One thing to remember when visiting Shorty's is that you need to order at the counter. They do not have waiters, just order takers and cooks. The first time we visited Shorty's it threw us for a little loop when we thought the service was terrible before realizing that there were no waiters. Save yourself the trouble, just go to the counter. The menu is the basic fare. Burgers, dogs, fries, your normal small town burger joint items. We ordered up some, you guessed it, burgers and hotdogs and even splurged for some chili cheese fries. The place was packed but our food came promptly, served on sheets of wax paper rather than plates. K and our youngest, J-Train, got cheeseburgers while I opted for the double cheeseburger. Filling out our family was our older boy C-Monster, who decided against the burger and went with a pair of hot dogs.
Now, I'll start this off by saying that this was a very tough comparison. I mean, this is a whole different breed of cheeseburger. At a restaurant like the Angus Barn or some of the other nicer restaurants you get a big cheeseburger cooked just how you want it with different presentations for different burgers, places like Shorty's are just cranked out and everyone's the same except for differing condiments. So how did I enjoy this burger? I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike the toasted communion wafer that was the Sullivan's burger, this cheeseburger was dripping in grease. There was no shortage of juiciness. It even somehow found a way to soak through the wax paper. How is that even possible? I don't know, but it definitely did. My double was optioned with relish, chili, and ketchup so I'm sure that added to the liquidity of it, but I think just plain this thing would be dripping wet with artery stoppage. Then on to the chili cheese fries, which were an equal level of deliciousness. Covered in melted cheese and an equivalent amount of greasy chili as the burger, the fries were little more than saturated potatoes in a grease and cheese soup. Not that this is a bad thing, although even my iron stomach was a little beat up from all this grease. The rest of the family also enjoyed their meals, although Shorty's "world famous hot dogs" are little more than the red Brightleaf hot dogs that every single restaurant in the South serves. Still tasty though and C-Monster promptly gobbled them down. The J-Train did not finish his meal because he said he was full. I initially thought all of the grease might have made his stomach hurt until he informed me that he was "full for this food" but had "plenty of taste buds for hot chocolate." A likely story.
So what is the final verdict on this century old small town joint? As much as I enjoyed this burger, and would highly recommend visiting this place , I can only give it 2 Angus Barn burger rating. The burgers were awesome, but they were not the same level of burger. It is hard to explain, but it is kind of like the difference in a "lunch burger" versus a "dinner burger." If you are in a hurry and want a great burger fast, this is the place to go. For a night out, where you want something a little nicer, you'll be looking for a different place. Plenty of flavor, juicy, and very enjoyable, but a different food experience than we were going for with an Angus Barn burger challenger. If you ever find yourself in downtown Wake Forest for lunch though, this is a place you should definitely stop by. We highly recommend it and will be visiting again.
Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs
214 S White St, Wake Forest, NC 27587
For more info - Shorty's Facebook page
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