French Fry Diary 421: Jake's Wayback Burgers

This place has been on my to do list for quite some time. The location I had heard about and gotten so many recommendations for was over the bridge in Philly though, on Cottman Avenue, across from the old Roosevelt Mall (there used to be a Gulliver's there that I absolutely loved), so it would take some planning for a road trip. Imagine my surprise when after getting my haircut I found a Jake's Wayback Burgers had opened right store on Route 73 in Voorhees.

The first thing that struck me about Jake's Wayback Burgers was how much like Five Guys the layout of the place was. Granted, the music was more oldies, the menu was bigger, no peanuts, and (boo hiss) they had Pepsi products instead of Coke, - but other than all that, this could have easily been a refurbished Five Guys. The burgers are cooked well done on the griddle however, just like Five Guys, and are very similar except for their bigger size and the softer non-sesame seed bun.

The burgers are wrapped in brown wax paper, printed to look like newspaper but detailing the chain's history, restaurant reviews, and the different burgers they have available. The various sides are also served on and/or in this brown wax paper. It's a nice touch, reminiscent of when fish and chips were wrapped in newspaper. I like it.

Their fries also have something in common with Five Guys, but they're not as good as theirs. They are natural cuts, cooked to order. They're nothing spectacular - not great, not bad, and remember to eat 'em while they're hot. They are also a bit saltier than I would have liked. They do reheat well in the oven later however.

Besides fries as sides, Jake's Wayback Burgers also has onion rings and house made chips. The big deal here is the house made chips, nearly perfect homemade potato chips, not greasy and full of a big crispy crunch. I would have preferred myself a bit more flesh on them, but then they'd be more potato slices than potato chips in that case. These are all crunchy potato chip goodness, and better than any bag of store made chips you can buy. These chips are awesome.

Folks who know me and have been following the blog a while know I'm not fond of beer batter onion rings, but here at Jake's I may have found the exception. These big beer battered onion rings might look greasy but they are not. These big (but not thick) rings are deep-fried to a golden brown crispness with a juicy sweet onion within. They're delicious.

On the second visit, yep, that's right, I went back, the onion rings and the house made potato chips were even better.

So, if you like Five Guys or not, come on out and try Jake's Wayback Burgers. The burgers are good, and the onion rings and the house made potato chips are awesome. The big thick shakes are also highly recommended. Check it out.