In Pueblo, Colorado, a chef with a grill, a great idea, and a handful of locally roasted red chiles changed the entire burger game — and the city has been obsessed ever since. 🍔🌶️🔥
Bingo Burger is the kind of origin story that makes you believe in happy accidents, born at a chile festival, built on a secret ingredient that grows right in Pueblo’s own backyard, and turned into one of Colorado’s most celebrated chef-owned burger joints in under a decade.
This is what happens when a real chef falls in love with a local ingredient and never looks back.
How Bingo Burger Won Pueblo’s Hearts
It all started at Pueblo’s Annual Chile & Frijoles Festival in 2007, when Chef and Owner Richard Warner set up a grill in front of his wife’s Hopscotch Bakery and started cooking burgers for a hungry crowd that had no idea what was about to hit them.
His secret weapon? The legendary, locally grown and fire-roasted Pueblo chile — mixed directly into the beef before grilling.
Chef Warner specifically orders fire-roasted red Pueblo chile from local farmers — left on the plant longer than the green variety to develop a deeper, bolder, richer flavor that you simply cannot replicate with anything else.
Three years after that festival debut, the brick-and-mortar shop opened its doors in 2010 at 101 Central Plaza, right in the heart of Pueblo’s Creative Corridor — a neighborhood that perfectly matched the funky, independent spirit of the restaurant.
From day one, the formula was irresistible: burgers and fries cooked to order, creamy milkshakes and malts, and ice-cold Colorado craft beers. 🍺🍟
The menu expanded well beyond the original Pueblo chile beef burger over the years, growing to include lamb burgers, chorizo burgers, hot chicken sandwiches, and vegetarian options — a diverse, thoughtfully built lineup that reflects Chef Warner’s genuine culinary range.
By 2014, demand was high enough to open a second location in downtown Colorado Springs — an expansion that validated what Pueblo already knew: Bingo Burger wasn’t just a local favorite, it was a Colorado craft burger destination worth driving across the state for.
The signature Pueblo chile remains the soul of the entire operation, a hyperlocal ingredient that ties every burger back to its roots and gives Bingo Burger something no chain restaurant could ever manufacture or copy.
That authenticity — a chef, his wife’s bakery, a local chile, and a festival crowd who couldn’t get enough — is the entire story, and it’s one that keeps locals coming back table after table, year after year. 🌟
Burger Highlights
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The Bingo Burger (Namesake): The original, the legend, the reason for all of it — Bingo beef blended with fire-roasted red Pueblo chile, grilled to order and served on a fresh bun. 🌶️🍔
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The Bessemer: Bingo beef, candied bacon, Pueblo chile jack cheese, beer-battered Bingo onion ringos, and cranberry BBQ sauce — a nod to Pueblo’s steel mill heritage. 🧅🥓
- The Steel City: Bingo beef, thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and zesty dijonnaise. 🧀🍔
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The Boilermaker: Bingo beef, a cage-free fried egg, thick-cut bacon, and Pueblo chile jack cheese — a breakfast-burger crossover. 🍳🔥
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The Blast Furnace: Bingo beef, thick-cut bacon, pimento cheese, extra Pueblo chiles, and sriracha ketchup — the heat-seeker’s burger of choice. 🔥🌶️
- Lamb Burger: A housemade lamb patty — the most-reviewed alternative protein burger on the menu, praised by regulars for its distinctive, gamey richness and its perfectly seasoned build. 🐑
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The Blocks: Bingo beef, thick-cut bacon, bleu cheese, grilled onions, and a roasted garlic bleu cheese sauce — rich, sharp, and deeply umami-forward. 🧄
Atmosphere
Bingo Burger sits in the heart of Pueblo’s Creative Corridor — a neighborhood that mirrors the restaurant’s own personality perfectly: independent, spirited, and proudly local, with a vibe that feels more like a rock-and-roll cookout than a standard fast-casual joint.
The interior is fun and funky, with the kind of casual, counter-service energy that puts every guest immediately at ease — order at the counter, grab a cold Colorado craft beer from the tap list, and settle in for a burger that’s been made to order just for you. 🍺
Creamy house-made milkshakes and malts round out the experience, adding a classic American diner charm that works beautifully alongside the craft beer program and the decidedly chef-driven menu.
It is the kind of place that feels like Pueblo itself — unpretentious, hardworking, and quietly extraordinary when you least expect it. 🤠
Bottom Line
Bingo Burger is a chef’s love letter to Pueblo’s most iconic ingredient — fire-roasted local chile mixed directly into every patty, creative builds named after the city’s steel heritage, craft beer on tap, and a story that started at a festival and never stopped growing.
Ranked as one of the best in Pueblo, it’s the burger Colorado didn’t know it needed until it took one bite. 🌶️🍔🔥
Address:
101 Central Plaza, Pueblo, CO 81003
📞 (719) 225-8363
🕔 Open Tue–Sun 11 AM–9 PM (Closed Mon)