Twisted Root Burger Co. — Restaurant in Waco

Twisted Root Burger Co.

The Burger:

Build-Your-Own with Wagyu, Smoked Gouda, Grilled Onions on Brioche

They were out of Gruyère, so I went with smoked Gouda—good call, but not a mind-blower. The Wagyu beef was seasoned well enough to stand solo, and the brioche bun was pillowy-soft, warm, and just glossy enough to make you feel like you were biting into something special. I missed out on the lettuce and tomato (didn’t realize you had to request them), but in hindsight, it gave me a purer bite of meat, cheese, and onion.

Would’ve loved the Dijon crust or thyme-caramelized onions like the Le Wagyu boasts, but what I got was still a solid showing—classic caramelized, nothing herb-forward. It’s not a burger that redefines the genre, but it knows who it is: rich, meaty, and comforting.

Burger Verdict: 8.4/10

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The Fries:

Original Twisted Cheese Fries

Now here’s where expectations and execution parted ways. I was anticipating loaded fries: green onions, jalapeños, cheese-drenched glory. What landed on my tray was lukewarm, sparsely dressed, and bland. The texture leaned soggy. The flavor leaned forgettable.

They weren’t bad, but they weren’t “twisted” either. It felt like they mailed it in on the side dish. Missed opportunity.

Fries Verdict: 6/10

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The Drink:

Watermelon Iced Tea

Unexpected highlight. Slightly sweet, very refreshing, and honestly a nice counterpoint to the richness of the burger. Their fountain drink game is strong, with some creative options that elevate the experience. A small win, but a bright one.

Drink Verdict: 9/10

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The Vibe:

It’s got that warehouse-industrial-meets-diner-chaos energy. Open kitchen, neon signs, sticker walls, and cheeky identity cards (shoutout to Jaime Sommers on my table tag). There’s a vibe—slightly divey, slightly kitschy—but it works if you’re in the mood for something offbeat.

Lighting’s a little dark, and service was fine, not memorable. They brought the food to me instead of calling my name—unexpected but appreciated. I didn’t see the pickle bar (legend has it they used to have one), and the atmosphere could use a touch more warmth. But it had character.

Atmosphere & Service: 7.5/10

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Overall Impression:

Twisted Root feels like a place where the idea of the meal is a little better than the execution. They flirt with greatness, but don’t quite seal the deal. For a one-time visit, it scratched the itch—but didn’t leave me craving a sequel.

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Final Rating: 4 Stars

Wagyu & brioche did the heavy lifting. The tea kept it smooth. The fries missed their moment. And the vibe? Cool enough to remember, not quite enough to...

I stopped in after a 12 hour work day. The set up is actually a nice vibe. Order your food and you get a pager for when it's ready.

The service however is very lack lustering. Extremely LONG wait times and pour food handling is a result if this. Watching how they handle their food production only tells me never to come back here again. The order taker handles the toasting of said buns, in which they sit on a tray until the meats are ready. Clearly gets cold and open to bacteria exposure. The actual cook only cooks the patties or meats and side dishes then puts them on a tray naked. THEN the order check and assembler who's more interested in flirting with customers assembles the food in his very messy and sloppy station (which is right up front for us all to see). I saw my dinner come from the kitchen, however there was a three tray order before mine so my plate sat there for 10 minutes and got stone cold while he carried the 3rd tray to the table of people who he stayed and flirted with. Finally I get buzzed and got my food. I was starving and had zero energy left to discuss this with a manager. I just wanted to eat and get on the road for a 3 hour drive. I got a BBQ burger which should have had BBQ sauce on it, however I guess we sauce our own stuff.... The meat tasted frozen and was like it was cooked 5 hours ago too. It had no flavor. The onion rings were torched and dehydrated. Then comes the sodas, they clearly advertise premium sodas with real cane sugars, however they have the machines calibrated to be cheap on syrups because it tasted like seltzer water. Last it would have been so nice to have known you have a pickle bar. Why can't the lady with 16 hair colors who clearly hates her job say enjoy our pickle bar while you wait for your food. But then again, nothing over there looks food safe since its near the bathrooms.

I should have gone elsewhere or starved. Added to my do...

First time trying Twisted Root Burger Co. As you drive up, the building looks fantastic with the murals all around and lit up well. As you walk in the atmosphere and vibe is great. It was a Sunday night, and the place was packed. You can tell that being right across from Baylor, this is definitely a college hot spot, yet still great for families. A lot of kids were there tonight as well. There is a bar in the middle, yet it doesn't feel like you're at a bar. The wait to order took some time. They have menus in line so you can figure out what you want while waiting in line. They use a local Texas soda company. The soda was OK. They also ran out of tea but replaced it eventually.. They also have a free pickle bar with 4 flavors. There were no containers to put pickles in when we were there. Also, one lid was broken, and I'm uncertain if the tongs ever hit the floor. The food took a very long time to come out due to it being packed. They use celebrity name cards to call you. They were also out of mushrooms, which is what my wife wanted, so she settled for the avocado burger, and I had the freshman 15. Both burgers were very good, hot, and juicy. My fries were cold. Cheese fries were hot and fresh. We also ordered a white chocolate raspberry shake, which, as a shake person and I've had a lot of shakes, this one had way too much puree. That's all you could taste. Not good. All in all, the place had a great vibe, great burgers, and I'm going to say the bad items due to how busy it was. I'd highly recommend it if you are in the area you stop by just for the atmosphere and the quality of rge burgers. ...