Johnson’s Drive In Restaurant

Think 1960 when you walk into this place. Get there early. We got there just after 11:00am and just a few seats at the counter were available. Everything about this place screams simple and efficient. The owner cooks, another guy runs the fryer that cooks the French fries. One woman toasts and prepares the buns and a second lady waits on people and serves the food. Great burgers. They use Velveeta cheese. They ask you what you want on your burger. Great deal. Loved the old time charm. Lots of locals

This the best burger in my life I can’t believe this is 3 ½ star rating I have been traveling around the world for a year and this by far is the best burger ever

Long legs like mine don’t fit well at the counter and standing in line for a seat at 11 am on a Saturday isn’t one of my favorite things. That said, I’ll still put this as 8 of the best dollars I’ve ever spent (cheeseburger fries and drink). Watching a real burger artist work is a real joy for me. The burgers are the attraction, and worth the little hassle. If my cheeseburger played guitar it would have been Jimmy Page. Stairway to Heaven on a bun!
Burgers are cooked about a dozen at a time, smashed out on a flat-​top grill to get nice a crunchy on the outside. They get flipped, salted, and a giant hunk of Velveeta (ish) cheese is cut and laid on top. Soon that’s covered with a Toastmaster grilled bun while toppings are put on the toasted bottoms. Most seem to order Carolina style, with mustard chili and slaw, but I’m traditional so had mine with lettuce tomato and mayonnaise.
I kept thinking of the classic Saturday Night Live skit (Olympia Restuarant– look it up) with the ‘no Coke; Pepsi’, and the simple menu. No plate, no frills, no funky toppings, just burgers and hotdogs, and fries of course. The fries are hot crunchy and excellent.
This is easy to find and about 40 miles from Greensboro. Take 421 South to Hwy 64 toward Siler City. Look on the left, just before and across the street from Sonic.

OMG! The best cheeseburgers around!!! I happily drive from Raleigh to get my Johnson’s fix!

This is not «fast food». But it is great food! Its simple and delicious and made by super nice people. Yes, you have to pay for refills but sodas are served by the can and its inexpensive to begin with. Its a busy and very small place. They only seat 37 people max and they’re closed Sunday and Monday. If you’re impatient, in a hurry or expecting a gourmet experience, this may not be your cup of tea.
However, if you want a really exceptional, dripping with deliciousness hamburger, hot dog and French fry experience then this is the real deal. We did have to wait for a booth for 10 minutes but everyone was nice and took their turn. The fries came first, they were so hot they would burn your tongue when you bit into their crunchy perfect exterior. We enjoyed them immensely. The cheeseburger came the minute we finished our fries and it was worth the wait. It is covered in Velveeta and literally dripped with yumminess. We also shared a hot dog all the way. It too was so perfectly balanced in flavor that we ordered a combo dog, which has Velveeta. I wouldn’t have thought some cheese would make so much difference, it did. Our waitress was delightful and although she was hustling, she was very sweet and kind to my elderly parents and made the experience even better. We loved every delicious bite and will definitely be going back!

I know a 2-​star review of Johnson’s will place me in the minority, but my experience there was not a good one. The place was filled with regulars (the staff seemed to know most everybody by name), and it is wildly popular, but I don’t understand why. I ordered a cheese burger and fries for take-​out. I waited about 25 minutes for my order, largely due to the way the burgers were cooked. Orders are grouped – I’m not sure of the magic number of orders required to form a group (looked to be 6 or 8), but all the burgers in the group of orders go on the grill at the same time. No new orders go on the grill until all the burgers in the previous group are cooked and served (this isn’t due to the grill being full – the grill is a large flat-​top, and was only about ¹⁄₃ full). My order was apparently the third group in line, so I waited through the cooking of 3 sets of burgers before being served, thus the long wait. My (previously frozen) fries went on the counter about the time group 2 burgers were going on the grill, so they were cold by the time my burger was ready. At least the burger was hot, but it was nothing special. The burger didn’t seem as large as those in the photos, and the bottom bun was stale – I saw one of the staff throw away numerous buns before toasting them, probably because they weren’t fresh; guess she just missed mine. I actually didn’t mind the Velveeta. Perhaps it was just the long wait that put me off, but this isn’t a place that will eventually know my name, and I’m still looking for a local burger that is smashed flat, crispy thin on the edges, and grilled with onions…

If you want the best burger in this state at the least this is where you go. That’s it. Watch your burger get cooked if you want. I’ve always been served immediately. This is where I learned to cook burgers by watching. The meat has and always will be top quality and incredibly fresh. Yes it costs more than a few of the other joints in town. Don’t fool yourself, it’s better. The taste, the quality, it’s better.

Was not impressed after a 52 mile drive. They put the mustard, slaw and chili on the bottom of the cheeseburger instead of the top. It made for one sloppy wet mess. May as well have eaten it with a fork. No more 52 mile rides.

Food is pretty good but service is lousy. They skip out of sequence and serve people they know first. If you have patience, it is worth trying.

These burgers are like crack, seriously they are really addictive! Every time I go here it’s the same guy making them (I assume he’s the owner — looks like he might possibly be the original owner?). They are made with copious amounts of Velveeta cheese (yes Velveeta cheese is gross, but for some reason it tastes delicious on these burgers), and placed on a grilled bun, with all kinds of topping options (who knew slaw was good on a burger?!). The burger comes out on a piece of wax paper, and is very messy to eat so make sure you get a fork to scoop up all the oozed out goodness! And just as good as the burger is the fries, they are seriously tasty! The only downside is they only take cash, and a lot of times I forget this and have to keep driving to someplace that takes cards. That and it’s a bit pricy for what it is, around $ 8 for a regular sized burger, fries, and a can of soda. Personally I think they should have a combo deal for around $ 6.50. Also, the bathroom is ridiculously small. But still, it’s worth it to me so I stop by as often as I can.

really, this place was just sad… velveeta? it’s not even cheese, it’s oil and this guy puts that on my burger? I told him to take it back and make a hamburger instead. He took it slid the velveeta off put it on the grill and then give it back to me. I took a bite just too see if it was any good, you could tell it was fresh ground but hell so is Cracker Barrel’s but I’ll get real cheese there and a better bun or sourdough bread. So i took that bite, a sip of tea, said no thanks pushed the plate towards the counter and walked out. Can’t believe people actually pay for that slop.

Excellent every time I stop by. Just order cheeseburgers «all the way», the way they do it!!! Best ever!!!

Made my somewhat annual trip to this classic NC spot today. It is awesome as always. Cheeseburger extraordinaire and prices that seem like a throwback to the 60’s. The burgers are not huge, so if you want gourmet or the unusual, this is not the place. But for a traditional cheeseburger at its best, Johnson’s is still several cuts above.
But don’t be in a hurry, and know the hours. It is locally-​owned and run. Only open for lunch Tues-​Sat. When they run out, they are done. The service can be slow, but when you taste the result, you appreciate the extra care put into the product. Still one of my favorite places.

O.K., Been there, done that, ate my burger and left. A neat experience although a little crowded, the burger was good but I have never had a bad one. Glad I went but nothing is drawing me back. Would prefer a more quiet and relaxed atmosphere.

Great little place. My husband & I found it by accident and just in time cause they close at 2pm. Fantastic «diner» style cheeseburgers & chili fries served up hot & fresh. Staff is FABULOUS! ! Will definitely be back when in the area.

The only reason I give it a 2 star is the fact that I know the owner grinds his hamburger fresh daily and the burgers are very good.
The reason I don’t give it a better score is for a lot of reasons.
The sweet tea is REALLY sweet. I could mix it with half water and it woud be about right. I like my tea sweet, but not that sweet. I don’t like the little cups they give it to you in and then don’t refill it without asking a few times. If you buy a coke or soda, you get the can with a cup of ice but no refills on those. Most of the time, my drink is long gone before the fries and burger have arrived.
When you go in, you have to stand in line and wait for a table. Now, I realize this is tradition, but I don’t have time to stand in line for 15 – 30 minutes and wait for a table. The place closes when his last burger is sold (from his fresh ground), which is nice, but standing in line, waiting and waiting, smelling the grill and wondering if you are even going to get one makes me pass up the store when I’m searching for a hamburger joint.
I had a burger and love the melted cheese on it and the fries are pretty good. It’s a known historical spot for Siler City and people will come to Siler City just to go to Johnson’s and that’s great. I don’t find what all the fuss is about, other than the good burger which I can get just like it down the road, and not have to stand in line for.
I have local friends tell me that because they are of color, they are treated very badly in this store. Since I haven’t witnessed it first hand there (and if I did, I would NEVER return), I won’t judge a star based on that.

Great cheeseburgers grilled right in front of you. Served up with nice hot fries by friendly folks, and the bill is less than fast food … What more could you ask for?

Truly a greasy spoon hamburger joint with a wait list past 11:50. Please understand, the service is good, the burgers are fresh, not frozen and awesome and yet a bit greasy for me. There goal is to get people in and out as fast as possible. The prices are reasonable but there are no free refills, they want to fill your seat again, not allow you to socialize with free refills. Knowing that, the service was phenomenal and friendly. The cheese everyone talks about is velveeta. This is a place you need to experience. Get there early and plan to get in and out or get takeout. They run out of hamburgers about everyday and when they do, they stop serving. ENJOY

I discovered this little gem via an email buddy about 15 years ago. He wasn’t from around here. In fact, I’m pretty sure he was somewhere west of the Mississippi. I don’t remember much about him, but I remember Johnson’s!
The best experience there is to sit at the counter behind the guy making the burgers. His coffee cup sits on the grill, keeping it warm as he literally throws down some of the best burgers anywhere.
That’s right, he takes a cube of ground beef and slams it on the grill, smooshing it out with his spatula. He seasons the beef, and while it’s cooking on one side, he had slices Velveeta without much precision at all. Fabulously irregular chunks of the cheese-​ish substance are laid out and read for when he flips the burgers. The cheese is placed on the freshly-​turned burgers and the top of the bun is mashed into the gooey cheese. It’s an awesome site and an awesome taste!
I like mine with mustard, slaw, chili, and onions. YUM! It is true that they close when they run out of beef, so plan accordingly. It’s a great place to hit on the way to the Zoo.

This unprepossessing diner/​grill is the stuff of food lore on several different levels, at least the local level. The first level is that the ground beef is incredibly fresh, never frozen, and that there is a limited amount daily because of these constraints and cost considerations. Since there is a limit, when the beef is gone, the burgers are done for the day — much like B’s BBQ in Greenville, NC does with it’s chopped pork — I know this to be true, I’ve been there several times when the BBQ was gone. I cannot say the same for Johnson’s burgers, yet — of course, I’ve always made sure to arrive by at least 11AM.
The second level of the lore has to do with the take-​it/​or-​leave-​it attitude of the staff, especially the owner. Some folks think it rises to the level of the Soup Nazi, but I’ve never really bought into that, but just to be safe, I’ve always kept moving and never ask for bread.
Now to the star, the burger. It is indeed excellent, rising almost to the level of the surreal. This hand-​formed patty, cooked on a seasoned grill, loaded with a lot of Velveeta like cheese, and what ever else you care for as topping, up to a point. As is my want, when in the presence of this kind of burger, I limit the toppings to maximize the taste — maybe just mayo & pickle. They have fries and such, but I have little memory of them.
This is a small place, and there is no drive-​in service, despite the name, and there is no phone — so there are no call in orders — it is a first-​come, first-​served food scrum. Life is good, go there.