Burger Joint of the Week: Johnny B's.

A single ingredient can sometimes elevate a good burger to a great burger. That’s the case with the amazingly sweet yellow onions you’ll find on the signature burger at the El Dorado mainstay.



Johnny B’s Grill used to be Woody’s Grill, and Woody’s dates all the way back to 1939. I’ve never been to the location when it hasn’t been just full of people; there’s always someone hanging out amidst all the Coca-Cola memorabilia. Any time of day you have have breakfast — and their waffles are legendary.

But the burger? That’s pretty good, too. It’s $5.59 for the Johnny B Burger — 99 cents more if you want some hand cut fries. It’s half a pound with all the regular fixings — iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and pickle along with both mayonnaise and mustard — with the addition of caramelized onions and American cheese on a seedless bun.

Johnny B’s does all the right things with its burger. It doesn’t spice it up too much — just a little salt and pepper — and there’s a nice crust on the burger from the griddle. It comes medium to medium well and as far as I can tell that’s what you have to choose from on doneness. But those onions. Let me tell you what… they are sweet. They are slightly salty but have every bit of translucent sweet power to them. I believe they’re Texas 1015s and they are tasty.

They take what could just be any burger in the world and elevate it to an almost gourmet experience. In fact, the flavor defies belief just a little bit. You can’t believe it’s that good.

There’s also a Johnny Jack Burger available ($5.99), a spicy version with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos on a jalapeno cheese roll. I’ll leave that to you spice lovers.

You’ll find Johnny B’s Grill at the corner of Southwest Avenue (Highway 167) and Cedar in El Dorado. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner most any day. (870) 863-8477.