- Whataburger is a Texas burger chain with a cult following.
- As an East Coaster, I'd never visited Whataburger — until a recent road trip.
- After eating at Whataburger, I understood why Texans are obsessed with the chain.
The legend of Whataburger has spread far beyond Texas.
Whataburger has a larger-than-life presence in the Lone Star State. It's a regional burger chain that shines bright as a point of pride in a region that's better known for its Tex-Mex cuisine. Even first lady Melania Trump had to stop by Whataburger when she visited Texas in December.
However, as a New York City dweller, I had never visited Whataburger. Sure, I've tried almost every burger chain in the business — Shake Shack, Five Guys, even In-N-Out — but Whataburger had remained a mystery.
So on a recent road trip that started in Dallas, I decided it was time to find out what I was missing.
Here's a coastal elite's take on a Texas chain that has the grit to take on any burger chain on either side of the Mississippi: