Everybody in El Paso has an opinion about Gussie’s, and most of those opinions were formed before they turned twenty. The little drive-in on Dyer Street has been around since 1962, and the clientele hasn’t changed much — retirees who’ve been coming since the Carter administration, Fort Bliss soldiers on lunch, and Northeast El Paso families who know better than to mess with a good thing.
I went on a Thursday around noon, which is the right move. The lot fills up fast on weekends, and there’s not a lot of shade. You pull up, roll down your window, and a carhop takes your order. No app. No QR code. The menu is the same laminated card it’s always been.
What you want is the green chile cheeseburger. I’ve tried a lot of variations of this thing around town and Gussie’s version holds up better than most — a hand-formed patty that’s cooked through but stays juicy, topped with a generous ladle of roasted green chile that’s got actual heat, real American cheese melted into the whole situation, and a soft bun that absorbs everything without falling apart. It’s $7 and change, which feels like a miracle in 2024. I got the combo with fries and a large root beer and was under twelve dollars.
The fries deserve a mention. They’re the thin, crispy, slightly salty kind — not fancy, not frozen-tasting — the kind you eat about half of before the burger is gone and then finish anyway because you’re already committed. The root beer comes in a cup big enough to embarrass you.
There are a few picnic tables under a corrugated metal awning if you want to eat outside. It’s not particularly comfortable, but it’s El Paso, so you’re either used to eating in the sun or you stay in your car. I did the car. The air conditioning was running and the burger was dripping. No complaints.
Gussie’s is on the Northeast side, on Dyer north of Fred Wilson — a part of El Paso that doesn’t get a lot of food coverage, which is partly why the place stays under the radar for people who only eat downtown or on the Westside. It’s also why the locals are a little protective of it. The staff have worked there long enough to remember regulars’ orders, which is either charming or slightly unsettling depending on your personality.
They also do a solid breakfast burger in the mornings — same patty, egg on top — and the hot dogs have a small but devoted following. I haven’t tried the hot dog. I keep meaning to, and then I see the green chile cheeseburger on the card and my resolve disappears.
Gussie’s opens early and closes by mid-afternoon on most days, so plan accordingly. Cash is preferred, though they’ll take cards. It’s not trying to be anything except what it is, which is a sixty-year-old drive-in that figured out its burger a long time ago and hasn’t seen a reason to change it. That’s the whole argument for going.
