Grade: B
Normally, a restaurant located on North 32nd Street and East Camelback Road wouldn’t be featured in a hyperlocal publication that caters to the downtown Phoenix community.
Normally, an order of fries wouldn’t be served in a miniature shopping cart.
Indeed, Delux Burger is no ordinary restaurant; its uniqueness in part helps explain why so many Downtown students find themselves zapping their gas tanks for the otherwise inaccessible vehicular commute. Its hours are a welcome draw, too. Delux is open until 2 a.m. every night of the week, making it a popular destination for students deprived of late-night dining options within walking distance of campus.
With a hip and cosmopolitan atmosphere, it’s also a top choice for a date night. The wait never seems to be more than a half hour even during peak hours on Friday and Saturday nights, and Delux offers takeout through its Delux 2 Go counter for those in a hurry.
The restaurant is perhaps best known for three things: its juicy, mouth-watering burgers, its shopping carts of sweet potato fries meant for sharing and its long, luminous blue table that cuts through the middle of the surprisingly small establishment. (It also has an impressive selection of beers on tap and an eclectic mix of specialty beers, ales and martinis.) Delux provides such a rich and immersing experience, in fact, that it’s easy to forget that you’re dining at an unassuming bar and grill tucked away in a nondescript strip mall far from the cultural hub of downtown.
These things are what Delux is known for, however, because the rest of its lineup is severely limited. Other than the Delux burger (priced at just under $10), the menu doesn’t offer much more to get excited about. The more traditional classic burger is average, hot dogs are roughly as good as what a typical streetside vendor will offer at less than half the $7.50 price, and the more adventurous plates are almost wholly disappointing. The Mahi Mahi sandwich, to name one, is a frustratingly bland and tasteless dish, and the clam chowder (Friday’s soup of the day) lacks inspiration.
Delux does offer a pleasantly worthwhile dessert menu, a welcome respite from the uneven dinner selection. Its cookies receive almost as much fanfare as the aforementioned highlights, and combine well with vanilla bean ice cream. Red velvet and carrot cakes and individual apple pies are just a few of the other desert options. The milkshakes and malts are a must-try (order the black-and-white mix), albeit overpriced at $6.
Yet despite all its shortcomings, the quality of its staple Delux burger cannot be overstated. If you’re in the mood for a night out and know that a burger and fries will satisfy, Delux hits the spot. This is not a place to grow a courageous tongue for exotic meals or to explore the depths of the menu. Order a burger and fries, and you’ll be dining just fine.
Contact the critic at dustin.volz@asu.edu
Want to know how Delux’s restrooms stack up? Check out Dustin’s Phoenix Potty Spots blog to get the scoop.
