W.W. Cousins: Best Burger Made Your Way
When you enter W.W. Cousins Restaurant, don’t be fooled by the faux chain look. The eatery, easily visible from Breckinridge Lane near Dutchmans Lane in St. Matthews, looks like one of those themed national hamburger chains, but W.W. Cousins is locally owned and operated. W.W. Cousins lives up to its motto: “Perfect burgers, built from scratch.”
The first clue that you’re not in a chain restaurant is the smell of the brioche-like hamburger buns baking right on site before being buttered and toasted. Mmmmm! Whatt a heavenly smell!
The next clue is that your hamburger is cooked to order, like a grown-up restaurant. Once you taste one of their hearty burgers — a thick, juicy hamburger available with the widest assortment of fixings imaginable — you’ll have no doubt left that you’re experiencing something unique. No wonder W.W. Cousins was voted as having the best hamburger in the state of Kentucky by Food Network magazine and as having the Derby City's best burger in 2009 by Louisville magazine.
Burgers here range from big to mammoth: they start at a one-third-pound burger ($4.40) and go up to a full-pound burger ($10.60 for the combo) for those with lumberjack appetites. Your choice of cheese — American, cheddar, Swiss, bleu, pepper Jack, provalone or gooey melted cheddar cheese sauce — adds another 50 cents. You can also add grilled onions (80 cents), sautéed mushrooms (80 cents), smoked bacon (90 cents) or a smattering of chili (55 cents). Add $1.70 and you get your burger “supreme” — that is, with cheese, crisp bacon and mushrooms.
You dress your hamburger yourself from W.W. Cousins’ six-foot fixings bar. You have a choice of everything from the mundane, iceberg and green-leaf lettuces, diced or sliced tomatoes, raw white or Bermuda onions, four flavors of pickles, mayonnaise, dill relish, ketchup, a choice of mustards, jalapeños, to the exotic — sauerkraut, banana peppers, sweet and sour sauce, tartar sauce, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, malt vinegar, Frank’s Hot Sauce and chipotle Ranch sauce.
Just because W.W. Cousins is renowned for its hamburgers, doesn’t obligate you to have one. They also offer a sandwich made with rib-eye steak ($7.80), country-fried steak ($4.30), grilled pork chop ($5.65) or a BLT ($3.95). Or you can opt for grilled chicken ($5.40), walnut chicken salad ($4.90) and whitefish ($5.30), among other choices.
Another $2.30 turns any sandwich into a combo with one side dish and fountain beverage. Side dishes (all at $1.95) include gourmet-cut onion rings, New York style cole slaw, platter-cut thick French fries, to name just a few. Add a side salad to your entree for $2.75. (All-you-can-eat soup and salad goes for $5.60.)
In addition to soft drinks, diners can wash down their meals with hand-dipped milkshakes, fresh-brewed iced tea, local and premium beers, milk. hot tea or coffee.
HelloLouisville Tip: Children 12 and younger can select hamburger, hotdog, grilled cheese or chicken sandwich from the kids’ meal menu. Served with fries and a soft drink, every item is priced at $3.50 — except on Monday or Tuesday after 4 p.m., when kids eat free!
Posted on Feb 4, 2011 by Ivonne Rovira
