Nacogdoches Brick Street Burger Battle wraps up after six-week competition

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - After six weeks of specialty burgers, the Brick Street Burger Battle in downtown Nacogdoches has come to a close.

The competition, hosted by Main Street Nacogdoches, ran from Sept. 11 through Oct. 25. Six downtown restaurants created one-of-a-kind burgers just for the battle.

Customers were asked to try the featured burgers and rate each one on a scale of 1 to 5:

• 1 – Not for me
• 2 – It was okay
• 3 – Solid burger
• 4 – Really good!
• 5 – Absolutely delicious – top contender!

The restaurant with the highest average rating will be crowned the 2026 Brick Street Burger Battle Champion on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Completed stamp cards are due Monday, Oct. 26.

Defending champs hope to hold title

Auntie Pasta’s, last year’s winner, entered this year’s battle with the Italian Stallion – an 8-ounce patty with pesto, marinara, a slice of fried mozzarella and fresh basil on a sweet sourdough bun, served with roasted new potatoes for $15.95.

Sister restaurant Clear Springs, located at the same address at 211 Old Tyler Road, entered the Smashadoches Burger – two smashed patties with two slices of American cheese, spicy onion strings, pickles and burger sauce on a sesame seed bun, served with fries for $15.95.

“It’s just meant to get people in Nacogdoches out to enjoy local restaurants and kind of drive sales for us,” said Jeremy Niuman, general manager of Auntie Pasta’s and Clear Springs.

The Italian Stallion is a fried mozzarella on a burger patty with basil pesto and marinara sauce.

Cristina Garcia, manager of the restaurants, called the Smashadoches “really delicious. Honestly, it’s pretty simple, but so good.”

Both said the competition gives local kitchens room to get creative.

“I think they’re just looking for something different. You know, it kind of gives us opportunity to be creative and, you know, just get something different out there,” Niuman said.

Niuman went on to say the restaurants try to make the burgers “not too over the top,” but still something you won’t find everyday.

As defending champs, they said they want to keep the title.

“We’re defending champs, so we got to try to hold that up,” Niuman said. “[We] just appreciate the support and hope we get the votes.”

“I’ve had a lot of good feedback on the Italian Stallion, so hopefully that’s the winner this year,” Garcia said.

2026 competitors

• 1st City Café, 200 N. Fredonia – Tostada Smash Burger with two smash Akaushi patties, refried black beans, chopped bacon, fried jalapeños, crispy cheddar frico, chipotle mayo, corn-fried tostada, lettuce and tomatoes, served with Old Bay fries. $17.
• Auntie Pasta’s, 211 Old Tyler Road – Italian Stallion. $15.95.
• Clear Springs, 211 Old Tyler Road – Smashadoches Burger. $15.95.
• Pemberley’s at the Jones House, 141 N. Church St. – Mucho Fun Burger with an 8-ounce beef patty stuffed with bacon bits and American cheddar, topped with frito slaw and dressing, served with potato salad. $15.95.
• Stone House Kitchen, 312 E. Main – Filipino Burger 2.0 with in-house ground chicken and pork belly, Filipino spices, grandmother’s secret sauce, white American cheese and cucumber-red onion slaw. $17.50.
• Susu’s Popcorn & Candy Café, 115 E. Main – Brendyn’s Burger, a savory blend of barbecue, cheddar and dill pickle popcorn inspired by classic burger flavors.

How winners are picked

Customers could rate each participating restaurant once, either online or with a traditional stamp card available at the Nacogdoches Visitor Center at 200 E. Main St.

The more locations visited, the bigger the prize drawing qualified for:

• Bronze: Visit and rate 1-2 locations for a chance at one $50 gift card
• Silver: Visit and rate 3-4 locations for a chance at two $50 gift cards
• Gold: Visit and rate all six locations for a chance at three $50 gift cards

Prize packages feature gift cards to participating downtown businesses.

For questions, contact the Nacogdoches Main Street Office at 936-559-2562 or mainstreet@nactx.us