Craft Burgers at Chili’s: Prices, Lineup and How to Save
Chili’s takes burgers seriously. The craft burger lineup is built on half pound patties cooked to order, with toppings that range from simple and classic to fully loaded. If you are looking into chilis craft burgers prices before your next visit, this guide from The Menu Vault walks through the whole lineup, the typical price for each style, and the small choices that keep your check in line. The Menu Vault tracks chilis craft burgers prices across many markets, so the ranges here reflect what guests actually pay in most of the country.
A craft burger at Chili’s is a sit down burger, not a drive through burger. The patty is thick, the bun is toasted, and the plate arrives with fries or another side included in the price. That inclusion matters when you compare chilis craft burgers prices with fast food, where the burger alone can look cheaper until the fries and drink join the bill. Here, the menu price covers the burger and the side, and the rest of this page shows how the lineup stacks up.
Craft Burgers at Chili’s: Typical Prices
Across most locations, chilis craft burgers prices run from about $11 to $17, with the side included. Classic builds such as the Oldtimer sit at the lower end, usually $11 to $13. Loaded burgers like the Southern Smokehouse, with brisket and bacon on top of the patty, land toward the top, usually $15 to $17. The slider style Big Mouth Bites run a little lower, typically $9 to $12, and lunch pricing on weekdays can trim a dollar or two from select burgers in many markets.
That range makes this section one of the most predictable on the menu. Steak and ribs plates climb far higher, and fajitas for the table can pass a burger check quickly. Within chilis craft burgers prices, the spread between the cheapest and priciest plate is only about six dollars, so you can order the burger you actually want without much budget drama. Prices do vary by location, with large city restaurants often a dollar higher than the ranges above.
What Affects Chilis Craft Burgers Prices
Toppings are the main driver of chilis craft burgers prices. A plain cheeseburger build uses one patty, cheese, and fresh vegetables. Every premium layer, smoked brisket, bacon, avocado, fried toppings, adds cost, and the fully loaded burgers reflect that. The protein swap matters too: most builds let you trade the beef patty for grilled or crispy chicken at the same or a slightly different price. Location and time of day round out the picture, since lunch menus and weekday deals can soften chilis craft burgers prices in many markets.
What Comes With a Craft Burger?
Fries are the standard side, and they are included in the price. You can usually swap in a house salad, corn on the cob, steamed broccoli, or another side, sometimes with a small charge for premium choices. The drink is separate, so a soda or tea adds a few dollars. Knowing the included side helps you read chilis craft burgers prices correctly: the plate on the menu is nearly the whole meal.
Craft Burger Prices at a Glance
A quick scan of the lineup, with typical ranges from across the country:
- Oldtimer with Cheese: typically $11 to $13, the classic anchor of chilis craft burgers prices.
- Mushroom Swiss Burger: typically $12 to $14 for a mild, savory build.
- Bacon Ranch Burger: typically $13 to $15 with bacon and ranch dressing.
- Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Burger: typically $13 to $15 for guests who like heat.
- Southern Smokehouse Burger: typically $15 to $17, the top of chilis craft burgers prices.
- Big Mouth Bites: typically $9 to $12, slider style and easy to share.
Every burger above includes a side. Drinks, appetizers for the table, tax, and tip are extra, so plan the full check with those in mind after you scan chilis craft burgers prices.
Most Popular Craft Burger Items
Six builds do most of the work on this section of the menu. Each starts with the same half pound patty, and each lands in a different place within chilis craft burgers prices.
The Oldtimer with Cheese
The Oldtimer is the longtime classic and the burger many guests judge Chili’s by. It keeps the build honest: a half pound patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles on a toasted bun. Nothing hides the beef, and the patty is cooked to your order. As the simplest full build, it anchors the low end of chilis craft burgers prices at typically $11 to $13, and it is the safest first order for anyone new to the lineup.
Southern Smokehouse Burger
The Southern Smokehouse is the showpiece. On top of the patty you get smoked brisket, bacon, cheddar, and barbecue sauce, a stack that eats like a cookout on a bun. It is rich, smoky, and filling enough that many guests split it or skip the appetizer. All that extra protein puts it at the top of chilis craft burgers prices, usually $15 to $17, and regulars say the climb is worth it.
Mushroom Swiss Burger
For a milder plate, the mushroom Swiss build layers sautéed mushrooms and melted Swiss cheese over the patty. The flavors are earthy and gentle, and the build has been a menu regular for years because it pleases people who find barbecue burgers too sweet or too heavy. It sits in the middle of chilis craft burgers prices at typically $12 to $14, making it a comfortable middle choice for mixed tables.
Bacon Ranch Burger
Bacon and ranch are two of the most loved flavors in American casual dining, and this burger puts both on the patty with cheddar and the usual fresh toppings. The ranch cools the salt of the bacon, and the build stays balanced rather than greasy. Expect it around $13 to $15 in most markets, squarely in the middle band of chilis craft burgers prices, and expect it to be the order teenagers at the table ask for first.
Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Burger
Heat seekers get their own build: jalapeños, a spicy ranch, and pepper jack style flavors over the half pound patty. It brings a real kick without turning the burger into a challenge. If you like your food lively, this is the plate. It typically runs $13 to $15, the same band as the bacon ranch, so choosing heat never punishes you inside chilis craft burgers prices.
Big Mouth Bites
Big Mouth Bites are slider style mini burgers, usually served as a small group with fries. They work as a lighter meal, a shareable plate for the table, or a pick for guests who want a burger taste without a half pound commitment. At typically $9 to $12, they are the lowest priced way into this section, sitting below the main band of chilis craft burgers prices while still arriving as a full plate.
The Bites also solve a common table problem: the guest who is not very hungry but still wants in on the burger order. A full craft burger would go half eaten, while the sliders match a smaller appetite and can be passed around for tastes. On game days and group nights, a plate of Bites in the middle of the table disappears faster than any appetizer. Their gentle price is part of the charm, giving the section an entry point that nearly any budget can reach.
Building Your Own Combination
Plenty of guests treat the classic build as a starting point and design their own burger from there. Start with the Oldtimer frame, then borrow the best parts of the loaded builds: bacon from the Smokehouse, mushrooms from the Swiss, jalapeños from the spicy ranch. Cheese swaps are free at most locations, and sauces can move on or off at no charge. A custom build usually prices like the classic plus whatever premium toppings you add, so a bacon and mushroom build lands mid range. Designing your own is a quiet pleasure of this menu, and it means chilis craft burgers prices reward regulars who know exactly what they like.
Anatomy of a Craft Burger: What the Price Buys
It is fair to ask why a Chili’s burger costs more than a fast food burger, and the answer is on the plate. The patty is a half pound of beef before cooking, roughly double the meat of a standard quick service burger. It is cooked to order, so a medium burger arrives medium, with a hot center and a proper sear. The bun is toasted, the vegetables are fresh rather than shredded from a bag days ago, and the fries arrive as a full side portion, not a small carton. Set side by side, chilis craft burgers prices buy a restaurant meal, and the comparison with a drive through combo, once fries and a drink are added there, is closer than the menu boards first suggest.
The kitchen treats the builds with care too. Cheese is melted on the grill, bacon is cooked crisp, and brisket for the Smokehouse is smoked meat, not a sauce flavoring. Those steps take time and labor, and they are the reason the top of chilis craft burgers prices reaches into the mid teens. Guests who value the cooking rate the burgers as fairly priced. Guests who simply want the lowest cost burger in town will find it elsewhere, and that is fine: this section aims at the sit down middle ground and hits it well.
Cooking Temperatures and Custom Builds
Your burger can be cooked from medium rare through well done at most locations, and the kitchen handles custom requests with ease. Swap cheeses, hold the onion, add jalapeños, or put the sauce on the side: standard tweaks cost nothing. Premium additions like extra bacon, avocado, or a second patty do add a charge, usually a few dollars. If you are tracking chilis craft burgers prices for a group with different tastes, the free tweaks mean everyone can shape a burger without moving the check.
Burger Night for Groups and Families
Burgers are the easiest group order at Chili’s. Everyone knows what a burger is, the builds cover mild to spicy, and the chicken swap keeps non beef eaters at the same table. For families, the kids menu covers younger children at much lower prices, so adults can order craft burgers without the whole table paying burger money. A table salad from the salads list to start, burgers all around, and the evening stays simple.
Groups also benefit from the narrow spread of chilis craft burgers prices. When everyone orders from this section, the per person cost lands within a few dollars of each other, which makes splitting the check painless. Add a shared appetizer and the table has a full night out at a per person cost that steak or fajita orders cannot match. For office lunches and team dinners, that predictability is the reason the burger section gets picked again and again.
How Craft Burgers Compare With the Rest of the Menu
Burgers sit in the friendly middle of the Chili’s menu. The ribs and steaks section climbs well above burger prices, and the fajitas and enchiladas plates land close to the top of the burger range. Lighter plates on the lighter choices list cost about the same as a classic burger. The famous dinner for two deal can beat a pair of burgers when it is running, since it bundles an appetizer, two entrees, and sometimes a dessert at one set price.
For a solo diner, though, the burger is hard to beat. It arrives as a complete plate with the side included, needs no extras, and sits at a price a steak cannot touch. Guests comparing chilis craft burgers prices with the sandwiches section will find the two lists close, with burgers offering the bigger, heartier plate for roughly the same money.
Best Value in This Category
The best value burger is the Oldtimer with Cheese. It carries the lowest full burger price, includes the side, and delivers the classic Chili’s burger taste that built the section. When lunch pricing is active, the Oldtimer can drop another dollar or two, which pulls it close to fast food combo money for a much bigger plate. Within chilis craft burgers prices, nothing beats it on pure value per dollar.
The Big Mouth Bites deserve an honorable mention for groups. Shared as a table starter or ordered as a light meal, they give everyone at the table a burger taste at the lowest cost in the section. And if your visit lines up with the lunch combos menu, check it before you order: a combo plate can undercut chilis craft burgers prices on weekdays while still feeding you well.
One more value note: the included side does real work in this comparison. Order a burger at a counter service spot and the fries are a separate line on the receipt. Here they are in the price from the start, which means the classic burger plate at $11 to $13 is closer to a full combo price than it first looks. Guests who run the full math, burger, side, and drink, usually find the sit down plate within a couple of dollars of the drive through version, with a bigger patty and a server bringing it to the table.
How to Save on Craft Burgers
Timing is the first tool. Weekday lunch hours bring lower prices on select burgers at many locations, and early week evenings are often quieter with occasional promotions. Second, check Chili’s happy hour for drink and appetizer deals that lower the rest of your check, and browse the wider happy hours guide on The Menu Vault if you are choosing between chains for the night.
At the table, small habits protect the savings. The included fries are plenty for most guests, so skip the extra appetizer unless the table is sharing. Water or a regular tea keeps the drink line low. The rewards program sends birthday offers and member deals through the year, and even a modest coupon trims chilis craft burgers prices further. Finally, remember that every burger build can swap in grilled chicken, so a guest watching costs or calories can join the burger order without paying for a different section of the menu.
FAQs
What is the most popular burger at Chili’s?
The Oldtimer is the longtime classic and the most ordered burger on the menu. The Southern Smokehouse is the pick for guests who want the biggest, most loaded build. Both sit at opposite ends of chilis craft burgers prices, so popularity splits between value fans and big appetite fans.
Can I substitute the side that comes with a burger?
Yes. Fries are standard, but you can usually swap in a house salad, corn on the cob, steamed broccoli, or another side. Premium swaps may add a small charge. The standard choices keep your total right where chilis craft burgers prices say it should be.
Are there any chicken burgers?
Most burger builds let you swap the beef patty for grilled or crispy chicken, so nearly the full lineup works for chicken lovers. The swap is usually priced the same or close, which means chicken fans stay inside the same band of chilis craft burgers prices as everyone else.
How big are the patties?
Craft burgers are built on half pound patties before cooking, which is a generous sit down size. With the bun, toppings, and included side, most guests find one burger is a full meal. That portion is part of why chilis craft burgers prices compare well with thinner fast food burgers.
Does Chili’s run burger deals?
Yes, from time to time. Weekday lunch pricing, limited time burger promotions, and rewards member offers all appear through the year, and they vary by location. Checking the deals page or asking your server is the easiest way to catch chilis craft burgers prices at their lowest.
Can I get a craft burger to go?
Yes. The full burger lineup is available for takeout and delivery through the usual apps, and the price matches the dine in menu in most markets. Combo and lunch deals may be dine in only at some locations, so it is worth a quick check if a special price is the reason for your order under chilis craft burgers prices.
Is there a turkey or veggie burger option?
Availability varies by location and season. Some restaurants offer a black bean or veggie patty swap on the classic builds, and the grilled chicken swap is always the reliable stand in. Ask your server what your location carries, and expect any swap to sit inside the same band of chilis craft burgers prices as the beef build it replaces.
How long does a burger take to arrive?
Because the patties are thick and cooked to order, craft burgers usually take a little longer than thinner grill items, often fifteen to twenty minutes in a busy dining room. A medium rare burger lands faster than a well done one. The wait is part of the deal with a half pound patty, and most guests use it to enjoy the table and the first round of drinks.
Keep Exploring
Burgers are one part of the full Chili’s menu prices story. The Chili’s hub gathers every section, from appetizers to desserts. Browse the menu prices index to compare burger prices at other chains, or look through the secret menus collection for off menu ideas. Everything starts at The Menu Vault home page, where typical prices stay in plain view.