Original Hamburger Works
2801 North 15th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
We were in Phoenix for a very dear friend's celebration of life, and we had time for just one meal during the fifteen hours we would be in the Grand Canyon State. I not only had to pick somewhere good, but I also had to make sure it would be a good spot for the rest of my family, who were joining us in our little food adventure. It was a lot of pressure to come up with somewhere that we'd all like.
To make it even more stressful, the original restaurant selection that I had made was not well received by any of the locals that I had talked to at the reception that followed the service. I scrambled to pick another place that was near the church, as Katie and I did not have much time because our outgoing flight was fast approaching. I pretty much just picked the highest-rated burger spot in the area on Yelp. That's what brought us to the Original Burger Works.
From what I've been able to gather this place has been open for a couple decades at least. We arrived just after half-past one, which was good because we missed the lunch rush. Ordering is done at the counter, and then they call your number to pick up your food at the window. The restaurant features a fixin's wagon where you add your own condiments, ala Fuddrucker's or the long-departed Flakey Jakes. There's also a window where you can watch them making their burgers over their mesquite broiler.
The menu features burgers ranging in size from a third-pound all the way to a full-pound burger. There are also five burgers with options such as mushrooms, bacon, cheese, guacamole, and more. They also serve chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fish sandwiches, wings, and fish and chips. An assortment of appetizers and sides are also available. Prices are pretty modest, as everything is under the $10 mark, with the exception of the pound burger and the retirement burger, which includes a company car and the restaurant. The cost of that was just over a million dollars. I'm not looking to get into the restaurant business, so let's just take a look at what we ate this afternoon.
Up first were my niece's 10 Piece BBQ Boneless Wings ($8.99). I found it a little odd that they plated these with celery sticks, which are generally only used for buffalo wings, but maybe they thought she needed a little roughage in her diet. Anyways, these were fine, with a very heavy breading surrounding the chicken underneath. Regular frozen chicken nuggets, nothing too special.
The only sides we had at the Original Hamburger Works were the Fries ($4.99) and Onion Rings ($4.09). The better of the two was the onion rings. They had a very pleasing breading encasing the onion underneath, which had a nice crunch to each bite. The onion also did not come apart from the breading, which is my pet peeve when it comes to onion rings. The fries were fine, especially when dipped in their very solid ranch dressing.
My brother-in-law ordered the Hot Dog ($4.59). As you can see from the picture above, this is served on a hamburger bun, which kind of unnerved me for some reason. It's not going to change the taste and it probably helps the restaurant keep costs down, but it still seemed a bit odd to me. No complaints from Jarrod though, as he ate this all-beef hot dog, which they cut into thirds to make it fit on the sesame seeded hamburger bun. Also troubling to me was that he had put a random celery stick on his plate for the picture, which I did not notice at the time, but just added to the uneasiness that I had about this sandwich.
My sister went for the BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($8.39) for her midday meal. This is one of their four chicken sandwich options, as they also have a buffalo style, teriyaki, and plain versions for your consideration. My sister was sitting quite far from me at the end of the table, so I did not really get to hear how she liked this, I just really wanted to include it so you know that there are other options here besides hamburgers.
My go-to at a new burger spot that I've never eaten at before is to try their Half Pound Bacon Cheese Burger ($9.19). I selected cheddar cheese for this and dressed it simply with a little pickle relish and mayo at their fixin's wagon. I also added some onions but steered clear of the rest of the veggies so I could taste the burger more distinctly. The burger was a tad overcooked, but I still did enjoy it. The burger still retained some juiciness, while the cheddar melted nicely over the patty. The bacon was crisped and formed into a kind of round form, so you get bacon in each bite, which is way better than the lazy crisscross pattern most other restaurants serve their bacon burgers. A fine burger, but not anything mindblowing
I think that's how I'd sum up the Original Hamburger Works, it's fine for what it is, just don't expect to have your mind blown from anything that you are going to have here. It reminded me of backyard burgers, which are fine, but not very memorable, especially the ones that I've had in my time. I have always enjoyed a condiment bar for burgers as it truly allows you to have it your way. The restaurant itself reminded me of a TGI Fridays, with all the stuff hanging on the walls, and the Fuddrucker's vibe is unmistakable, but Fuddrucker's has better burgers. This restaurant met its need as a place that was nearby and that everyone in my family could find something to eat on their menu.
Out of five umbrellas, (because the city of Phoenix only gets an average of eight inches of rain a year, so I imagine that it's hard to find umbrellas in this desert town), five being best to zero being worst, the Original Burger Works gets 2.5 umbrellas.
For more information about the Original Burger Works click right here: http://greatburgeraz.com/index.html
