Willie Burgers

Hartselle, Morgan County

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

It is a matter of principle. There is no debate required, nor would it help to solve any differences in opinion. You either hate them or love them, there is no middle ground. For those who love them, the crisp outside and the mushy inside, the fat dripping from the patty, the special flavor of the beef/bread mix, and the (optional) red pepper seasoning that amplifies the flavor even more are the stuff of legends. For those who hate them, a slug burger is not even a burger, but some diabolical concoction sailing under a false flag.

Here in the Tennessee Valley, we are blessed with several old fashioned joints that serve this special kind of burger. Willie Burgers in Hartselle is one of them. The store is situated in the heart of downtown Hartselle, on Main Street. The outside is rather unassuming, and the inside looks as if the 1950s never left town, complete with several pictures of Marilyn Monroe on the walls. There is a long counter with about a dozen chrome and red leather bar stools opposite the cooking area, and a rather dark room with some tables and booths on the other side. They only have three items on the menu there – Cheeseburgers, Hamburgers, and Hot Dogs. You can have potato chips as a side, and soft drinks come in plastic bottles. It is, plain and simple, as authentic as it gets.

I had a cheeseburger, all the way – which means with ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, chopped onions, and pickles. That was, hands down, the best burger of this kind I had so far. No need to gussy it up with the red pepper seasoning, the flavor was spectacular as it was.

And for just twenty bucks for five burgers, four drinks, and two bags of chips (I had brought my family with me), this is an unbeatable deal.

I read somewhere that Willie Burgers opened originally in 1926. To stay in business that long, with those kind of prices, you need loyal customers and a good product. One that enough people love to come back time and again. Count me in.