The Telway

Telway is a classic. My grandparents from Kentucky ask us to bring some burgers when we visit. The food is always prepared in a timely manner and it’s just greasy enough to feel satisfied yet not disgusted like a drive through burger. Just be sure to bring cash. They only accept cash. I also love that it’s 24 hours. It is a great midnight snack on the nights you want to feel young.

Gross. Couldn’t even eat it. Disgusting meat put on bread and served in a paper bag. White Castle is 10x better.

Telway is a Madison Heights institution. They have great coneys, sliders and fries. Don’t hold me to this, but I believe they’re cash only. But that’s OK, because it doesn’t cost you that much to eat there anyways. The best deal in the house is a carry out, four burgers for less than four dollars. (2016) The sliders are three bite nuggets of deliciousness. Well worth popping in after a long night at the bar, or work, or driving around, or exercising… Ok, you get the point. Just go!

The burgers taste good and fries crispy. I decided not to go there anymore after I watched a cockroach skitter across the grill that was lined with burgers. After it crossed the grill and disappeared, I asked the lady if that was what I thought it was. She said «no», it was a water beetle. I’m outta here!

This place is awesome! Went here because I knew the owners daughter and she said try it it and so I did! Loved it. Oh and great service!

Nice people but, where’s the beef?!? After trying Bates the week before (which was AWESOME) I decided to give Telway a shot. Worse idea ever (ok not worst — there was that time I ate at Taco Bell) but it was not a good experience. There was no beef on the burgers, had a nasty after taste, and gave me gas. None of which happened with Bates. In short don’t do it.

Get yourself a sack of sliders. The American Classic burger. Can’t go wrong here. The price is right and very delicious

My husband, a Madison Heights native, brought me here last time we visited, with the warning that this place can’t be judged by its cover. It’s a dive, simple as that, but it has a certain diner, 70’s charm that I really, really like.
It seems the employees enjoy their job, but with as successful as the place is, they don’t place an emphasis on the warm and fuzzies, which is fine — I’m just there to get a greasy bag of meat and go.
The burgers were really good! They buns were soft and fresh and the burgers are deceptively delicious. You’re eating… and the next thing you know they’re all gone! –_​–
I would (for out of towers) describe this best as the better, fresher version of white castles (though I don’t like White Castles, and I thought Telway was yummy).
Swing by some time, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Really what is not to like about a old time Hamburg sandwich place? Solid cheeseburger slider with great caramelized onions cooked on a flat top somewhere in the back. Don’t come here looking for that fat burger, come in for the real deal.

I’m rating this for what it is – a diner dive. Landmark of Madison Heights. First time I came here even though I’ve lived in the area for all my life, and went with my mom. We tried a bunch of stuff — cheeseburgers, onion rings, chocolate shake, chili dog and donuts. Barely broke $ 10. Great price, and the food is what you’d expect… fast, greasy and good when you crave it.
Service was friendly in a gruff sort of way — I liked it. You could tell there were a lot of regulars and their names and orders were known when they walked in. Donuts were brought in fresh and are good if you like yeast donuts. Cheeseburgers and small and made right. I could easily eat a dozen of them if I didn’t restrain myself. The chocolate shake was meh, just came out of a machine and was a standard chocolate and sugar mixture. Not bad, but I’ll pass next time.
Onion rings were disappointing, thrown right in the fryer right out of a frozen bag — for the price, that’s not a problem, but I just didn’t like whatever brand they used. The chili dog was good, and I’d order that again.
Bottom line, get over here and get some cheeseburgers when your grease taste buds kick in. Get a donut and a chili dog while you’re at it :)

literally the best sliders ever. plus! great fries, onion rings, and coffee. the sliders themselves have buns steamed to perfection and the little tiny grilled onions are perfect. I’ve had a lot of sliders and there’s something magic about these. which is so weird because you can watch them make these and it doesn’t look like anything special! pre packaged cheese sliced, lil meat patties with the usual condiments. it must be the buns. prices are great, you can easily eat yourself sick without emptying your wallet. (but don’t do that, please.) some people love the shakes, I think they’re a little too thick, not creamy enough. 24 hours! always a plus. at 2 AM full of weird kids with dyed hair and piercings straight out of a concert, skip forward to 5 AM and it’s full of old people chatting over coffee. definitely a great part of the community. we love you telway.

This place is awesome, the perfect food after a hard night of drinking. It’s cash only, so that almost cost them a star, but then the footlong chilidog made me change my mind. Good stuff.

My guilty pleasure sin for my waist line food. Sliders with all the bad sides.
In Royal Oak it’s Comet Burger.
North of RO it’s The Telway.
Grilled and fried perfection. You walk in and your senses are overwhelmed by the onions and burgers on the grill and my plan of having only one quick single is out the window.
So two sliders extra mustard, fresh fries and yes, onion rings .
Dessert, looks good, but my then my diet guilt has kicked in and I put my sunglasses on and sneak out before I am seen

Local treasure Telway serves up the quintessential slider & fries at a good price, with friendly service in a old-​time environment.
I hear the pie is good too, but I’ve never got room to try it!
The Telway is tiny, you’ll either sit at the counter or at the window, but it’s perfect to pop in for some good, hot comfort food.
Of note: Cash Only.

The first time I stopped into the telway was at the request of my parents, who lived in Royal Oak almost 40 years ago. This place has been on this street corner that long. If nothing else, that should entice you, as restaurants have trouble staying open like that in this day and age.
Let me start by saying they are open ²⁴⁄₇ 364. Christmas Day they are closed because it is also coincidentally the owners birthday. That’s just outrageous. Also this place is cash only. But it’s so cheap you can scrounge up enough money from the seat cushions of your car to fill your belly. Also the interior is small, can maybe sit 12 people max. So you may end up eating in your car or at home, which is perfectly fine.
It specializes in sliders. These delicious little nuggets are simple and come with pickles and onions and cheese on them. They are greasy, and fantastic. Make sure you get at least 3 when you go. Also the chili cheese fries are the bomb. They use their own recipe and the chili is saucy and coats the fries perfectly.
You cannot beat this type of food late night after a night out. And yes, it even tops Little Bros and Comet Burger downtown Royal Oak if you’re wondering. Just go try it.
Overall: great artery clogging sliders and hours that cannot be beat. Do yourself a favor and take a couple months off your lifespan here, you won’t regret it.

A true guilty pleasure!
Open 24 hrs!
If you are in the mood for some tasty sliders or great coneys, Tel Way is your place every hour of the day. The Onion Rings pair well with either the burgers or coneys. You can eat like a king for around 5 bucks. The carry-​out waiting area is a bit intimate, but its a small price to pay to get your late night condy fix.
**Cash Only**

A1. What more can you ask. Open 24hrs. Great sliders. Great coffee. Great shakes. Chili cheese. Cheap. That’s all the bases right there. Covered. Except for the bathroom base. There’s definitely no bathroom, so that. That’s probably a good thing though.

I stopped with with a group of friends late on a Friday, one of whom was already a devotee. We could smell the burgers before we entered the small stand alone building.
We ate sitting Nighthawks style at the counter. They have a separate window for take out orders. This is a no thrills slider diner. I think sliders have different expectations than burgers. These had all the makings: small thin burger, thin grilled onions, pickles and soft bun. The patties are a bit smaller than I like as the burger is smaller than the bun, but still a good slider. The fries were just average, I wanted them to be crisper. The menu (or really what they serve as I’m not sure they have actual menus) is limited, though they do have several types of pie. The guys also liked the coffee. The staff is friendly and get the orders out quickly.
Few things to note: they take cash, and, as posted, not Canadian. There are no restrooms.

I don’t get it.
Of the half-​dozen or so slider-​centric dives in the Madison Heights /​Hazel Park /​Royal Oak /​Birmingham area, The Telway is easily the least impressive. To my taste buds at least.
Don’t get me wrong. They are perfectly palatable, but that’s about it. Nothing distinguishing except for how terribly undistinguished they are. Barely (arguably?) a step up from fast food. If I lived within walking distance of the Telway and was still young enough that I was regularly closing out the area bars, I would totally be a 2am regular. But unfortunately that’s not saying much. I would go just about anywhere for a booze-​soaking gut bomb at that hour.
Sorry Telway. XoXo

So let me be up front this place is the real deal! It may look a little shabby and iffy but it’s original and quite wonderful. The store in in two parts the takeaway window and the small sitting area that has a counter to sit at.
The sliders are made slow but in volume and it can’t get much better! I know there a loyal legions to White Castle but whities has nothing on hand made 12 at a time on a grill spot slider joint like this!
The daily special is 4sliders for 3.49 and with a fry it will be 4.96 and I can tell you it’s with every penny and more!
It’s a cash only place so leave your plastic and home, bring the kids to one of the last places on earth that’s not a chain and tastes like real food should!
When it comes to burgers and sliders, this is the place in warren!