Jack’s North Hi Carry Out

This retro little joint by North High is old school authentic. It has a genuine good olé 50’s vibe and has been turning out burgers and fries since 1951. The fries were flavorful and crisp– the kind where you can still see some of the potato skin. My burger was well seasoned. No wonder people have been getting their fix at Jack’s for 62 years! Plus the owner Austin was quite friendly and welcoming.

This place is within several blocks of where I live. That alone means it merits a visit.
Beyond that, what I can say is compared to several other nearby burger joints on 13^th, including Charlie’s and Betta Burger, Jack’s still comes out on top. The menu is a bit more compact than the other two places, but there’s something about the location itself and the fact that the guy working the counter can be seen putting the order together at all times and with ease.
The burger itself is seasoned decently enough, and the fries are similar to those seen at a number of other local spots — both plusses in my book.
As for the chili, it’s not all that impressive, but it is an option if you must have it.
In all, the place scores big on being a fixture in the surrounding community. It IS an extension of North High, which is directly across 13^th, and you can tell from all of the school photos and promotional items on the wall. Any business with such a focus in it’s respective community is definitely one worth supporting.

Good old fashioned burgers. Owner always remembers how I like my burgers. Can get loud when women are screaming into their cellphones.

Jack’s has been around for more than a few years, though it has had a little trouble finding an owner recently. You can read William L.‘s review for the skinny on Joe Moore, though I don’t think that family owns the place anymore, as the burgers have once again been revamped in a significant way.
Of course, this is Wichita, so it’s not anything we haven’t seen before in one way or another, though I have to say that the crust and juiciness of this burger made for one of the better one’s I’d had in a while. It may have been only ¹⁄₃ of a pound or so, but it wasn’t smashed thin. The heel of the bun was a little weak, but otherwise it’s was pretty tasty. If watching the dude behind the counter cut an onion wasn’t enough indication, I could tell this guy had some semblence of what he was doing.
Given Jack’s prominent display of their chili, I ordered my fries be smothered with them. The fries was fresh, thin, and salty, though the chili tasted pretty canned and boring.
The name, menu items, and much of the decorations come from the high school across the street, and I would imagine those kids comprise of 90% of Jack’s business during school months. It’s this sense of community that brings a level of uniqueness to the restaurant, and I imagine there will be some kids that will remain fans of Jack’s for long after they’ve graduated.

This place has been around since 1951 and opened under new management this year. The new owner, Joe Moore died from a heart attack Nov 2. Opening Jack’s was his dream and his wife is going to keep it going.
I stopped by tonight and sorry to say was not impressed with my cheeseburger and fries. The burger had no flavor and was paper thin. The fries were the frozen wavy type.
This was a big disappointment and I really wanted to like it.