A little over four years ago, I made my first stop ever to Jack’s Coffee Shop. It was a great time and I loved the hole-in-the-wall appeal. Since then, hard times had hit the restaurant with multiple closings and re-openings. All that was mixed in with health issues to the owners, problems with the building and some bad reviews from diners. At a certain point, they were even cooking outdoors.
But now it appears those issues have calmed down and I wanted to return and form an opinion for myself. Let’s revisit Jack’s Coffee Shop.
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6154 S Hydraulic St
Wichita, Kansas 67216
316-350-5580
Monday – Saturday: 11am – 2pm
Closed on Sunday
Cash Only
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For those unfamiliar with Jack’s Coffee Shop, they are the true definition of a hole-in-the-wall. The restaurant resides in an old rickety looking brick house on south Hydraulic in the middle of no where. Driving by, most people wouldn’t even realize it’s a restaurant.
The interior about matches what you would expect from looking outside. It’s not a place you’re going to stop by for ambiance. This is strictly for burgers.
The menu is about as bare-bones as you can get. You can get a large cheeseburger for $8 or a small cheeseburger for $6. The price includes a bowl of chips. Drinks are an additional dollar. They also have name brand soda…. so there’s a little bit of prestige here!
I saw online that it was best to call in your order. I confirmed this and was told it took around twenty minutes for the burger to be ready. When I arrived, my large burger was all ready to go for me.
During my order, I didn’t remember if I asked for a cheeseburger or a regular burger. They made mine with cheese. When I arrived, they couldn’t recall either if they asked if I wanted cheese. They were very apologetic and offered to make me another burger which I appreciated but declined.
What came out brought memories of my first visit. A big heaping plate of beef piled with grilled onions and pickles that just so happened to reside in between some buns so it could be defined as a burger. It was as if the dish was a sea of beef only held in by the edges of the plate and had to be eaten with a fork. While I prefer big thick juicy burgers but this was still juicy and greasy in it’s own right and provided a really good flavor thanks in part to the old grill that’s probably served thousands of burgers. Despite it’s non-traditional appearance, I still considered it a winner of a burger.
I’m glad I made it back to Jack’s Coffee Shop. With all the trouble it’s been through over the past year, it’s often forgotten in the talk about burgers. The lady working that afternoon was incredibly pleasant and easy to talk to. She apologized once again about the cheese mix-up which I really didn’t mind at all. I’ve read some people have had bad experiences on their recent visits but mine wasn’t the case at all. This is why I never let someone’s bad experience deter me from visiting a place. I’d rather go and see for myself.
Jack’s Coffee Shop was plenty good that I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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