The Apollo burger at Apollo Burgers- Draper, UT

I'm not sure of the reasons why, but there are at least three great Greek-owned burger chains in the Salt Lake City area- Astro Burger, Crown Burger and Apollo Burger. They all serve typical Greek fast-food fare- Gyros- carved off a spit, souvlaki, awesome fries and rings, Greek salad and of course- charbroiled burgers- and they all feature pastrami topped signature burgers...Oh yes- Smoky, salty, tasty pastrami- piles of it.

Apollo Burgers

Some burgers are also come topped with a unique Utah-created concoction called fry sauce- a mayonnaise-based condiment whose origins can be traced to Utah burger chain -Arctic circle (who claims to have created it back in 1948). Fry sauce is now a staple at almost every Utah fast-fooderie and is used as a substitute for good 'ole ketchup.  It's so popular that each establishment has their own signature recipe that they claim to be the best. Some say fry sauce it's just Mayo and Ketchup mixed together...but after trying to make it at home yourself, you can tell that it's so much more.

On today's trip I chose Apollo burger to try out. Apollo opened it's doors back in 1984 and now has 11 locations in the Salt Lake Valley and they serve up some tasty burgers including their signature "Apollo burger" ($4.99)- A char-grilled burger topped with layers of moist pastrami, american cheese, shredded lettuce, onions, tomatoes and fry sauce served on a toasted sesame seed bun.

The Apollo Burger

The 1/4 lb Apollo burger patty was very moist with noticeable bbq cross sear marks, nice char and great beef flavor and a somewhat solid texture, the pastrami overflowed the burger and was tender, juicy and not too smoky- (though a tad bit fatty), the bun was very fresh and the fry sauce- well wow- it just took everything to the next level.  And at $4.99 the Apollo burger was one hell of an affordable burger that will have you craving it and coming back time and time again.

Aburgeraday rating: 7/10