Sneak peek at downtown Lexington Wagyu burger restaurant with no tomato, lettuce
A new burger is ready to join the downtown lineup.
Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint is opening its first Kentucky restaurant in the former Oscar Diggs location at 155 N. Limestone on March 20.
The restaurant space has been reconfigured, with a rectangular bar now in the middle with stool seating all around, which should make for quick service for the courthouse and downtown crowd at lunchtime.
The menu is straightforward: Lots of burgers and not much else. Just don’t ask for lettuce and tomato because they don’t do that. Says so right on the menu.
And they don’t have ranch dressing either, according to Zach Dschaak, assistant general manager.
Why? “We really want to emphasize the beef,” he said.
To stand out, Jack Brown’s serves burgers made with 100 percent American Wagyu beef. They have several specialty burgers and daily specials, such as the Dr. Gonzo topped with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized Guinness onions, applewood smoked bacon and Swiss cheese.
There’s also one non-burger: The Frankie Brady, which is Jack Brown’s version of a grilled cheese, with housemade mac ‘n’ cheese and barbecue potato chips on a potato roll.
And sides including French fries, sweet potato fries and fried Oreos for dessert.
Why doesn’t Jack Brown’s have lettuce and tomato?
Apparently when the original Jack Brown’s opened in Harrisonburg, Va., the owners decided not to put inconsistent commercially available (and often out of season) tomatoes on the good beef burgers.
“That was kinda how it started, then it just started to become like our thing,” founders Aaron Ludwig and Mike Sabin said in a Youtube video. “It’s kind of like the counter-culture a little bit. Of just doing something different. Then it just became like, well yeah now we can never do it.”
Their food has developed a cult following in more than a dozen cities and they hope Lexington will be the next.
But there’s still competition. Lexington already has lots of great downtown burgers, from nearby Sidebar and Sawyer’s, to Bad Wolf on South Broadway.
Jack Brown’s also focuses on beer, serving more than 100 local, domestic and foreign beers.
Dschaak said that when regulars check off 100 beers on the restaurant’s list, they join the Notch Club, with special privileges, including a shirt and entry to members-only events.
Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint
Where: 155 N. Limestone
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Online: Jackbrownsjoint.com
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
