Li’l Woody’s

On prior visits this establishment used to be worthy of at least three stars. Here’s how to merit a two-​star review.
When I look at the menu, and order the Cap Hill buttermilk chicken, get snapped with «We’re out.» Is there a sign anywhere that they’re out of chicken? No. Apparently my psychic powers are on the fritz because I ordered something on the menu they’re out of. And if you do have psychic powers, you wouldn’t need a sign posted about what’s currently unavailable. I ordered my choice at 11:20 am on a Saturday, FWIW, twenty minutes after Lil’ Woody’s opens.
Not into cheese that morning, so I let my group order first. Someone suggests I can have a DIY burger, but I ask for ¹⁄₃ pound patty with bacon. I am asked if I want cheese. I say no.
I’m asked if I want a drink. «I dunno. You’re not out of water too, are you?»
We tender a Chinook Book 2 for 1 coupon. To my ears it sounds like we save one whole dollar with our coupon so I look confused and I’m offered an itemized receipt (they don’t itemize the receipts automatically). I ask my group if they ordered drinks. The itemized receipt shows we are charged for two drinks and a milkshake instead of the one pop and one milkshake ordered.
Our food comes. My patty is well-​done and served with bacon in a bun. My seat has me looking at a giant image of a burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, onions while I eat the dry, dark, bare but for bacon patty but leave the bun because it’s limp and unappetizing.
Adequate service from my decades of visits to burger joints:
1. Notify people in advance if you’re out of a protein when the place opens. Or say «Sorry, we’re out» instead of «We’re out.»
2. Don’t assume you can get away with overcharging people by itemizing receipts only upon request.
3. Medium is in the middle of the burger ‘doneness’ spectrum, hockey puck and ‘just show the raw patty to the grill’/tartare are extremes on that spectrum. Don’t silently make the ‘hockey puck’ the de facto. Not fresh, not flavourful.
This is the same establishment that had written notice of daily feature burgers, so I know that pen and paper existed at one time as business items.
Four-​star and beyond service to burger joints:
4. If, as I now read, lettuce wrap options are available, TELL PEOPLE. Don’t think «mmm patty = burger.» I know the difference. A & W, an international burger chain with drive-​thrus, is better because they will alert customers to lettuce wrap options.
I feel like Li’l Woody’s wanted me to suffer by serving me a dry, tasteless patty on a bun because I’m not clairvoyant. So yes, A&W is a step up from my Li’l Woody’s experience.

Just had the chewiest, driest burger pattie in years at lil Woody’s. I don’t know if it was freezer burnt or bad meat or bad cooking but it was so off I couldn’t finish the burger. It’s unfortunate because the other ingredients seemed good. What a shame this place dropped the ball on the core component. Maybe it’s a bad day here but I dunno, I think it was bad enough that the cook could have noticed something. Plenty of better burgers around. 2 stars for décor, chill atmosphere and the other ingredients. Hopefully they can improve they’re consistency and quality checks for the future but I likely won’t be coming back.

If you like good, but greasy burgers and fries… this is the place to go. Price wasn’t too bad. $ 13 and change for two burgers and a good amount of fries. It wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t the worst. I can see myself coming back here.

Feels like a higher end American diner. Burgers are lovely (patty is flavorful), fries are oily and soggy, milkshakes taste like melted ice cream. «If I had stopped at the burgers, this place would be good» — my friend. The fries was unimpressive, personal preference that we don’t enjoy soggy fries but if you do you’ll enjoy this place. Came on a Friday night at 6.45pm and had lots of trouble finding a parking lot. Waiting time for food ~5mins

I can ‘t comment on the food as I walked out of the place after standing at the counter ready to order for several minutes and was completely ignored by both people behind the counter.

Good burger –fig in a pig– but fries were only poached in low temp oil and need the final crisping in higher temp oil (375 – 425 dep on the fryer and load size). Big oversight, especially considering its a burger place where everyone was ordering fries, embarrassing!
My complaint, apart from the fries, was that it was expensive– $ 40 for 3 burgers, 3 fizzy drinks and 1 fries to share. Fast food at that price should be flawless!

A couple of years ago I ate here and it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great but I knew I’d be eating there again if I was in the area and needed to have me some Hamburger.
Tonight was a different story.
Every burger place I eat at, I always ask them to make it «well done» because I have bad stomach problems eating raw hamburger meat. It’s not healthy to my stomach. Not everyone is the same. Usually the places I’ve eaten burgers comply with no problems.
Tonight when I asked the person at the counter of Li’l Woody’s to please make it «well done» without onions (another thing that causes stomach problems)… I got a look from them like… «What? Don’t tell me how to cook burgers…»
I thought I should have explained what undercooked meat does to my stomach but I wasn’t in the mood. I was being really nice and polite and all I got in return was a bad attitude.
Since I had eaten there before, but a long time ago, I kinda knew what I was getting.
However, what I got wasn’t nearly as good as I remember.
First of all, when the food was delivered to me, it was thrown rather than placed in front of me. I noticed right away that the wrappers were soaked in grease. That proved to be the tip of the ice berg. The burger bun was soaked with grease. It took me three napkins to wipe the grease off my fingers after the first bite. I didn’t look into the meat right away because I was so hungry. The fries were just as greasy. After every handful… several napkins were used. I was piling up a lot of napkins quickly. The fries were also extremely salted. Even now my tongue hurts from all the salt and it’s 3 hours later. I went back to the burger to check if the meat was dark or pink… nope… it was bright red all the way through the burger!!!
Needless to say I stopped eating the meat and just ate the very greasy bun instead. I was very hungry and getting really upset at this place.
Because of the attitude that encountered when I placed my order, I knew that it wouldn’t be wise to yell at them about this. If they had offered to cook up a new burger, my feeling was that they would have made it filthy in some other way just to get back at me for complaining that they didn’t get the order right in the first place.
So I threw the rest of it and the fries away.
I’m glad I didn’t throw up on the drive home but had to take stomach medicine as soon as I walked in the door.
I won’t be eating at Li’l Woodys again any time soon. I highly advise you to do the same.

Phenomenal burgers!!! So good we ate there twice in 24 hours!!! Best believe this is THE BEST burger joint in Seattle… Hands down!!!

Came here for lunch. Dropped $ 10 for a simple lunch with no drink… burger, lettuce ($ 0.5), tomato ($ 0.5) and cheese ($ 0.5). Seriously, being charged for two slices of lettuce is just a bit silly. The lettuce and tomato, as well as the bun were fresh. The fries were good, until they cooled off, then had a strange texture. The worst part was the meat. Overcooked, dry, no flavor. Was it a frozen patty slapped on a grill? If not, tasted like it. I think I’ll keep walking next time to Scooters. (The inside is fun. But the food is not.)

I did a build a burger ! Lettuce, bacon, onion ring, Avocado, BBQ sauce. Basically a BBQ burger and a bed of fries and it was so good! Perfect sized built and held up till the end due to the avocado. Fries lightly salted and had siracha Mayo with fries. And ginger ale. I would definitely recommend

It’s a good burger. My review in 4 words right there folks :)
My personal comparison to other burgers I’ve had recently in order of least fave to most:
McD’s — Dick’s — Caliburger — Lil Woody’s — In n Out — Shake Shack
This may be a highly controversial list but it’s just IMHO.
Lil Woody’s is priced reasonably, good quality, fresh, flavorful, juicy, toasty, and friendly. Their shakes are seriously incredibly DELISH because they are made with Molly Moon’s icecream. Fries are quite good as well! Definitely not a fast food joint but service is quick so you can grab a quick bite. …yet you can also sit down and enjoy.
Check it out ! I highly recommended it for an affordable, quick, and tasty non — fast-​food burger!

One of the stops during Halloween off a recommendation of a friend in the group. Fortunately I wasn’t the only one who wanted a burger! :)
Lil’ Woody’s reminds me of a throwback little shop with the baskets and all. I wanted a burger, but didn’t know what kind of burger so I just ordered the Fig burger. Very interesting. I enjoyed it and would probably order it again. It’s definitely different, (not by much, IMO) though it was still tasty. The fries were good as well, very thin cut but for a basket of fries for 2.5 you can’t beat that.
Would come back sometime!

So I went back to Lil’ Woody’s two more times after my last review and both times the food was better. Burger cooked just right. Lettuce wrap was crisp and generous. Fries were fried nicely.
I don’t like that you’re nickel and dimed over every topping (really? 50 cents for pickles?) but I’m bumping my review up 1 star for the good service and good cooking. Hat tip to you, Lil’ Woody’s!

I am a bacon burger lover, so I usually don’t stray from that. I get the Big Woody and I always love it. The burger are thin, but still juicy. They don’t ever ask me how I want it cooked, it always seems a little more cooked than I wanted, but not enough to remember to ask about it next time. I love the buns, light but chewy. They also put a big chunk of lettuce, which is a good crunchy contrast to a messy, meaty burger. I am usually unimpressed with the fries, so I just don’t order them. I like the music that they play too, so bonus for that.

Three and a half stars is right on,; I’ll give them 4 because I like them.
Burgers are good diner-​type burgers. Big flavor. The fries are alright. You can eat here for $ 10 – 15 for lunch with a drink and fries.
Service has always been matter of fact but fine. I will continue to return. What they’re doing, they’re doing well!

These guys have got the right idea when it comes o making a dang good burger.
Recommendations: «The Fig and Pig» which is a burger with bacon, pickled fig spread, and blue cheese. After trying this, I strongly feel most everything should have their pickled fig spread on it! (Mix it with the chile from «The New Mexican» and it’s heaven)
«The New Mexican” — as a pound born and bred New Mexican, I was obligated to try this Berger bearing the namesake of my homeland. It was incredibly good. The roasted Hatch green chile was of course the selling point. I think it could do without the mass of «queso cheese» sauce and would do well with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese in its place.
Craving a good old dirty burger? Give Lil’ Woody’s a try.

Who doesn’t love a good burger and fries? I’d heard many good things about Li’l Woody’s and couldn’t wait to stop in.
As it was my first time, I ordered the Li’l Woody and a side of fries. Really good and very reasonably priced for both — about $ 7 or so. Next time, I need to try out the Fig and the Pig with a side of crack (i.e. fries with ice cream to dip in… drool).
The other cool thing is this spot is right next to a movie theater. Perfect combination.

The Li’l Woody’s in Cap Hill used to be my fave, but I think I will have to choose this location as my new favorite due to its convenience! This location is waaay cleaner than the other in my opinion, and it gets less crowded during peak hours.
They also give you order numbers at this place and come to your table, vs the other location where they call you number and you have to run all the way downstairs to get your food.
Food quality is about the same. Still deliciously unhealthy for you, but who ever wants a healthy burger? Lol!

I visited Li’l Woody’s after exploring the Ballard Farmer’s Market on a Sunday (which I highly recommend). Li’l Woody’s was the perfect combination of casual dining and amazing food. Their burgers are amazing! So simple, yet so delicious. I got the «Big Woody» which is ¹⁄₃ lb. burger with bacon, Tillamook cheddar, chopped onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato (bleck, I opted out of that), ketchup, and mayo. The burger was perfect. You can build your own burger as well, but the idea was too overwhelming. One weird thing about them is that they offer PEANUT BUTTER as one of their burger toppings… Like, what?! Overall, my experience at Li’l Woody’s in Ballard was AMAZING. Definitely worth the try if you’re nearby.
P. S. They also have Molly Moon’s… and make sure you get the fries. The fries are so good.

Great burgers! I particularly enjoyed the Pendleton burger with a side of fries this most recent time. The burger was big and juicy and cooked perfectly to my satisfaction. I love that the Pendleton also has onion rings and BBQ sauce which really brought it together.
Their fries are super thin and crispy but be sure to eat them quickly bc they are not as good when cold. Not too greasy.
They also have a selection of Molly Moons ice cream that you can make into a shake, sundae, or just plain dessert.