Let’s just get down to business, no messing around. I mean burgers are serious business, no? Jake’s Wayback Burgers opened up on Monday at their newest location, 324 Hope Street in Stamford. So, after taking a nice walk on Thursday, we figured we had earned a nice meal, so we hit up Jake’s. What? An hour walk doesn’t burn 1,000 calories? Psh, whatever.

Parking is a little tight here, but there is also some street parking if you can’t deal. But then again, it was pretty packed from people wanting to try out the new spot in town and will likely not be as jammed in a few weeks.

When we walked in we thought the decor had a fun 50s vibe, back when burger joints were hip places to hang. Hungry and about to faint, we drooled over the menu: hand-made burgers, hand-dipped milkshakes, hot dogs, chicken, sides, sandwiches, and salads. We ordered a Junior Burger, Junior Cheeseburger, Chili Dog, Onion Rings, French Fries, Chocolate Banana Shake, and a Chocolate Strawberry Shake. Here’s what we thought:

Burgers

You can just say “Everything,” and you’ll be given ketchup, mustard, pickles, raw onions, lettuce, and tomato on your burger. Some other free extras are mayonnaise, grilled onions, jalapeños, relish, and sweet peppers. Bacon, mushroom, and chili are 70 cents more each…not bad. My burger was ordered with everything except the mustard with relish and jalapeño, too. Kristien had hers the typical way: everything, no mustard, add mayo, extra pickles. The bun wasn’t too thick at all which was good, but the patty was super thin, mushy and dry…reminiscent of McDonald’s. The burgers seemed to almost be fried because of the way the patty looked and how greasy it was, though we were told by the owner that they were grilled. The toppings helped to make the flavor decent enough to eat, but the patty by itself was just blah.

Onion Rings and Fries

The onion rings had way more breading than we like, but were crispy and large. The fries had some skin on them and were a little crispy but not ideal, plus they were luke-warm when they got to us which was disappointing. The fries were better than Fives Guys‘, though.

Chili Dog

The chili had lots of flavor and spice. They served the wiener split, and piled the divide with jalapeños. It was a decent hot dog, but we prefer the hot dogs at Station Eats and even Dairy Inn. And don’t get us started on how much we love Super Duper Weenie!

Milkshakes

Kristien had the Chocolate Strawberry Milkshake, which had a very strong strawberry flavor. It was served at a medium thickness, a bit thinner than mine. My shake was Chocolate Banana and it had a very subtle banana flavor. The thickness was right on and wasn’t too hard to drink. I liked this shake, but Kristien prefers it thicker though she did like the flavor.

Overall Thoughts

Although Jake’s can be found all over the Northeast and is expanding month after month, we feel they could be skipped over in favor of other burger spots. If you want a slightly better burger than McDonald’s or another fast food option, this is a good spot. You can eat here, take your order home, you can call your order ahead, or even order online. But, if you want a great burger, check out Station Eats in New Canaan and Stamford, Beach Burger in Norwalk, and Plan B Burger Bar later this year instead.

Jake’s Wayback Burgers

Noms: 2.75

Cost: $$

Address: 324 Hope Street

Stamford, CT

Phone: (203) 961-8700

Fax: (203) 961-9722

Site: http://www.waybackburgers.com