Road Trip Madison Indiana: Hamburger Hinkle’s

After a period of shop gazing both of us started to get hungry. One of the most important things that we did while we shopped, was to ask shop owners where the best places were to eat. Experiencing the food in a new town is something that I truly enjoy, especially since there isn't but maybe one restaurant worth talking about where we are from. Almost all of locals had their own opinions about where to go, but one place in particular seemed to come up often. That place was Hamburger Hinkle's, serving up food since 1933.

Hinkle's Sandwich Shop
204 West Main Street
Madison IN 47250

So off we went to get us some greasy goodness as my husband likes to say. As we approached the building we found many locals and a few tourists sitting outside on some provided tables. Not realizing there were two entrances, we approached the door and came upon a line of people waiting for their food.

The atmosphere was slightly cramped but that didn't bother us at all. One short counter-top served as the seating with maybe 12 stools.  Most of the hungry crowd was merely waiting  for their orders to go. Luckily, we found two empty stools next to one another and close to the grill.

The cook top was our view slightly to our left as two cooks busily slapped tiny patties on the hot surface. The aromas filled the air with the scent of onions and melted cheese.

The menu was simple, which consisted of a White Castle type burger, which could be doubled or even tripled. Grilled Cheese, BLT's and that day's bean soup followed with a few other grill top fairs.  A waitress approached, jotted down our order and handed it off to the busy cooks to our left. We ordered  the traditional cheeseburgers and home fries that seemed to be the popular choice for the overheard to go orders.
 In just a few minutes our food arrived. The home fries resembled hash browns, that had been steamed a bit until almost mashed potato like an then crisped up a bit. The burgers were made fresh to order and were topped with onions, pickles and cheese. Overall Hamburger Hinkle's was pretty good, if you are looking for that greasy goodness I mentioned earlier and something quick. Later we discovered a full dining room for those with children and high chairs, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the kitchen action and the busyness of the orders flying out.

If you get a chance, head over to the Hinkle's Sandwich Shop website where they also offer some interesting history.