Heading to Boston, we made a pit stop in Roanoke, Virginia, to dine at the Texas Tavern. The white burger joint, open since 1930, is just down the street from the state capitol, and comes from a time when White Castles and Krystals were spreading across the South. The founder, Nick Bullington, was an “advance man” for the Ringling Brothers Circus who had travelled the country – and run a circus in South America, collecting recipes (and learning how to make a great burger) with the idea of opening a restaurant someday. Their “World Famous Chile” (not to be confused with the “chili” that they serve on their hot dogs), comes from San Antonio – Nick believed he could sell something with Texas in the name to anybody.

He chose Norfolk as it was a boom town – the hub of the Norfolk & Western railroad where they employed thousands at their manufacturing plant. Everything in the restaurant is original (except for the griddle, which had some modifications in 1975), according to the 2018 edition of Hamburger America. The counter above is made of Monel, which is a blend of aluminum and stainless steel that was popular in the 20s – 30s.

We ordered a Cheesy Western (a patty, cheese, pickle, onion, relish and mustard topped with a gently scrambled egg) and a

chili dog. I’ve never had a scrambled egg on a burger before, but it was oddly good. And the chili dog was spot on!

The griddle sits in the front of the restaurant, underneath the window, with everything the short order cook needs right at hand. Open 24 / 7, all but part of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there’s supposedly a crowd, regardless of time of day. We rolled in about 9:45 on a Monday morning and had folks finishing breakfast and others buying lunch.