My coworkers were headed out to lunch and invited me along once more. They were headed to the Juke box they explained. Having not heard about the place before I followed up with a few additional questions such as what type of food they served and what they were primarily known for. With a name like the jukebox I assumed it served typical diner food such as club sandwiches, salads and burgers. To my surprise the guys kept expressing how good their burgers were and I was easily convinced to join them.
Now it occurs to me some younger folks might not be familiar with the Jukebox. The Jukebox was a music playing device placed in restaurants, bars, diners some 40-50 years ago. It operated on coins and here’s a picture of a restored unit.
believe you me these things were the coolest thing ever. Even as a child growing up in the late 70s there was something about the neon glowing lights, the buttons, the moving arm that grabbed the vinyl disc. I still remember flipping through some of the song listings on the machines, dropping a coin and selecting a few songs as you watched the little arm grab a small vinyl disc, drop it onto the tabletop player and start blaring music.
The decor at the JukeBox was exactly what one would expect from a diner with one exception. It’s always really clean. Whenever I’ve gone to the washrooms there has always been ice in the standing urinals which I thought were a nice touch. Onto the pictures of the decor:
Now let’s move onto the food and what a great surprise it was. If you read my review of Five burgers you’ll know that it left me feeling generally disappointed. First off let’s start off with the basic rundown. All the burgers come with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and mayo served on a freshly baked bun unless otherwise specified. Now having been disappointed with my first experience at Five Guys I was trying to manage my expectations about the JukeBox. Sure the decor looked nice, the music which was playing softly was from the correct era but how would the food be?
We sat down and I perused the menu. Lots of burger options and many that I found tempting but for my first burger experience I would go with a classic combination. The Humphrey burger; a bacon cheeseburger with your choice of cheese. Having recently experienced a case of undercooked/soggy fries at my last burger outing I wanted to ensure that I wouldn’t have the same experience at the Juke Box. When I placed my order I asked our waitress if I could get my fries well done, she said ok with a slightly strange look and proceeded to take the remaining orders. We patiently waited for the arrival of our food while some of the coworkers enjoyed the milkshakes they had ordered. On a side note they get great reviews on their milkshakes!
Once the meal arrived and I saw the beautiful plate of food that awaited me I couldn’t wait to dig in. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the Humphrey burger:
Now the above picture isn’t the greatest and I apologize. I hate placing photos on my blog when they aren’t crisp and clear but I messed up when snapping this particular picture as I used the flash. The non flash pictures came out fuzzy and it’s all my fault ;-)
What you may be able to tell from the picture is that the burger in question is made with tender, sweet loving hands. There can be no doubt about that. The whole wheat bread bun was perfect, not too light nor too heavy and kept together well once smothered with condiments. The fries were what I consider to be ideal or perfectly done. Just the correct thickness and cooked to perfection. They were cooked to just the correct consistency for me to consider them some of the best fries I’ve had (texture and taste).
As the coworkers knew I would be blogging on the experience they insisted I take pictures of their burgers. I have been to the Jukebox on three separate occasions and each time has been a burger lovers pleasure. On my second visit I tried the Hot Rod burger which instead of the usual condiments mentioned earlier comes with jalapenos, caramelized onions, spicy bbq sauce, bacon, Swiss cheese and lettuce.
The hot rod was exactly as described; not for the weak of heart. That being said It wasn’t unbearably spicy. I couldn’t tell if it was simply a home made barbq sauce with added Tabasco sauce but there was definitely some heat being generated on each bite. The combination of caramelized onions , bacon and spicy sauce made this a great burger.
One of the other burgers that was well received was the Sammy D. It consisted of their homemade chili, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. I have no yet had the opportunity to taste this one but wanted to include a picture of it here as it got some great reviews from my co workers. Not to mention on my next visit this will probably the one I’ll order.
Consider the above pictures and compare it with this one from Five Guys burgers. Honestly, which would would you rather bite into?
Now for the details: A burger and glass of pop will set you back a little under 15$. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Jukebox burgers to anyone looking for a very good burger for their buck. All the information you need can be found in the above link.
Stay tuned for more soon kids,
mtl_dokkaebi
