When people drive out Bandera highway just outside of 1604, they are greeted by a billboard with a smiling man, a burger, and a dream. The smiling man is the one and only Bobby J, the burger is what he sells, and the dream is to make your taste buds dance with the joi de vivre. The question is, does the burger deliver?
The people at Bobby J’s are as friendly as a South Texas summer day is long. They engaged my group from the start and were nothing but nice. I opted for a cheese burger with American cheese (though you could get several other types including Cheddar and Pepper Jack) and once again substituted my fries for onion rings (other people in the group got the fries).
The fries came out and were nice and fresh. I would advise you to sit down and immediately start eating your fries while they are hot and crispy because they do not have a long “crispy half life” and will become soggy after about 10 minutes. They are definitely one of the better fries in the area.
The onion rings were good, but it did cost me a bit to upgrade to them (in fact they don’t allow you to substitute them for the fries on the meal, so you have to go a la carte). Given how the fries taste, I would strongly suggest you just dance with the one that brung ya on the combo meal.
The burger was excellent and juicy with just the right amount of grease on it. What was really nice about the burger was the ensemble that accompanied it — the lettuce was crisp, the tomatoes were bright red, and the pickles were really good. I don’t know, but the pickles were huge, I don’t know where they get them. This place also puts on a generous helping of mayonnaise (which the more and more I think about it really makes the burger) and mustard.
While I was eating outside on the patio, I was looking in through the windows and saw a gentleman that looked familiar. I did a double take with the billboard outside and realized it was the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Bobby J himself. He gave me the thumbs up, so I went inside and had a quick conversation with him. Super nice guy.
My gut instinct was right, there was no way that a burger joint with that billboard could disappoint. If you ever find yourself on the edge of town, I highly recommend you make a stop on Bandera highway for a truly good burger.
Value: 8/10 (With a tip you are looking at a $10 burger and fries (both generous) and a drink)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (Nice hill country atmosphere with a solid patio)
Service: 10/10 (great staff and you might meet the man yourself)
Taste: 9/10 (My, that’s a tasty burger! Go fries over onion rings!)
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