Burgers, dogs and fresh air at Delong’s Deluxe

If you are driving through the intersection of Bridgeport and Steilacoom in Lakewood, you may see people lined up outside a bright white box of a building. This is Delong’s Deluxe, a walkup burger restaurant that opened early this year.

There is plenty of parking, lots of outdoor tables, colorful canopies for shade, and grass to sit on if you want to have an old-fashioned picnic.

Food is prepared fresh, and the menu includes burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, shakes and sundaes. Prices range from soda at $1.70 to the Chili Dog at $6.49.

The day we went, the line formed early, but we only had a short wait for food. We ordered the Burger DeLuxe at $4.19, the Stadium Dog at $4.29, the Frito Chili Pie at $3.82, French Fries at $2.29, Onion Rings at $3.19, and vanilla, strawberry and blackberry shakes at $3.49 each for the 12-ounce size.

Everything was tasty, with the Stadium Dog being a real winner. It had cream cheese, grated cheddar, shredded lettuce, mustard and relish. The Kosher beef dog was delicious, and the toppings were a great combination.

The Frito Chili Pie was Frito chips covered with chili, cheddar and parmesan cheese, onions and shredded lettuce. It was an enjoyable combination, and calling it a pie was amusing. The onion rings were delicious, with Panko bread crumbs and good-sized slices. Fries were okay and came with ketchup. The burger was really disappointing, not “DeLuxe,” this was just a plain patty, and with sparse toppings. I was disappointed when I saw the one little piece of tomato, two little slices of pickle and an onion bit as big as a penny, but the special sauce was very good, being creamy, lightly spicy and tangy. The shakes were “hand-spun” and had good flavor, but were not very thick.

Delong’s Deluxe is a nice place to get some food and relax outside. Service was friendly and efficient. Be sure and check your order at the window when things get busy.

A good experience on a nice day.

IF YOU GO

Delong’s Deluxe

8901 Bridgeport Way SW., Lakewood

253-301-0282

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily