Monthly Feature
Fatty is back, delving into the world of fast food…one dish at a time!

In my last review I mentioned that I thought Taco Cabana’s nachos were, arguably, the best in town. One of the commenters (SirRon) mentioned I needed to try the “heaping” plate of nachos at Fuddruckers. Well, that is a request I’m always up to try.

As I arrived I went to the menu and couldn’t for the life of me see a nacho plate on there. I finally had to ask the counter if they indeed even offered them. She said they did and even pointed to it… on the “Starters” menu. Hmm. Next, she offered the choice of toppings: “chicken or chili.” What in the Hell?

Almost double the price for a combination nacho platter.

Now call me a nacho purist, but when I get nachos I want taco meat or beef fajita meat. The fact that they had neither wasn’t a good sign. I asked if I could get a combination of the two? She said of course, and then added $3.50 for the trouble. With a water my total went up to $9 for a silly plate of nachos. I was less than impressed to say the least. In the inherent words of GOB Bluth “Come on!”

When my order was called, my mind slightly changed and I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer size of this monstrosity. It was easily enough for two people. This is only a starter dish if you’re feeding a basketball team. I added some pico and jalapenos from the salsa bar and sat down to try it.

After my first bite, I knew I had made a huge mistake. The chips were far too thick for my liking, the cheese “sauce” was gummy enough to stick to the roof of my mouth (I’m sure it’s the same sauce they have at the salsa area) and the guacamole was bland and flavorless. When the best thing on a chip is the pico de gallo from the salsa bar, there are major issues.

But my biggest problem was when I tasted the meat on its own. Fuddruckers had simply sliced up a grilled chicken breast and a hamburger patty and thrown it on there. No additional seasonings or anything. In fact, my receipt even said “loaded chx nachos. Add 1/3 patty.” Why did they even call it “chili?” That’s the kind of thing I’d expect in Nebraska or Canada, but Texas? Really?

This is what I was left with...d@mn... my picture taking needs to improve.

Nutritionally this thing was a monster, as well. Nearly 1500 calories for either beef or chicken, 35 or 31 grams of fat, respectively, and a day and a half’s worth of sodium.

The biggest proof of its disappointment was I didn’t even bother with a to-go bag, which is typically unthinkable when I have so much food left over. I simply didn’t want anymore.

So do I recommend it? Unless you really think a Fuddrucker’s burger would really taste good on industrial tortilla chips, I would have to say no. The sad truth is that 15 years ago I would’ve said Fuddrucker’s was one of the best joints in town for good food and burgers, yet this was the 3rd consecutive disappointing visit. All in all, if you’re living in Houston these days, there are simply better options for everything on their menu. And that’s a shame.

7 Comments

Cody August 1, 2011 at 1:22 pm

They didn’t charge you extra for splitting the types of meat, it looks like they ADDED the extra meat (so 1+1 rather than 1/2 + 1/2)

Still a cheesy move on their part…
The Mighty Rib August 1, 2011 at 2:22 pm

I remember when Fudd’s was a special occasion burger place. That was probably 20+ years ago.
SirRon August 2, 2011 at 9:41 am

OH! The horror! To make a reco and disappoint your reco-ee. *facepalm*

Of course, all I said was “I’m a fan of TC’s nachos, but you have to try the nachos at Fudruckers. You get a heaping plate that is too much for two, costs like $5.99, and you get to hit it with the Fuds toppings bar.”

I was wrong I guess. It looks like this heaping pile of goodness is $4.99. I’ve had Fud’s nachos 3 or 4 times (and TC’s nachos waaaaay too many times to count), and I’m still saying that they are pretty good.

Here’s a rebuttal to FFB’s fine review. A few quick bullet points:
1. Fud’s nachos are cheap. So are TC’s. So lets compare.
2. Fud’s nachos are very, very large.
3. Access to the Fud’s veggie bar is huge.
4. Fud’s nachos don’t suck, but FFB might.

First of all, Fud’s nachos come in beef or chicken. Your cashier was challenged. OR, the conspiracy theorist in me almost wonders if you *wanted* her to say “chili,” only hoping that it would come with beans in it so you could blow the fk up!!! (Then possibly making the news or Eater Houston or TMR’s twitter feed.)

But anyway FFB, you claim to be a “nacho purist,” but you ordered beef AND chicken. Suspect move, my friend. Plus, the add on cost you 170% of the price of the nachos!! The #1 best part of the Fud’s nachos is that you get a ridonkulous amount of nachos for a few bucks. Best value on the menu.

You mention the chips being too thick. They are no doubt on the other end of the spectrum from TC’s chips, but they aren’t much worse in quality. For cheap nachos, we are always talking about stuff that comes from a bag. Plus, can you imagine how a plate this huge would work with thin chips? It wouldn’t… stop thinking about it.

The cheese is not the same cheese that is out for dipping, for the record. I like cheap cheese, so I don’t have too many complaints about what comes on top. Maybe you are a cheese purist, but then how could you explain your love for TC. I’ve literally eaten many gallons of TC cheese in my life, but I like cheap cheese. I think ginormous piles of nachos need either thick cheese or shredded cheese.

I always have to eat the last half of my TC nachos with a spoon because of their super wet cheese and super thin chips.

You b!tch about seasoning and flavorless guac, which is weird. You know Fud’s is a burger joint, right? Their guac is no worse than any other fast food joint’s. Also, it’s silly to assume they don’t season their chicken and beef. I guess you wanted some authentic chili powder in there?

Aside from value, you glossed over one of the best features of Fud’s: The fresh veggie bar. The pico and jalapenos at Fud’s are far superior to TC’s or any other fast food joint competing in the inexpensive nacho category. Far superior.

So we got 500+ words from FFB on the Fud’s nachos, but 400+ of them were strangely slanted and the rest were conjunctions. I don’t get how people can hate on Fuds and then say they like Whataburger, TC, or certain local beverages.

FFB may just be full of beans. Cheers! 😉
SirRon August 2, 2011 at 9:43 am

You know I love you FFB.
admin August 2, 2011 at 9:49 am

Editor’s Note: I will let Fatty answer for himself. But, I will say he did submit a stock veggie bar pic that I chose not to include in the piece due to layout issues.
Fatty FatBastard August 3, 2011 at 1:02 pm

SirRon :
OH! The horror! To make a reco and disappoint your reco-ee. *facepalm*
Of course, all I said was “I’m a fan of TC’s nachos, but you have to try the nachos at Fudruckers. You get a heaping plate that is too much for two, costs like $5.99, and you get to hit it with the Fuds toppings bar.”
I was wrong I guess. It looks like this heaping pile of goodness is $4.99. I’ve had Fud’s nachos 3 or 4 times (and TC’s nachos waaaaay too many times to count), and I’m still saying that they are pretty good.
Here’s a rebuttal to FFB’s fine review. A few quick bullet points:
1. Fud’s nachos are cheap. So are TC’s. So lets compare.
2. Fud’s nachos are very, very large.
3. Access to the Fud’s veggie bar is huge.
4. Fud’s nachos don’t suck, but FFB might.
First of all, Fud’s nachos come in beef or chicken. Your cashier was challenged. OR, the conspiracy theorist in me almost wonders if you *wanted* her to say “chili,” only hoping that it would come with beans in it so you could blow the fk up!!! (Then possibly making the news or Eater Houston or TMR’s twitter feed.)
But anyway FFB, you claim to be a “nacho purist,” but you ordered beef AND chicken. Suspect move, my friend. Plus, the add on cost you 170% of the price of the nachos!! The #1 best part of the Fud’s nachos is that you get a ridonkulous amount of nachos for a few bucks. Best value on the menu.
You mention the chips being too thick. They are no doubt on the other end of the spectrum from TC’s chips, but they aren’t much worse in quality. For cheap nachos, we are always talking about stuff that comes from a bag. Plus, can you imagine how a plate this huge would work with thin chips? It wouldn’t… stop thinking about it.
The cheese is not the same cheese that is out for dipping, for the record. I like cheap cheese, so I don’t have too many complaints about what comes on top. Maybe you are a cheese purist, but then how could you explain your love for TC. I’ve literally eaten many gallons of TC cheese in my life, but I like cheap cheese. I think ginormous piles of nachos need either thick cheese or shredded cheese.
I always have to eat the last half of my TC nachos with a spoon because of their super wet cheese and super thin chips.
You b!tch about seasoning and flavorless guac, which is weird. You know Fud’s is a burger joint, right? Their guac is no worse than any other fast food joint’s. Also, it’s silly to assume they don’t season their chicken and beef. I guess you wanted some authentic chili powder in there?
Aside from value, you glossed over one of the best features of Fud’s: The fresh veggie bar. The pico and jalapenos at Fud’s are far superior to TC’s or any other fast food joint competing in the inexpensive nacho category. Far superior.
So we got 500+ words from FFB on the Fud’s nachos, but 400+ of them were strangely slanted and the rest were conjunctions. I don’t get how people can hate on Fuds and then say they like Whataburger, TC, or certain local beverages.
FFB may just be full of beans. Cheers!

Well, had she said “beef” I would’ve had that. Why she called it “chili” is beyond me. It really was simply a patty that was crumbled up over the chips. And I just like the queso at TC over the cheese sauce at Fudd’s. Now as to the pico and jalapenos at either place, I think they are pretty damn similar, but it’s hard to screw up pico. I really wanted to like Fudd’s nachos too, because $5.99 is a decent price for what you get. The problem was it is unappetizing. My advice is to go to Pub Fiction for their nachos. Those are both good and massive. And Monday & Tuesday they are half price, so right at 5 bucks for a lb. of food.

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