#134 - Fizz Burgers & Bottles, Wichita, KS

I drove back from the Big 12 tournament on Saturday.  The drive home always seems to take a million times longer than the drive there, no matter where you're coming from.  I always get really tired--and hungry--right about in Wichita, so it's the perfect place to stop for a little pick-me-up. For some reason the Wi-fi in my hotel room wasn't working Sunday morning on my Surface, so I couldn't find the restaurant.com deal I had found the day before.  So I had to find someplace else to eat.  I hadn't eaten much healthy all weekend, and I was determined to get back to eating much better as soon as I got back.  But this was on the way home, so I was going to make this meal count.  And I came across Fizz Burgers & Bottles, rated #4 in Wichita by TripAdvisor.  Sold.

The restaurant is about a 10 minute drive off the highway, but I've learned in Wichita pretty much anything good and not fast-food is.  And I really wasn't in a huge rush to get back, as I had left kind of early to fit in this stop.  It's on the corner of a strip mall.  From the outside, it has this look like it's a chain burger place.  But it's not; this is the only location.  And  you realize that as soon as you walk inside.  It's not very large, seating maybe 50 inside.  It does have a pretty big outdoor patio, but it was too windy for me out there.  When I arrived there were only 3 tables available inside.  I kind of wanted a 4-top table, but the waitress steered me to a 2-top...that or the bar.  At first I wasn't a fan, but as I watched I realized why.  There was a steady stream of customers coming in the entire time.  And most of them were families or groups.  Duh.

They've got a whole menu of bottled drinks, so of course I had to try one. They had tons of flavors, and I eventually settled on a black cherry soda.



It was really good.  Deep, but not overpowering, black cherry flavor.  The only negative was that it wasn't ice cold.  I thought about asking for a cup of ice, but didn't worry about it.  I know the sodas are bottled, but it would be cool if they offered tastes of different sodas.  Maybe a soda flight, like you can do a beer or wine flight at some bars.

The next thing that caught my eye was the pickles.  At first I was going to pass when I saw they charge for them, but then I realized that they make their own.  Dill or sweet. I couldn't decide which kind to get, and my server said she would bring me some of both.


These were so good!  I was a little worried the dill pickles would be super tart but they really weren't bad.  Just a little tang.  Thick cut and very fresh.  They should offer larger sizes of these to go, because I would have gotten them.  I actually only ate a few so I could eat my meal.  And I took the rest home with me.  They didn't even make it to the end of the night.

They've got an assortment of sandwiches, a soup of the day, and also several salads.  But when I saw that they grind their own burger meat in-house, I knew I had to have a burger.  They have 7 standard burgers, or you can make your own.  The blue burger sounded really good, so I went with that and I subbed grilled onions instead of regular.  They offer both a 1/4lb and 1/2lb burger.  I had no need or desire to be gluttonous, so I went with the 1/4lb. 

I really like that they offer different sizes of fries.  Everything from individual to family sized.  Again, trying to be somewhat good, I got the individual.  They've got several different dipping sauces, and I went with the garlic aioli.

Blue Cheese, Roasted Garlic Sauce, Red Onion, Lettuce, Tomato
The burger was outstanding.  The beef was literally falling apart, but that's okay.  Grilled onions add such awesome flavor that you can never get from raw.  The roasted garlic sauce was really good as well.  A nice, deep background flavor.  The avocado was an up-charge, but well worth it, considering you get 1/2 an avocado.  Most places you get only a few slices.  I ended up eating it separate.  The fries were thick cut, not my favorite cut.  However, they were perfectly cooked (crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside) and super hot.  So I was very happy.  And you get a lot in the individual portion.  The garlic aioli was fantastic.  Stronger than the roasted garlic sauce on the burger, but still not overpowering.  I really didn't even need the ketchup.

The group behind me got a family portion of fries.  I thought it was a little creepy to ask them to take a picture, so I found this one online.


I've never seen that many fries on a platter before.  It was crazy.  And you get all 7 of the dipping sauces to try.

I fully understand why this place is so highly rated.  The food was excellent, the service was friendly and efficient, and it's a very cool atmosphere.  I will definitely go back.