One night a few months ago, Luisa and I went to collect a mutual friend from Morelia's Central de Autobuses (long-distance bus station), partially seen in the photo above. I have been to and from this bus station a zillion times and the route to it from my house and back is simple and quick–about 15 minutes by taxi or private car. This time, the trip TO the bus station was, as usual, a snap. Our friend piled her suitcases into the car and we were off, taking her to her lodging in the Centro Histórico. Easy-peasy…except that all the regular routes were blocked off for who-knows-what reason. And oh boy, were we lost, wandering around for over an hour on semi-dicey streets searching for a way home.
Not only were the streets closed, but along the one street that would have taken us straight to the Centro Histórico, all the cross streets were blocked by a long, parked train. We stopped more than once to ask directions, and every time we could get just so far till we were stymied again.
We kept passing the place in this photo, brightly lit in the late, dark evening and filled with people doing we didn't know what. Eating tacos? Having a beer? Watching wrestling on TV? The joint doesn't look like much, does it? This innocuous-appearing place has been open since 2005. In 15 years, it's positioned itself as Morelia's iconic gotta-go-there hamburger stand.
No sign, no walls, no visible access from the street–but hang onto your hat, readers. It's certainly not your white-tablecloth, wine-list, chef-graduated-from-culinary-school restaurant, nor is it anyplace I ever knew existed. But now I've been there, and I vouch for the astounding food on the extremely brief menu of Burguer Locas La Vía (Crazy Burgers by the Railroad Track), barely north and west of Morelia's Centro Histórico. Next time your stomach is pleading for a great big juicy hamburger, you can find the Burguer Locas La Vía location easily on Google maps. Just type the name, Burguer Locas La Vía Morelia, in the search window.
We decided that lost in Morelia night that one evening when we had some free time, we'd look for that yellow-tarp lean-to and see what was what. That day came a couple of weeks ago, when Luisa's car needed some early-morning attention at a car dealer not far from our house. To get there from here, the map showed a straight shot–but it turned out that we had to take a right turn on Av. Michoacán, the street that leads directly past–ta-daa!–that yellow tarp place.
And just a week ago today, we were near there and had some free evening time, and we wanted take-out for supper at home. "Let's go see what that place sells!" we screeched. And we were there in a heartbeat: just about sunset, no blocked streets, no train on the tracks, and a temporary sign on the inside wall, because of COVID-19, reading, "Take-out only".
We parked and walked just a few steps along the side of the street to a spot where we could cross the tracks to get inside, and our jaws dropped. A hamburger joint! And not only a hamburger joint, but what we later found out is arguably the most popular hamburger joint in Morelia! Who knew!
Two long stainless steel grilling areas, where the hamburgers are prepared to order. We were there at about 8:00PM on a Saturday, early for supper in Mexico. Add the general nervousness about going out and you can see that there is almost no one in line. That big empty area where you can see a couple of red chairs is normally filled with tables and chairs–and eaters! Later on the evening we got take-out, even with COVID-19, I suspect there would have been a long line.
This photo shows you the entire menu. Click on any photograph to enlarge your view. Here's what's available:
–Single: one big hand-shaped beef patty, one square of yellow cheese and one of white, chopped lettuce and tomato, a really big patty-shaped disk of thick mashed potatoes, and a huge quantity of perfectly fried bacon, all on a gigantic bun.
–Double: two big hand-shaped beef patties, two squares of yellow cheese and one of white, and all the rest that the single offers.
–Maniac: three big hand-shaped beef patties and all the rest. All the rest, indeed.
–Hot dog: a turkey dog with Oaxaca cheese and bacon, on a bun.
You can also get extra tocino (bacon), extra Oaxaca cheese, and extra salchicha (hot dog). The place serves soft drinks and horchata or jamaica aguas frescas. Oh, and malteadas (milk shakes).
Because we were rookies and didn't know what we were getting into, we each ordered a double. The bag that contained them weighed at least a kilo and a half. What in the world had we done? When we unwrapped these babies at home, our jaws dropped again. In the first place, there was no way to force even a wide-open mouth around that thing. In the second place, there was at least half a pound of bacon on each one. This one is Luisa's.
Here's the what happens after you place your order:
Distant top: grilling the buns.
One flat-top down: grilling the bacon.
Next flat-top: grilling the enormous hamburgers. Each of those patties is crazy-big. And we ordered a double– did I mention a double each?
Foreground: grilling the mashed potato patty and cheese.
Finishing the grillwork. The one on the left is a double, the one on the right is a single.
Two of the numerous guys who do the work. The service at Burguer Locas is sensational. Note that their anti-virus masks have the Burguer Locas logo directly in front of the mouth. I'm going back to ask for one of those masks!
Top: an encurtido (cured in vinegar) of raw onions and chiles, for a garnish. Bottom: chiles toreados (grilled with a little oil) to eat as a side.
My hamburger and its extraordinary pile of bacon.
There was no possible way to open my mouth wide enough. We did manage to finish both of these humongus things, but we both swore that we would never order a double apiece again. It's been a long time since I needed to lie down after a meal, but this was that time. Truly, these are Crazy Burgers: crazy big, and crazy delicious. By all means, go.
Burguer Locas La Vía
Av. Michoacán at the corner of Calle Vías
Colonia Jacarandas
Morelia, Michoacán, México
Hours:
Closed Sundays
Open Monday through Saturday 4:30PM until 2:30AM
See you there!
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