After six weeks of specialty burgers, the Brick Street Burger Battle in downtown Nacogdoches has reached its finale. The competition, organized by Main Street Nacogdoches, ran from Sept. 11 through Oct. 25 and invited residents and visitors to sample one‑of‑a‑kind burgers from six downtown restaurants.
Participating restaurants and their creations
Auntie Pasta’s, the defending champion from last year, entered the contest with the “Italian Stallion.” The 8‑ounce patty is topped with basil pesto, marinara sauce, a slice of fried mozzarella and fresh basil, all served on a sweet‑sour sourdough bun. The burger comes with roasted new potatoes and is priced at $15.95.
Clear Springs, which shares the same address at 211 Old Tyler Road, offered the “Smashadoches Burger.” This version features two smashed patties, two slices of American cheese, spicy onion strings, pickles and a house burger sauce on a sesame‑seed bun, accompanied by fries for $15.95.
Other participating eateries each crafted their own signature burger, giving voters a wide range of flavors to evaluate.
How the competition works
Customers were asked to rate each featured burger on a scale of 1 to 5. Ratings could be submitted online or via traditional stamp cards available at the Nacogdoches Visitor Center at 200 E. Main St. The restaurant with the highest average rating will be crowned the 2026 Brick Street Burger Battle Champion on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Completed stamp cards are due Monday, Oct. 26.
Local business leaders weigh in
“It’s just meant to get people in Nacogdoches out to enjoy local restaurants and kind of drive sales for us,” said Jeremy Niuman, general manager of Auntie Pasta’s and Clear Springs. Both he and manager Cristina Garcia emphasized that the competition gives local kitchens room to be creative.
Garcia described the Smashadoches as “really delicious. Honestly, it’s pretty simple, but so good.” Niuman added that the restaurants aim to keep their burgers “not too over the top,” yet still offering something diners won’t find every day.
As defending champions, Auntie Pasta’s and Clear Springs are eager to retain the title. “We’re defending champs, so we got to try to hold that up,” Niuman said. “We just appreciate the support and hope we get the votes.” Garcia expressed confidence in the Italian Stallion, noting she has received “a lot of good feedback” and hopes it will win this year.
Prizes and community impact
Beyond bragging rights, participating restaurants and voters stand to benefit from prize packages that include gift cards to downtown businesses. The more locations a voter visits, the larger the prize drawing they qualify for, encouraging patrons to explore multiple eateries and support the broader downtown economy.
For additional information, readers can contact the Nacogdoches Main Street Office at 936‑559‑2562 or email [email protected].
Original reporting: KLTV 7 Tyler (news) — read the source article.
