While staying in Green Bay, our hotel had a leaflet about everything special going on downtown over the summer. One of the events is Dine On The Deck which is where several local restaurants serve lunch outside on the CityDeck every Wednesday.
This sounded like fun, so we headed there for lunch that Wednesday. Dine On The Deck seems like a great idea, but there was only one food stall that week with a meal we were interested in. The problem was that everyone else seemed to feel the same way as there was a huge line for them and no line for the other vendors.
I pulled up Google Maps to see what other restaurants were in the area and saw that Al’s Hamburger Shop was a couple of blocks away. Google Maps had it listed as a “Landmark burger and shake joint” which is our kind of thing, so off we went.
The restaurant’s a single story building sandwiched between taller brick buildings. The original building burned down in 2011, but was rebuilt and reopened in the same location.
The burger joint is laid out like a small diner. Although we normally prefer sitting in a booth when eating out, we decided to sit at the counter to get the full experience.
Our server took our drink orders, then we took a look at their menu.
The 131 Special was very tempting – 4x quarter pounder burgers stacked on top of one another sounded both tasty and like a great photo opportunity. I wasn’t anywhere near that hungry though, so didn’t want to have it go to waste.
Instead, I weighed up the Tailgate Burger versus the Fiesta Burger. The former had jalapenos, bratwurst, onions and brown mustard, while the latter offered chorizo, onions, jalapenos and Sriracha honey mayo. Figuring that it’d be easier to recreate the Tailgate Burger myself if I wanted, I ordered the Fiesta Burger with a side of fries.
The burger was excellent. The bun was soft yet almost ciabatta-like, the beefburger was cooked perfectly and was flavorful, the chorizo was delicious and the toppings and Sriracha honey mayo complemented it perfectly. I don’t care for cheese, so I’d ordered it without the Pepper Jack.
The fries were OK – they weren’t the greatest fries I’ve ever had in terms of flavor, but they were crispy and non-greasy – both features that I appreciate.
Shae tends to prefer regular burgers, so she ordered a standard cheeseburger with a side of fries. This was one of their $3.99 hamburgers with a slice of Pepper Jack added – she really enjoyed hers too as it was juicy and tasty.
Al’s Hamburger Shop has a bunch of interesting shake flavors, but we were sadly too full to take advantage of those. The couple sitting next to us ordered one though and it looked (and apparently tasted) great. We ended up being glad we sat at the counter as we sat next to Karen and Mike who were great fun to chat to.
Karen also offered to take a photo of us about to enjoy our lunch, so here we are. I only realized after leaving that I wore my sunglasses the entire time – I don’t think I’m a rock star!
If you’d like something a little stronger than a shake, Al’s Hamburger Shop has several beers to choose from.
Final Thoughts
We were really glad that we hadn’t eaten at Dine On The Deck and found Al’s Hamburger Shop instead. The food was extremely tasty and reasonably priced, while the two servers were very friendly and provided great service.
If you’re looking for a local joint to eat at in Green Bay, this is the perfect place for you.
(n.b. We don’t write sponsored posts – here’s why. We paid for our meal and Al’s Hamburger Shop didn’t know we’d be writing a review when we went in.)
Our Rating
Food = 4.5 / 5
Price = 4.4 / 5
Atmosphere = 4.6 / 5
Decor = 4.6 / 5
Service = 4.7 / 5
Total = 4.56 / 5
Address
Al’s Hamburger Shop, 131 S Washington St, Green Bay, WI 54301
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