The first time I noticed a little Burger Bar had opened on 6th and Spring was a few weeks ago. It was around 2am, and I was still out from a night on the town. How sad, my friends said, pointing to empty countertops, and empty booths. Reminiscent of Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a lone fry cook and cashier in 50’s diner style uniforms stared out at dark sidewalks from behind brightly backlit glass windows.
We spoke too soon. Three minutes later, we again stumbled past the D-Town Burger Bar and—the place was full.
Local bars were starting to let out, and packs of drunk-hungry pedestrians were scouring the streets for something greasy to take the edge off their buzz. Smoke rose up from the grill, as the cook got to work on burgers and fries. Three men walked in to place their orders, I could hear Chuck Berry playing as the door swung open and closed.
I wasn’t able to join them that evening, but I was intrigued. And I’ll never judge them so harshly again, I swear. So I made a point this afternoon to revisit our new kid on the block, D-Town Burger Bar and make a proper appraisal.
When I entered, my eyes were greeted by a floor full of black and white penny tiles, shiny red plastic seats, and a busty roller girl waitress figurine standing proudly at the door. Everything was spotless, shiny, and ‘new car’ clean. There was even a nostalgic (digital) jukebox, with an unfortunate “do not touch” sign on it.
There were four meal options on the illuminated menu sign on the wall. And that’s just the way I like it. Real simple: Burger, Double Burger, Veggie Burger, and Hot Dog. I noticed that the photo of the veggie burger was the exact same photo of the regular burger. But there were no quotation marks around the word ‘veggie’, so I assumed this was an oversight. Or an intentional attempt at humor?
The fry cook looked up as I walked up to the counter. I said, just give me a Tab. He said, “Tab? How can I give you a tab until you order something?”
I sat down next to some dork at the counter. And that’s when Biff walked in…
Oh, sorry. Got a little carried away there. Anyway…
The point is that D-Town Burger Bar won me over with a basket of fries that had sweet potato fries mixed in, milk shakes with real ice cream, and American backyard barbecue style burgers and dogs. It’s a tad more expensive than In-N-Out. But then again it’s also a lot closer to my apartment than the latter. Plus it’s open late, and they have two tables set up outside in case you step out with your dog. And you know…it is what it is. It’s sweet and wholesome and just as satisfying an experience as you could want from a nostalgic little burger bar. Which means that I’ll be back again and again.
I know it’s already two months since they opened, but…helloooo, McFly!? Welcome to the neighborhood!
