Hires Big H - Salt Lake City, UT

Posted By Michael Stern on December 25, 2012 7:30 AM

Beyond root beer, Hires menu is a classic drive-in bill of fare: a long list of hamburgers including a “New York H” (garnished with grilled onions), a Danish H (with a slice of ham), a Roquefort H, a Pastrami H, and a Big H, which is garnished with lettuce, tomato, special sauce, and cheese. There is even a Harvest H, a patty made entirely of vegetables for meat-frowners. The bun on which Big H burgers are served is gentle-tempered sourdough with a floury top (as opposed to what the combative menu describes as “some preservative-enhanced, wilted crust studded with obnoxious seeds”).

On the side of whatever H hamburger suits your fancy, you want fresh-cut French fries or onion rings. Both are available with dipping sauce reminiscent of French dressing; the potatoes can be ordered with a mantle of homemade chili and melted cheese. And if a mug of root beer hasn’t satisfied your sweet tooth, there are terrific shakes, malts, freezes, and sundaes.

At Big H, you can drive up, blink your lights and enjoy car hop service; or it is possible to dine inside in a bright, cheerful, blue-chaired dining room.

Overall Rating

Big H hamburger

root beer

Fries

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Posted By Jill on October 15, 2010 12:58 AM

I've lived all over the country, but when I'm back home in Utah I always make time to go to Hires for a hamburger, cherry coke (make with syrup the old fashioned way) and onion rings with fry sauce. They also make the best coke freeze I've ever had. The downtown Salt Lake location is the best, but the others are also good.

Overall Rating

Big H hamburger

root beer

Fries

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Posted By Allen Dodworth on September 10, 2009 9:50 PM

Hires Big H drive-ins are the real deal, a great place to see and be seen through the windshield of your car. They have more than one location, but the original, best outlet is on the edge of downtown Salt Lake City, at the corner of 700 East and 400 South Streets. For the real Hires experience, dine in your car in the traditional manner, with a tray hooked to the driver's side window, trying to figure out where to put your order inside the car, spilling fries on your lap, and so forth.

First-time visitors should go with the original Big H burger and draft Hires root beer in a frosty mug. After that, I recommend a Western H (burger with bacon and BBQ sauce) and one of their real fountain cherry Cokes. They have ordinary hamburgers on ordinary buns; why waste your time on one of those? The Big H buns are sort of semi-sourdough, and have great texture and flavor. My one complaint is that Hires Big H is one of those places that think a malt or shake is to be eaten with spoon. You can ask for drinking consistency, but they don't quite get that right.

Overall Rating

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