8.20.2006

Review #21: Kitok's - Waco, Texas

I knew it had been too long since my last review when I start getting e-mails from readers asking for the next review. I got my 3rd one in about a month Friday and decided enough was enough... it's time for another review!!!

Kitok's is another one of those places that people requested time and time again when I launched TexasBurgerGuy.com. What was different about Kitok's was that the burger received good reviews from people but they talked almost as much if not more about something called "oriental fries" at Kitok's. Intrigued by what the difference between an oriental fry and a plain ol' American fry might be... I made the trek to Waco and ingested a basket of these fried artery haters. The fries were memorable. The burger - while not quite as memorable - was still very good.

IMPORTANT: If you haven't already, please read the Texas Burger Guy terminology post. That will help you understand the terminology I use in this review.

Kitok's Cheeseburger
When I am going to a burger joint for the first time - I always have this feeling that I am going to be disappointed when I reach the place. I have been on more than 1 burger run where upon arriving at the location - I am met with something that clearly is not a mom and pop burger joint. Stuff like a sign advertising the website for the place... a huge updated state of the art building... I was happy to find none of that at Kitok's. In fact - I was a little worried that I had made a mistake and gone to a regular ol' Chinese restaurant or something. This place definitely had the look. One very important piece of business had to be undertaken... I had to take in the burger and see if I would be rewarded for my long drive... or if I just wasted an insane amount of gas for nothing. When the burger was first brought out - I couldn't help but notice that the chef that prepared the burger was not planning on this burger ending up on the web... The patty was everywhere... cheese everywhere... bun was messed up... it looked like a train wreck. It was still a very tasty little burger though... Here is how I see the Kitok's Cheeseburger ranking in the TexasBurgerGuy categories:

Oooze Factor
I long for the day when a waiter or waitress asks me how greasy I want my burger just like they ask me how I want it cooked... It'd be like "How greasy do you want that Megaburger? Super STP or Dry as Dirt?" That'd be swell.. BUT - as it is... you have to take what they give and Kitok's gave me a pretty average ooozy burger. It was greasy but not nearly as greasy as I'd liked. The fries however... were sitting very proudly in a pond of grease... if they could also figure out how to transfer the oooze... All in all - the burger was just greasy enough... not to the point of dry but not dripping either...
Oooze Factor Rating: 5


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Herd Killer
Kitok's is definitely not afraid to give you a good chunk of meat with their burgers... they dumped a good size patty on the burger. Rest assured somebody lost a friend or 2 to make this burger but no herd was wiped out completely to put this baby on the table...
Herd Killer Rating: 8

Handling
Since the burger had a little fixing up to do - I had to restack everything before I could take my first bite. This meant I could also do a little shmushin' to get it down to where I could actually eat the thing... It was every bit a 2 handed burger.
Handling Rating: 7

Bling Bling
What would you pay for a fully tummy of burger and oriental fries?? 10 bucks? Actually - less than 10 bucks if you can believe it. Very good prices considering the amount of food you get here..
Bling Bling Rating: 8

Gravedigger
The Kitok's Cheeseburger didn't leave me feeling the urge to call my kids and wife just in case the "big one" hit that day... There was a pretty good amount of grease on the fries... but I still didn't leave feeling very scared.
Gravedigger Rating: 4 Shovels



Overall Kitoks Cheeseburger Rating: 7

Restaurant Review
Kitok's initially struck me as a Chinese restaurant. I must admit I felt a little weird ordering a cheeseburger when the dude sitting behind me is snacking on an eggroll. But the food is good.. no question about that. The Oriental Fries that I have talked so much about... I have a picture below. Those things are pretty darn good. Take my advice and load them up with ketchup... they were made to be dipped in something. Overall - very good food at Kitok's...

Kitok's Oriental Fries

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Restaurant/Atmosphere
Kitok's is pretty much a "what you see is what you get" kind of place... No frills... nothing fancy. The inside is definitely not huge. It isn't cramped at all - just not a lot of extra room. I thought Kitok's nailed the ambience of a mom and pop burger joint even if that isn't what they were shooting for... The waitstaff was pretty good. Food arrived in a normal amount of time. I really enjoyed Kitoks. I was glad I made the trip even though the burger was not enough to knock my socks off - the fries were the most memorable of the visit.


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Directions
If anybody can figure out the streets of Waco... let me know. I think I counted 5 3-point turns during this trip to Waco. That's way lower than my average of 7.

Address
1815 N 18th St
Waco, TX 76707
(254) 754-1801

Map
Kitoks Map

TBG Overall Rating
Unique atmosphere and menu... where else can you order a good size cheeseburger, fries, and an eggroll??? (Jack in the Box doesn't count.)

Overall TBG Rating for Kitoks: 7.5

10 Comments:

At 6:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad you're back. I was worried that the Boondock burger had lived up to its gravedigger hype. Your reviews make me want to visit Texas if only for a burger tour. I think a burger circuit is in order. Make mine an STP Special, sir!

 
At 4:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah! Welcome back, you've been missed. I wanted to stop at Boondocks when I moved from New Mexico to North Carolina in June, but we ended up hitting Amarillo in the middle of the night. Oh well, maybe next trip.

When you're done with Texas you're going to move on to the rest of the country, right? :-)

 
At 4:21 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I went to college at baylor in Waco & anytime anyone goes near Waco, I tell them to go to Kitok's. I swear, people probably think I'm a shareholder or something!

The oriental fries are just awesome & not like anything I've had anywhere. I'm getting hungry thinking about them....I think a roadtrip is in order!

 
At 1:38 PM, Blogger quash said...

Oh man, Double LipLocker with cheese. I ate these in college but I'm sure there's still some in that big artery in my thigh...

 
At 6:44 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My wife and I went to Baylor where we made going to Kitok's a frequent date. We were fortunate enough to get to know Bob and Kitok, the owners , becoming long time friends.

Do make the effort to stop if you are even near Waco. The Double Lip Locker and the oriental fries are worth it! Thanks Bob and Kitok for the many great years.

Bruce and Renee

 
At 10:18 AM, Blogger Shelly Kneupper Tucker said...

Oh, I just linked one of my readers to this review. I love Kitok's! Your review is excellent!
This Eclectic Life

 
At 1:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my GOSH I just googled Kitok's to see if it is still around since the 80s when I frequented there, and found your awesome review complete with pics. NOW CRAVING!!! Ahh.. liplocker with cheese, oriental fries, stir-fried veggies, chicken soup w/potatoes in it. DROOL. As I recall Kitok's was owned/managed by a big fella who served in Korea and his wife he met there. Their lovely daughters worked there too, as wait staff etc. Hoping Kitok's is still as good as it was YEARS since my last visit.

 
At 9:44 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kitok is actually Korean and their Korean food is as good as their burgers.

Hey, you can't do this at any other burger joint: order your liplocker with kim chee. Yeah, don't knock it until you've tried it. My grandmother, God Rest her Soul, lived by it.

Trust me, especially you freaks for Asian food out there: order kim chee on the burger next time at Kitok's.

Yum.

 
At 7:46 AM, Blogger Jerod Starkey said...

Kitoks has to be one of my all time favorites.

Another joint to hit up if you're in Waco is Health Camp....it's on the circle...

 
At 5:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I drove ALL the way to Waco Just to get a glimpse of this SO-CALLED "Monster"...Turns out, the TxBurgerGuy has an AWESOME Camera! The Liplocker is NOWHERE Near as Big as he makes it out to be! I was Very disappointed! And the Oriental fries you guys "oooh & aahhh" over so much, are Terrible! WTH were you guys thinking??! Although, The Burger Was very tasty and the staff very friendly. Im just Baffeled at what you Wimps consider "2-handed burgers"! Trust me, Visit Arlington, Tx & I'll show you were you can get your money's worth--TEXAS STYLE!

Arthur: Arlington, Tx

 

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