Nesmith’s Jumbo Hamburgers

Moulton, Lawrence County

This joint is on the extended AL.com list of 22 (plus 35 submitted by the readers) Greasy Spoon Burger Joints in Alabama you have to visit before you die. 

Nesmith’s Jumbo Hamburgers is another one of those “slug burger” joints, where they mix the meat with bread and fry the patties. That makes for a very crisp outside and a somewhat soggy inside, and also provides a lot of flavor. But contrary to the name of the joint, the burgers are not jumbo, they are more adjacent to the size of sliders instead. The double cheeseburger all the way comes with two patties, chopped onions, ketchup and mustard, on a standard burger bun. The mixture of bread to meat seemed to me a bit more to the meaty side, which resulted in a firmer bite in the middle. The flavor was good, but not outstanding, and it is a must to put some of the red pepper spice on it that sits on every table.

The restaurant itself, which opened in 1966 and is still operated by the same family, is a rather small hole in the wall, with a counter that provides seating for about ten customers on simple wooden stools. There are also a couple of tables around the corner, next to the big window. No decoration worth mentioning adorns the walls, and although the place is certainly clean, it is also a bit stuffy and outdated. With just a little effort, new wall paint, some old license plates and the like, this could be easily transformed into an icon of American tradition. As it is right now, it is a fairly bland joint with cheap burgers – I paid just over for bucks for a double cheeseburger and a sweet tea – and the exaggerated claim to serve some kind of “Jumbo” burger.