This restaurant is another "Westraunt Concept" prototype of Phil and Jim West and first of its kind, so give it a chance. It is an affiliate with local restaurants, Mucho Gusto and Fina Taqueria. Yesterday was only their fifth day open, so there are still have some quirks to work out, but I have no complaints.
The menu is similar to any other diner with hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, onion rings, wedge salads, sandwiches and chili. The price point is not too bad, at about $6 - $8 for a meal. All their meats are naturally raised and made special for this restaurant without all the injected hormones. Always a plus!
Coming soon to the menu: a chicken salad and a chicken salad sandwich.
The best part of this place is their ICE CREAM. If you want rich, creamy, thick ice cream, this is your place. I had a chance to talk to the owner about their specialty, "It is made with some of the best flavors and is like Haagen Dazs coming out of a soft serve machine." He explained that is it traditional ice cream, served softly. As for me, it is quite honestly the best ice cream I have ever had!
Perks other than the food
- Two big screen televisions
- Great dining experience with an upbeat staff
- Fun, classic tunes, not your typical 50's genre.
- Refillable drinks, try the lemonade!
- Food served to you in 10 minutes or less (once the kitchen quirks are worked out)
I recommend everyone check this place out because I plan to go back. The owner assured me that everything will be running smoothly soon and he plans to open more Dickie Jo's if this one is a hit! I wish them the best of luck!
Nice review, thorough analysis of the menu and description of the style. I like the extra effort to actually speak with the owners about their plans and outlook for the place. Look forward to more from the Euge!
ReplyDeleteWhat no shout out or citation on the photo? ;-) I know blogging is only psuedo journalism but it would be nice to give credit to sources, at least the photo links back to the original yelp page.
Thanks for the comment! I appreciate the feedback since this blog is new for me. And I added that caption for you - I meant to do it, so thanks for the reminder! :)
ReplyDelete[...] May 30, 2009 by mstansberry I just had dinner at Dickie Jo’s Burgers — a new fifties-style burger and shake joint in Eugene. While the food was good, the prices were a little out of whack. I ordered a cheeseburger with a few extras and subbed onion rings for fries, softdrink, and tip — wound up spending $14. You could get a gourmet burger and sides at King Estate cheaper. Plus, like many hole-in-the-wall style restaurants, the focus is on the food and patrons fend for themselves for seating and making it work. Packed house, no seating scheme, aging hippies and pimpled hipsters jockeying for seats — it’s not really worth dealing with that, but there are other opinions out there. [...]
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the transformation of this building over several months, I was excited to finally see the project come to fruition.
ReplyDeleteMy initial impression of the decor was a 50's diner meets Mucho Gusto. To my surprise, they are affiliated with Mucho Gusto via the West brothers also of Fina Taqueria fame.
Mucho Gusto's contemporary take on Mexican food works. However, Dickie Jo's needs some fine tuning.
Considering the effort and cost of renovation, the building layout and interior design made me resistant to getting comfortable.
I noticed wine bottles near the soda fountain and was asked if I wanted fresh ground pepper on my fries. Which makes me wonder, are they suffering a true identity crisis, or simply testing the waters?
Our overpriced order was a burger and fries, NY dog and fries along with a root beer float. I was given a plastic cup of soft-serve and a bottle of root beer. A big disappointment that I had to assemble it myself and soft-serve was used. My dining partner was pleased with the burger, but the fries were soggy.
Overall, there is no incentive for me not to keep walking to McMenamins for my burgers and fries and to Prince Pucklers for my ice-cream.
Thanks for the post. I can't speak on behalf of your experience, but I would say I don't think the prices are high. I actually went to McMenamins for lunch today at Northbank and paid 8.50 for a burger and tots. The ice cream is also way different than any other kind than I have tried before, a lot richer and creamier. I say give it a few more weeks and check it out again.
ReplyDeleteHey, it's nice to find another eugene blog out and about. This post pops right up on Google already when I was looking for Dickie Jo's.
ReplyDeleteHave any of you been to Shake Shack in NY?
ReplyDeleteI have only been to NY once, but I have not been there. Good food?
ReplyDeleteI guess I should explain or revise my idea of "overpriced." I think people are being harsh critics and focusing a lot on the price, rather than the food and the experience. Do not get me wrong, I think there are things to work out and the burgers could be thicker, but I am trying to figure out what people expected? After talking with the owner, this food is better quality than other burger places, so that impacts the price. Also, Mucho Gusto (same owner as Dickie Jo's) is similar priced so if people are willing to pay those prices, then why not for a burger too? Especially when there are a TON of mexican restaurants in Eugene. Just a thought. This place reminds me of a Five Guys Burger and Fries. Thanks for the the comment and readers please, you be the judge!
ReplyDeleteYeah you should definitely checkout Shake Shack and their website, it's kind of what Dickie Jo's is trying to be. They have the best frozen custard and frozen custard shakes I've ever had and the burgers are up there with in-n-out for a "fast food" place.
ReplyDeleteSounds great! I will have to remember that next time I am in that direction. I am sure Dickie Jo's has a long way to go, but they are trying. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
ReplyDeleteReally? Thats great and I am only in Eugene for another few weeks and then I will be heading to Portland. But, still stay in touch, I will be blogging about great food from there as well. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI reviewed it recently and gave it three stars (out of five). Not great, but ok "with potential". I hope they can make some improvements over time.
ReplyDelete