“We’ve had some complaints from people that the burgers are too big for their mouths,” says Freddy Vargas. The 8-ounce patties at his Dyfre’s Burger don’t take up an excessive amount of real estate on their own (unless you order the Double Trouble, with its two-layer stack of the juicy house-beef blend). It’s what comes with the meat that makes the burgers a delectable monstrosity.
Take the Cowboy Burger. The patty is shrouded in gooey smoked cheddar and crowned with a fried egg. Then things start to get wacky. A pair of breaded onion rings are stuffed with enough bacon to cover the burger’s surface area. But there’s no sauce. What gives? Thanks to that secret house-beef blend, “you don’t need any mayo or condiments,” says Vargas. He’s not wrong. The beef itself is plenty moist.
Then there’s the bun. “People get it and are like, ‘My bun is burned,’” says Vargas. In fact, the fluffy bread is specially crafted for Dyfre’s by a Centreville bakery; charcoal is added to the dough to create a trademark black color and slightly broiled flavor, which is enhanced by a kiss from the grill.
Dyfre’s enviable burgers and dogs aren’t the only things emerging from behind the counter. Vargas Restaurant Group also includes pies from Bella Vita Pizza and Jalisco-style tacos, burritos, and quesadillas from La Taqueria DC. Essentially, Vargas is operating three concepts in one site; a few tables are available for dining in, but they do mostly delivery and takeout. It’s far from the upscale restaurant that the Colombia native with a fine-dining background originally planned, but the pandemic showed him that focusing strictly on food could be the ticket to even greater success.
“All of the money that we don’t spend on front-of-house, I put it back in the quality of the food,” he explains. If you can fit that burger between your jaws, you’ll see that it’s true.
7420 Fullerton Rd., Ste. 105-A, Springfield
Feature image by Rey Lopez
This story originally ran in our September issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
