We’ve visited Spanky Burgers eight or nine times. We’ve yet to find an unsmiling face to greet us. When we walked in around 4:30 I remarked, “So, we beat the afternoon rush.” There was no one else there.
Spanky Burgers is located on the corner of Sixth and Pine in Tacoma. Sixth Avenue is a booming area for small shops and restaurants. Sitting by the window we can look about five blocks west on the street. Within one hundred feet is Taco Bell and across the street and down a hundred yards is Taco Time and a Subway. Directly across from Taco Time is The Red Hot (hot dogs and sausages). The next block down on the corner is Old Milwaukee (excellent biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and desserts) and a new construction that will contain Trapper Sushi (our favorite haunt for unagi (eel). Going to the east on Sixth Avenue are even more restaurants and interesting places to visit including Jazz Bones, where you can enjoy music and sometimes comedy. The Sixth Avenue District is less than a mile from the University of Puget Sound, which feeds on art, style, literature, music, business, and science.
Peg and I both ordered burgers along with a salad. Their salads remind me of Spud’s Pizza near 72nd and Pacific Avenue. There were lots of cheese and chopped black olives. My blue cheese dressing contained two huge hunks of blue cheese. The salad was both colorful and tasty. Peg had the balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which was nicely tangy.
I asked for the blue bacon burger. I was taken back a little bit when it was delivered to our table. The bun looked small, but it held up well. The original buns fell apart with the juicy burgers. The bacon was crispy and salty which played well with the melted blue cheese and red onions. I wasn’t that hungry, but managed to eat it all. I couldn’t help myself.
Peg chose the mushroom Swiss cheese burger. I tried a couple pieces of mushrooms. They were excellent. Peg loved the toasted sourdough bread instead of a traditional hamburger bun. Peg was hungry and so ate the entire burger by herself. She will order it again.
Although burgers and fries are the big draw at Spanky’s they offer interesting beers as well. In addition, I’ve driven from our home to Spanky’s just for a milkshake. Peg ordered the raspberry shake, which contained whole raspberries. Peg loved it and offered me a sip. I declined. I ordered the “huge” chocolate, marshmallow malt. Peg sampled. My malt lasted through dinner and the entire trip back home.
When we left, most of the tables were full and there was a line waiting to order. We just did beat the afternoon rush.
