BIG BURGERS ON BROADWAY
Many of us have wonderful memories of the old-fashioned neighborhood malt shop. It was a place where young people could hang out with their friends, and families could bring their children. The malt shop is an American icon, and it is still alive and well in Alamo Heights.
Cheesy Jane’s, on Broadway and Hildebrand, has been serving up some of the best burgers in town for almost twenty years now. The concept was brought to life by Jon Lindskog, and he still runs the restaurant today. Cheesy Jane’s has become a staple in the ’09 dining scene, and on any given day, you’ll find a clientele as diverse as their list of milkshake flavors. Stop in for lunch, and you’ll see construction workers, mothers with small children, college students, and business professionals enjoying hearty burgers, thick, hand-battered onion rings, and frosty shakes and malts. In fact, Cheesy Jane’s serves around 200 shakes per day.
A throwback to the nostalgic 50’s style diner, the restaurant keeps it simple with a menu featuring what they do best…burgers. You can order a salad, a patty melt, or even chalupas, but Cheesy Jane’s burgers are what keeps customers coming back. The meat is always fresh and consists of 100% ground chuck beef. Burgers are grilled to order and come on fresh ButterKrust buns.
They serve over 500 burgers a day during the week and nearly 1,000 burgers on the weekends. There are several specialty burgers to choose from, along with with with their signature double cheddar “Cheesy Jane” combo.
For the adventurous meat eater, the Wurst Burger features a ½ pound burger with grilled onions, BBQ sauce, cheddar, and pepper jack cheese, and it’s topped with a Kiolbassa sausage. It is a decadent burger that will satisfy even the hungriest carnivore. The Southwest Burger appeals to those with a spicy side. Served on a special jalapeño cheddar bun, this burger will test your taste buds with green chiles, pepper jack cheese and South of the Border mayo. It’s one burger that will bite back, but it has excellent flavor.
You can even order their Baby Jane Slider Sampler basket which features an original mini Jane, the Porky Burger, with Canadian Bacon, sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese, as well as the famous Bean Burger, piled with refried beans, cheddar cheese, onions, and Fritos.
Cheesy Jane’s is famous for their milkshakes, and they are one of the very few places where you can still get an old-fashioned malt. There are 24 flavors to choose from, and each one is handmade and topped with whipped cream and a cherry, just like the old days. Some of the more unusual flavors include Chocolate Cherry, Dreamsicle, Amaretto Espresso, and Peanut Butter & Jelly. The shakes and malts are served in a traditional parfait glass, and everyone gets the leftovers in a frosty shake tin.
You may have also seen the Cheesy Jane’s Mobile Truck rolling around town. The catering truck serves an abbreviated menu of their local favorites, and you can even reserve the truck for your business, events, and private parties. Their calendar is listed on the website so that you can catch them around town. So, whether you like your burgers piled high with exotic ingredients, or scaled down for a simpler taste, Cheesy Jane’s has you covered.
BY MEREDITH KAY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AL RENDON
