Wedl’s Hamburger Stand

Great no-​nonsense burger from a teeny shack.
What’s better than eating a couple burgers with onions and a shake at a picnic table in summer? Nothing. That’s right. This place tastes like America.

Seriously, i’m bothered that i never tried this place sooner, i’ve been to many of the «must go» burger places in the area and the upper midwest, and this place for a straight up cheeseburger is great. no gimmick’s or special sauces or oddball toppings, Just a damn good burger.

Omg. Burger awesomeness! This was so freaking good. Little quaint place with friendly service. Loved it!

Yesterday, I went to Wedl’s for the first time in my life. It was, without a doubt, one of the single greatest burgers that I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Yes, the burgers are cooked in a lot of grease, but they melt like butter in your mouth. Definitely get your burger topped with the cooked onions. They’re fantastic. The French fries are all that you would expect to go with a truly amazing burger. On the way out, I decided to order chicken tenders for the car ride. I am so glad I did. They might be the best chicken tenders that I have ever had.

How could something this tiny turn out some amazing cheeseburgers. Yes, grease is the king here and you must get your burger topped with fried onions. The burger grease+onions+cheese come together to form a most perfect melty taste that can’t be beat. Order at the stand, wait for your number to be called, enjoy!

This place always has rave reviews. My theory is the bandwagon effect. Ever since this place was shown on TV, the quality has diminished while prices went sky high. The burgers are rubbery and bland in taste. The french fries are never cooked correctly. They should have a crisp texture but instead are mush. The bacon cheeseburger had only one piece of bacon on it. If you don’t believe me, check the picture that I posted. There is no explanation for this besides the business being cheap. Overall, this place is subpar at best. And yes, I am a Jefferson native. I have seen this business change and adapt even when it was Armstrong’s, but this has gone too far. I will definitely go elsewhere for a higher quality burger even if I have to drive out to Madison to accomplish this.

We stopped over here on Saturday. I had high expectations as I seen this was a highly ranked hamburger stand. They didn’t disappoint. I had the bacon double cheese burger cheese curds and a sundae. All were delious. Burger was juicy and tasty. Curds very flavorful and not overcooked. And Sundae was huge and very good. Definitely will be stopping back.

Wedl’s hamburger stand has amazing burgers that are tender and delicious. Take your family.

Wedl’s is a great local favorite for ice cream and burgers. The little hamburger cooking shack outside of the restaurant adds that extra layer of hometown charm. I highly recommend getting fried onions on any of the burgers, very tasty!

Can’t beat mushroom & swiss day (Wednesdays)!!

Food is pretty good, but if they are busy be prepared to wait, and wait… And wait. Burgers are not huge, but they taste good. Portions on fries can be a little small when they get super busy or just depending on who the person is making them. They do need to work on timing the fries tend to get cold from sitting when they fry them right after u order and your food isn’t done for another half hour. Over all it’s a good place to give a chance at least once.

My 3-​star assessment after one visit may be too low. Perhaps it would’ve been higher if I’d visited for the first time in the summer rather than gloomy fall, which forced indoor eating. Nevertheless, Wedl’s is a legend, I reckon. I was made aware of it via some TV show on burgers and it looked tantalizing how they cook the burgers in loads of lard/​grease and onions.
The fries here were just OK but the burger had a special Wisconsin burger type of taste to it. Very rich and almost a knockout punch. It was very elemental and dressed plainly but had all the elements of a rockin’ burger. I adore the little stand apart from the main building and the tradition of cooking up burgers very simply and ritualistically. Hopefully this place will stay open for the next 100 years because it’s one of those sweet local joints.

Went to wedls with some coworkers for lunch this week. The stand was pretty busy and we had to wait 10 minutes to eat but it was well worth it. We go double bacon cheeseburgers and they were delicious. The burgers are greasy but I like mine exactly like that. Will definitely be going back to try the rest of the menu.

Sooooooo good!!! I love this place. The food, the nostalgia, the stories, all sooooo good! I would recommend ordering three burgers. If you cannot finish them all you can always have leftover deliciousness for later!

I feel like I should hide under a chair or such as I type this. I don’t get it. Their burgers — I just don’t get them. At all. They’re rubbery, too salty, not crispy, not the right kind of juicy. The fried onions are more like boiled in fat onions, not fried. Maybe I was expecting too much on the burger side of things. I don’t know. I was hugely disappointed.
With that all said — they have Chocolate Shoppe ice cream which thrills me to bits! They have a huge variety of creative sundaes and malts/​shakes and their mostly teenaged staff is friendly and quick. The inside of this place is a big win for me, the outside burger shack, no so much.

I’m afraid that my cheeseburger fascination might be getting out of hand. We’ve traveled 1000’s of miles to taste such celebrated burgers as XXX in Indiana and the famous White Manna in Hackensack. Shockingly, it took several years to travel a few miles down 94 to go to Wedl’s in Jefferson.
My hamburger Nirvana? Patties smashed ultra thin– soft, appropriately sized buns, and simple toppings. Wedl’s hit this one out of the park. A massive spatula smashes a 3oz ball of meat onto a super hot grill. The result? A crispy layer of meet smother by cheese and onions. PERFECT. Oh and all of this in a 80 square foot shack.
Go now– eat burger. WINTER is coming.

Mighty fine burgers!
We ordered a single cheeseburger, a double cheeseburger, fries, onion rings, and a junior sundae for $ 13.95!
The patties are thin, made from fresh from a ball of ground meat, and cooked in their own grease in this tiny hut. Be sure to get yours with fried onions! You can spear your own pickle slices from the container by the order counter.
The end result is a juicy, delectable, melt-​in-​your-​mouth concoction served in a soft bun.
We got the cookie dough peanut butter sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. The Chocolate Shoppe ice cream was very creamy and a good way to cap off this burger experience, that was a feature on the travel channel.
Tip: The bigger building is the ice cream parlor, but you order the burgers from the stand.

Wedl’s is a little — I mean, 65-​square-​feet little — hamburger shack in Jefferson. It’s dangerously close to the street and right across the sidewalk is the a little ice cream parlor that they share outdoor seating with.
It’s a simple menu and despite the variety of selections, you’re here for one thing: a burger with grilled onions. Place your order and watch as they smash a sphere of seasoned ground beef into a patty on top of the 90+ year old cast-​iron griddle, swimming in beef fat and rough-​cut white onion. Then feel free to sit on the bench and sip your can of pop during the 5 minute wait for your order. Collect your plate, throw what you like on your burger, and chow down. Fixin’s available include ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, pickle relish, Wedl sauce (dunno what it is, but it’s there and labeled), what I think was sauerkraut, and dill pickle slices.
Cheap eats and a pretty good burger. Crinkle-​cut fries were hot and crispy, which was nice to see. Pop, as I said, is Pepsi products in cans. If you’re in the area, make a stop — it’s worth a visit but not necessarily a trip. I recommend Wedl’s.

Wedls is a local treasure in Jefferson. They have phenomenal hard ice cream. The portions are fair for their price point. They have a number of flavors/​toppings/​combinations. I recommend the cheesecake sundae with strawberry topping.
The burgers are hearty. A double bacon was quite sufficient for my appetite. Definitely get the grilled onions… they are perfectly cooked… tender, but with a little oniony bite. The burger was greasy and started to bless through the old-​fashioned wax paper wrapper.
Skip the French fries. They are forgettably bland. Steak cut thickness with crinkles – they cry out for more salt and a little more crispiness.
Most recently walked out with a double bacon cheeseburger, French fries, and a single cone for $ 8 and change.

I’ll almost always stop at a place that’s been open for three decades or more, especially if they brag about it. Since around 1917, Wedl’s have been serving burgers griddled on a flattop, in lard and onions, in the tiny burg of Jefferson, Wisconsin, on US Highway 18 between Madison and Milwaukee. I understand that the place has gone through a number of owners during their nearly one century of operation, but locals say the recipes and methods haven’t changed in all those years.
As the burgers are cooked and served from an 8×8 wood shack on the sidewalk, the business is only open seasonally.
They’ve recently purchased the adjacent building and can now offer indoor seating as well as some ice cream on the side.
Burgers are available in one, two, or three patties, and of course with your choice of cheese, bacon and the like. Condiments are left up to you from bins and bottles on the counter. Fries, rings and a few other menu items are available.
You order from either the new building or the shack window, if you are ‘dining in’ (or al fresco), they will bring you your order when it’s ready, but it seems like the majority of customers are grabbing sacks to go. A single burger clocks in at under $ 2.00, and while other diners have described these as «sliders», they most certainly are not, easily topping the size and weight of your standard McDonald’s burger.
The chef-​du-​jour takes a fist full of fresh ground beef, puts it on the sizzling flattop, and smashes it, where it cooks quickly. Fresh large-​chopped white onions are being sauteed next to and around the burger patties; cook seems to be able to handle about 20 or more patties at a time.
The buns are soft, but firm enough to hold the burger. Some dash of «secret seasoning» and your hamburg sandwich is ready for consumption. I tried both a plan and a cheese, and I have to say, these are some of the best hamburgers I have had in year. I liked the texture of the grind, the seasoning, and the bun. I added my usual dill pickle chips and yellow mustard as condiments, though the burger doesn’t really need any help. Ordinary crinkle cut fries are… ordinary, but a nice side nonetheless.
I drove a couple hours out of my way to hit this place, and it was worth it. I might just drive a few hours out of my way on a regular basis for the rest of my Midwest visit!