Dagwood’s Tavern & Grill Cheeseburger Review

What a neighborhood bar may look like

Since 1930, the daily comic strip Blondie has barely entertained audiences. In 1947, Derwood Root knew no one would eat at a place called “Derwood’s” and hoped to cash in on the mildly popular comic strip so he named his new restaurant “Dagwood’s” after the bumbling husband in Blondie.

Situated at the corner of Kalamazoo and Howard in a building erected in 1901, Dagwood’s was ideally located near the Lansing-East Lansing border. Why was this ideal? Up until 1968, East Lansing was a dry city. Dagwood’s was the closest bar for thirsty college students. Cha-ching!

Today, Marji and Mark Cheadle own the neighborhood bar that regularly appears on lists of the best burgers in Lansing (see Capital Gains and WITL.) So, I woke Jerome up at the crack of noon on a Thursday and went to see if we should believe the hype.

Jerome’s Review

Dagwood’s is a mixed bag. The majority of which is good. Their space is quite large with a very nice outdoor dining area. The inside has many flat-screen TVs and great lighting. The customer service was great as we were served almost immediately. Though it is a pub and because East Lansing was a dry city for so many years - due to its location on the edge of the city - the liquor was the main draw. Because of this, I didn’t expect much from the food.

Jerome wondering where's the beef.

The burgers weren’t the worst and, considering the dirt cheap price, were actually ok. The bun was a little stale, and the patty was pretty thin but otherwise alright. The fries were probably the best part of the meal, if a little low on salt, but they had salt shakers so it wasn’t a big deal. Overall, Dagwood’s is a better bar than it is a restaurant, but if you're going there for a drink, you might as well have dinner there too while you're at it.

James’s Review

Cheeseburger 16/25

Dagwood’s has five burger options on the menu: Cheeseburger, Olive Burger, Bacon Burger, Veggie (Garden) Burger, and the Dag Burger, which is basically just a plain hamburger. I ordered the Olive Burger with cheddar cheese because olive burgers are the second best type of burger known to humans (Reuben burgers are the best.)

Lookit all dem olives.

Pretty much the only flavor that hits you when you bite into Dagwood’s Olive Burger is green olive. It overwhelms the razor-thin burger patty, cheese, and mayo. The patty was juicy but flavorless. If I were to order this burger again, I’d ask for three patties to hopefully balance out the olives. The burger also lost points because the bun was stale and flaking.

Fries 17/25

I like my fries to be cooked to golden goodness, lightly covered with salt or other yummy seasonings, and presented with minimal throw-away bits that no one eats. Dagwood’s fries missed on all levels. The fries were overcooked. No salt could be found anywhere on the fries. Fortunately, we ate in the restaurant so there was salt at the table. And, about 20 percent of my fries were the scraps you don’t eat. This might be okay if I was given a ton of fries, but I wasn’t. And, I made a fool of myself as I cried.

The veneer of normal-sized fries.

Value 22/25

Here is what our receipt looked like:

• A&W Root Beer $2
• Olive Cheese Burger $4.50
• 2 half orders of fries $3.50
• Cheeseburger $3.25
• BBQ Pig Wings (to-go for Erin) $8
• Total with tax: $22.53
• Tip: $5

I should point out that Erin ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. She’s someone who enjoys the finer things in life. Without that extravagance, the price of the meal would rival that of a fast food joint. Not bad. And, after I finished my meal, I felt sufficiently satiated. 

Dagwood’s is another local restaurant where you have to pay extra for luxuries like lettuce and tomato (50 cents). I guess I just gotta get used to this Midwest way of doing running things.

Ambiance 11/15

When we walked in, the place was packed, and there was only one woman there: the server. Everyone else was a white dude. When the song “West End Girls” came on, I thought we might be in a gay bar. But, I’ve been to my fair share of gay bars and cannot recall ever seeing so many flat screen TVs displaying sports in them. Most of the clientele appeared to be blue collar, and there wasn't a lot of drinking going on. They were just dropping in for a quick lunch. The place was not too cramped, and I was able to talk to Jerome without yelling. Again, not bad.

Service 9/10

I almost went 10/10 with this. We arrived at 12:30 and paid the bill by 1:05. Blazing fast. This is particularly impressive considering that there was one server taking care of the packed bar. She even grabbed my mayo for me when my fat butt needed it to deal with the fries.

Dagwood’s Tavern & Grill’s Overall Score: 75/100

I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to Dagwood’s. It’s a neighborhood bar. And, the thing with neighborhood bars is that they are only as good as their proximity to your house. Dagwood’s isn’t incredibly close to me, and there are several better alternatives nearby. But, if you live within a few blocks of the place, I’d recommend it for when you don't want to go too far for a decent burger.