
It’s all a blur now. The burgers were smashingly delicious. But when I bit into the Ahi Tuna burger the earth tilted. If I hadn’t been ready to explode I would have begged for another sample. I waddled out of Hopdoddy dreaming about how soon I could eat another.
I went back the very next day for a tuna burger. (Yeah, it’s that good.)
This was an amazing event. Thank you O-​SO-​MUCH Lindsey! Muchas gracias to Hopdoddy for treating us so well. And a special shout out to our server Katy. (This woman is hilarious.)

I have never been to Hopdoddy before, so this was my first experience here and luckily I was able to try a massive variety of menu offerings. We started off with different types of salads which were all delicious, I really enjoyed the kale salad that included watermelon, I would come back for the salads alone. The truffle fries were also fantastic with garlic & parmesan and a tasty cheese dipping sauce, I had to pace myself on eating too much of these, because I had SIX burgers to try and after the glutton fest at Smashburger I knew to go slow or I would run out of room in my belly.
This event was different in that it was a contest for the best burger. Everything we tried was very good, my favorite was the Ahi Tuna Burger which I can’t believe didn’t win! The sushi grade fresh ahi was seared at a perfect temp and the crunch of the sprouts along with a wasabi aioli made for a happy palette. My second favorite was the Continental which was a turkey patty with goat cheese, provolone, bacon and pesto. This combination made for some great flavors too.
To go with the burgers we were offered tastings of their delicious cocktails. I tried the frozen margarita which was nice and strong, the black cherry hard limeade was a perfect summer cocktail, and as an Arnold Palmer lover the Soco Sweet Tea was right up my ally.
To top it all off, we were then given samples of the Salted Caramel and Nutella Pretzel shakes. Both were equally delicious and indulgent. This was yet another event where I left full and happy and enjoyed the delicious food, drinks, desserts and company. Thank you Lindsey, Erin, and our Server Katy for another fun event!

This job was for Elites only
The mission: Judge some beefy burgers
The where: Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Hopdoddy was sure ready for us to test their burgers, but before the taste testing went down we sampled some salads
Hail Caesar, Harvest Quinoa, Baby Kale and Spinach & Arugula was waiting to be tried. I have to say I was leery of the Spinach & Arugula, because it had beets in it (WTH WHO DOES THAT) but I have to say it was amazing, it had beets, goat cheese, toasted pecans, sugar snap peas, gala apple & sherry cane vinaigrette with the spinach and arugula mixed perfectly, the flavors of everything went so well together. I was very surprised I liked the salad with beets the most. The 2^nd runner up in great tasting salads for me was the Harvest Quinoa, just a great spicy flavor.
We also have some Adult drinks to try, Margaritas, Black Cherry hard lemonade and a bloody marry with beet juice, everything was great and went well with the burgers, the only one I would say no too is the Bloody Mary, it just was a little Bloody Mary for me (not a drink I normally have)
Now it’s time for the real taste testing to happen. The contenders:
1) The Classic: angus beef medium rare, cheddar cheese topped with crispy bacon, tomatoes and lettuce
2) The Magic Shroom: angus beef medium rare, goat cheese, field mushrooms, mayo & basil pesto
3) Continental Club: turkey, provolone, apple smoked bacon, arugula, mayo & basil pesto on whole wheat bun
4) La Bandita: black bean-​corn patty, avocado, goat cheese, arugula cilantro pesto, chipotle mayo on whole wheat bun
5) The Thunderbird: chicken, roasted poblano chili, cheese, bacon, avocado
6) Ahi Tuna Burger: sushi grade tuna, sunflower sprouts (we asked what type) teriyaki, honey wasabi (now don’t go thinking its sweet, this has POW behind it!) nori chips, pickled ginger and mayo
For me the winner was the Ahi Tuna Burger, but the winning burger for the evening was The Classic!
Hopdoddy finished the night with some tasty milkshakes; I tried the Caramel & Sea Salt & Nutella & Chocolate Pretzel. Soo dang good!
Our server was Katie, and she was amazing, full of great information and jokes, gotta love that!
I truly enjoyed this event, had a great time and even met a few new to me Elites, Hiya Don C, Nicole B (loved that dress, meant to tell you) Ashley! I even walked away a winner of a gift card! TOO SWEET!
Lindsey did yet another amazing job putting this together, Lindsey you ROCK!
Thank you Hopdoddy for having us everything was DELISH BABY!

I’m still recovering from the food coma this event put me in. No complaints though :) I enjoyed every minute of it.
All of the burgers were great, but the classic burger takes the cake for me. You just can’t go wrong with an original hamburger and Hopdoddy really knows how to perfect that. The truffle fries are amazing and dipping them into the truffle aioli is so tasty! Let’s not forget the milkshakes either. Nutella pretzel hands down is my favorite. Yom yom yom yom, I could have one of those for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
It was great meeting some fellow Elite members. I had a blast at the event and I went home stuffed! Thanks again Lindsey for coordinating another great event and Hopdoddy for hosting it!
Unilocal on!

What a wonderful event! Thank you so much to Lindsey, Unilocal,and especially Hopdoddy for hosting us Elite Unilocalers!
First and foremost, the staff was amazing. A huge thank you to Katy! She was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about Hopdoddy — from the Scottsdale location to the Texas locations. A thank you to Erin, Tony, and Mike as well! It was so nice to see how happy all the staff were and giving off great vibes.
Now, for the food. We started with a variety of salads and fries. I especially loved the Quinoa salad — it was really good! (I didn’t see it on their online menu, so hopefully it isn’t just a special! I’d order that again in a heartbeat.) As Unilocalers snacked on the starters, drinks were being handed out. I was able to try the frozen margarita, the black cherry limeade, a sweet tea, and a Bloody Mary with beet juice. My favorite was the sweet tea drink — house Infused Lemoncello, Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, Raspberry Purée, & Fresh-​Squeezed Lemon. Yum! (The margarita and limeade were pretty good too.)
Soon, the battle began. Burgers were being brought out left and right. They were cut into quarters and then gulped down by hungry Unilocalers. As part of the battle, we were able to try a total of six burgers and then had to rate them from 1 – 6.
The Classic: The name says it all. Burger, cheese, bacon, plus the basics (lettuce, tomato, onion). Not surprisingly, this is the burger that won!
The Thunderbird: Chicken burger, bacon, poblano chilis, plus the basics. This was one of my favorite of the night. Spicy and full of flavor!
The Continental: Turkey burger, bacon, cheese, plus the basics. I really liked this one as it tasted like a club sandwich. Delicious!
Mushroom: Burger, mushrooms, goat cheese, and pesto plus the basics. Oooh. As far as mushroom burgers go, this is one of the best. The goat cheese and pesto make a winning combo.
Ahi Tuna: Tuna patty, wasabi, with nori chips and the basics. Not something I would normally eat but I’m glad I was able to try it tonight. It was a new experience! It had a great flavor.
El Bandito: Black bean burger, avocado, cheese, plus the basics. This was my least favorite. The burger fell apart and just wasn’t as flavorful as the others.
Once the battle was over, it was time for dessert. Out came samples of the sea salt caramel shake and the Nutella/​chocolate pretzel shakes. I loved the caramel shake — it was heavenly!
The biggest surprise of the night was during the raffle for a gift card and my name was called. Thanks to Unilocal and Hopdoddy — I can’t want to come back! I definitely know what I’ll be ordering next time!
Overall, it was a great time! I was able to meet some friendly Unilocalers (shout out to Don C and Ashley P!), taste a lot of goodies, and go home happy/​stuffed. Once again Lindsey has outdone herself and hosted a great event. Looking forward to the next!

Still floating on the Magic Mushroom moment. Adrift in Ahi anamnesis. Lost in thought of the Thunderbird.
What a fantastic burger dining experience.
Thank you Hopdoddy for hosting this event. Many thanks to the servers that went out of their way to make this evening fun and informative to us devoted Unilocalers. And a special thanks goes out to Katy who was a plethora of burger knowledge. Who knew we had such delicious things growing here in Arizona?!
Seriously, who know?
Of course if I could make a chicken burger taste even ½ as good as Hopdoddy’s… well let’s not go there cuz that’s not gonna happen.
I met some other Unilocalers too!
So an added bonus to an evening of good food and beverages.
Thanks so much Lindsey for being the hostess with the mostess.
I hope to be back soon cuz that Mushroom burger and the Ahi burger were Amazing. French fries with truffle aoli? Where have I been.
There version of a Bloody Mary will promptly wake you up and likely keep you awake as the spicey zing remains in your throat.
They create all this stuff. From scratch. Caramel sauce. Lemoncello. Oh my gosh –so much more!
Your Momma doesn’t do homemade like this –not since the 60’s anyway.
I can’t wait to come back here. So many more things we didn’t try.
Keep calm I tell myself, it’ll happen.
I hope my hubby wants to do dinner this weekend cuz that may be the length of time I’m willing to wait.

I thoroughly enjoyed this event and all the variety of menu items we sampled! A good Unilocaler loves some healthy (meaty?) competition and this event pitting burger against burger had us donning our game faces faster than you can say «Team USA».
We were serious about choosing the best burger, carefully evaluating the flavors of mushrooms, veggie patties, wasabi, avocado, cheese, bacon and peppers… not all on the same burger, of course.
For a veggie burger, La Bandita did better than I expected. But these Unilocalers need their meat. I don’t think our vegetarian friends RSVP’d to this one. The Ahi burger may have stolen the show if it weren’t for the unexpected wasabi that some of us spice-​wimps could not get past. In the end, the classic burger with cheese and bacon won it all, and for good reason. The angus beef patty was as tender and flavorful as I remembered from a previous visit, the toppings were a winning combination, and this was a clear crowd favorite.
In case that wasn’t enough food, we enjoyed some starters of seasonal salads, quinoa, regular fries and truffle fries. Each salad had its high points but my favorite was the spinach and arugula, with avocado.
To wash it all down we sampled four of their cocktails and got to visit their fountain of Maine Root colas. The margarita was pretty standard, and my favorite was the sweet tea. Their bloody mary using beet juice was unexpectedly good too.
Dessert? Hopdoddy has some creative and delicious shakes of all flavors. We tried the popular Caramel and Sea Salt shake and the Nutella and Pretzel. Yumm-​my.
The icing on the proverbial burger was the service. Erin was friendly, helpful, and took the time to meet each of us and talk to us for a few minutes. Katie took great care of us and told us a lot more about the culture of the company and some of the benefits of their service structure. Hopdoddy, are you hiring? Just kidding. Sort of.
Thanks to Hopdoddy for letting us come in and openly judge their food. Thanks as always to Unilocal and Lindsey for wrangling us all together and organizing the evening!

What is better than great burgers, well-​made drinks, amazing people, great service, and fun Unilocal swag? The answer is nothing of course!
This was another amazing Unilocal Elite event hosted by the equally amazing Hopdoddy Burger Bar. The event started with the regular check in, signing your name to a Unilocal sticker. We then were all greeted by Lindsey are amazing Community Manager who informed us of how the night’s burger battle would go down and also gave us an awesome Unilocal Elite beach towel!
The way the battle worked was on a rating scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being the favorite and six being the least favorite. Once we all found our seats they started to bring out the first of the food options which included quinoa, fries, and fresh salad. They also brought around the first of the drink sample which was the frozen margarita.
Once we had all had a little bit of the appetizers, the burgers begin to come out of the kitchen. The first option to try was the Classic which is the typical all American burger with cheese and fresh toppings. It was followed by five other burger options which included a turkey burger, chicken burger, ahi tuna burger and a vegetarian option made from black beans. Each burger was cut into quarter sample sizes so we didn’t fill up so quickly that we couldn’t try it all!
The drinks varied from a limeade option to a Bloody Mary house mix that included both beet and tomato juice. Once everyone had tried all of the burger patties they offered for the battle everyone then filled out their ballot form using the 1 – 6 ranking. All of the ballots were counted and the ultimate winner was the Classic Burger — I mean how do you beat the original classic burger? The very close runner up was the ahi burger which was an overwhelming fan favorite as well!
Once the winner was announced, two different shake variety samples were brought out, which included Nutella and pretzels, and a sea salt and caramel option.
Everything I had was amazing, made fresh, and definitely worth a second try on a return visit! This was not my first time at Hopdoddy and it excelled in every way as it always does. It’s no surprise that this location has four and a half stars out of 5 with a plethora of reviews under its belt.
The service was impeccable with a special mention for Katy who was awesome from start to finish, answered all of our questions, and kept us entertained throughout the entire meal! Tony was also exceptional in his service (I believe he was the store manager) and was extremely attentive to everyone that attended.
I will definitely be returning to Hopdoddy since it’s my favorite burger bar in all of Arizona — and this event only solidified it as my fave! Tonight’s event couldn’t have gone off any better and I couldn’t have been more excited to be able to participate in this once-​in-​a-​lifetime event and couldn’t be more thankful to Hopdoddy and Unilocal for making it possible!
Overall: A+
I mean, seriously, it’s an event put together by Lindsey, Unilocal and an amazing burger bar … did you expect less than an A+??

My first thought was… I’m going to be in a food coma after this… and boy was I… lol
We started out with some salads. I liked their Caesar salad and their fries. & I love me some good fries!
So many burgers, so little time… So we got to try 6 different burgers and voted on which burger we liked the best. The classic burger, the magic shroom, the continental club, the ahi tuna, la bandita, and the thunderbird. My favorite was the continental club. Coming in 2^nd place for me was the thunderbird. The Continental Club comes with Turkey, Provolone, Apple-​Smoked Bacon, Arugula, Mayo & Basil Pesto on Whole Wheat. It was
and was a good mixture of everything and I loved the bread that came on it. A lot of my fellow Unilocalers liked the Ahi Tuna Burger. This was a good one but the wasabi killed it for me.
We also got spoiled with samples of drinks, the margarita, PV Sweet tea, Mikes hard lemonade, bloody mary (the neighbor), Four Peaks sunbrew. I really liked the sweet tea. & you can’t forget the shakes! The Nutella shake and the Salted Caramel shakes were amazing!!! Don’t ask me which one I liked better. lol.
The customer service was great! Everyone was so friendly and helpful and they trained their staff extremely well because everyone was very knowledgeable with the menu.
Thank you so much for organizing another great event Lindsey and to Hopdoddy for having us!

Let me tell you the tale of the Great Burger Battle of 2014. I remember it like it was yesterday…
Unilocal Elites from all over the Valley came to bear witness to the showdown of epic portions (I mean, proportions). Hopdoddy had thrown down the gauntlet, and one burger would stand victorious.
This was no desert terrain. The battlefield was littered with lush delicious salads, quinoa and truffle fries. The Baby Kale salad came out swinging, armed with avocado and pomegranate vinaigrette.
And then… it was ON! The first casualties were spectator favorites: Both the Classic Burger and Magic Shroom won hearts that day. Even mushroom-​averse folks tipped a hat to the power of the Shroom. The next contenders were the Continental (turkey burger), La Bandita (black bean corn patty), Thunderbird Chicken, and Ahi Tuna that tore into taste buds with a fiery honey wasabi. Each burger fought valiantly, but the burger that raised from the ashes like a phoenix, was in fact, the favorite of Phoenix that fateful day — the Classic w/​Bacon and Cheese. Bravo!
Shout-​outs to our spectacular waitress Katie whose assistance and enthusiasm was infectious and much appreciated. Many thanks to our hostesses Erin and Lindsey, who kept us safe during all the carnage. And, a special thank you to Hopdoddy for letting us splurge on your amazing burgers and shakes!

I am still in a food coma! Everything was so wonderfully Delish. It was fun voting and picking their next burger special. Unilocalers loved the Classic the best! The place has great burgers and of all types; chicken, turkey, veggie and even Ahi tuna. I loved them all so it was tough to pick a winner. I was not the biggest fan of the Ahi burger but I did not hate it either. That one took 2^nd place. The Mellow Mushroom and Veggie option were my favorites in the Non Classic categories. I thought their salads were out of this world, and loved the two milkshakes we got to sample; the Salted Carmel and Nutella Pretzel.
The drink choices here are very unique. We had samples of almost all their specialty drinks. Their version of a Bloody Mary is great. It is called a, «Hey Neighbor» and has beet juice in it. Who knew?
Ummmmmmm, their Truffle oil and Aoli fries are worth the drive alone. I honestly think this place has the best burgers in town. I can not wait until the Biltmore location opens.
I had a great time making/​meeting uo with some new Elite friends tonight. Again, thank you Lindsey. I have pretty much given up on losing weight with your «lite bite» events. LOL!

Even car trouble was not gonna stop me from attending! #HardcoreYelperHere
And I see someone took a picture of a urinal in the picture section. HAHA. But yeah… the grate thing under the urinal IS a really good idea!
Anyway, most delicious burgers yeah! I ate the SHROOM. The Shroom Burger that is, and I loved it. However, my favorite… is the Thunderbird! I just love peppers, avocado and bacon and the T-​Bird had alllllll three!!! I also was impressed with The Continental. I’m usually not into Turkey but that was good and tasty. Everything washed down by their Bloody Mary drink. Yummmmy! Oh… can’t forget the Truffle Fries with Aioli sauce. My favorite fries in the whole world is Truffle Fries with Aioli sauce. I remember my first time eating truffle fries… it was awesome. I was so happy to be eating truffle fries again.
Usually, I only eat a little bit of the dessert. This time I couldn’t stop because the salted caramel shake and the nutella covered pretzel shake were sooooo good. I just couldn’t help myself. :) The entire meal was everything you could ask for. Hopdoddy brought their A game tonight!
Good as always to hang out with the Unilocalers! Thanks to the staff and Lindsey D for the wonderful setup as usual. They did a great job! I’m so appreciative. :)

(Lyrics — Kelis — Milkshake)
Hopdoddy brings all the Unilocalers to the bar
And we’re like
It’s burger for stars
Damn right it’s burger for stars
I can taste it
But I have to try
Hopdoddy brings all the Unilocalers to the bar
And we’re like
It’s burger for stars
Damn right it’s burger for stars
I can taste it
But I have to try
You know I want it
The thing that makes me
What the Unilocal go crazy for
I lose my mind
The way I rhyme
I think its time
La-​la la-​la la…
Shake it up
La-​la la-​la la…
It’s time to rate it!
La-​la la-​la la…
Shake it up
La-​la la-​la la…
It’s time to rate it!
It’s time!!! 6 rounds of Hopdoddy burgers!!! At the right corner, Unilocaling straight out of Phoenix, Arizona is Lindsey «the community manager» D!!! To the left, flying in from Austin, Texas is Erin the «Social Media Queen»!!!
Ding! Round 1, let’s start with salads, Spinach & Arugula, Baby Kale, Caesar, Harvest Quinoa and Truffle Fries! Gotta say, crunchy and crispy truffle fries is the best in town by far! My favorite salad is the Caesar; the crunch of the chickpea and romaine heart was lovely, and the shave Parmesan cheese really brought out the flavors and aroma of a spring/​summer feel.
Ding! Round 2, burger time. My ratings from bottom to top La Bandita, The Classic, Magic Shroom, Thunderbird, Continental Club, and the winner Ahi Tuna. I said it once and I’ll say it again; the best and probably the only Ahi burger in town. I don’t even care for sushi, but this sushi in a bun brought this Unilocaler to his knees. The Honey Wasabi is what makes this burger for me; strong sweet pungent kick to the nostrils while the subtle tuna mellows it out. The Nori chips and sprouts provide a nice texture while the Teriyaki finishes it off with a sweet taste to the palate!
Ding! Round 3, dessert round! Sea salt caramel milkshake is good, but the star of the dessert round is the pretzel and Nutella shake. Nectar of the gods; or Unilocal!This milkshake deserves a Pulitzer Prize for making my palates scream for more. I don’t even like dessert, but I couldn’t pass this away no matter how much my love handles says NO… shut up and let me be (curled up in fetal position) — Needless to say it was awesome!
Notables for the night — Thank you Katie for your service and education of the menu. Drinks throughout the night and my favorite had to be the Black Cherry Hard Lemonade — Cheers and Enjoy!