Charcoal Pit has been serving burgers and ice cream creations since 1956.  It has long been a favorite of President Joe Biden, according to Food and Wine magazine and was listed in a Road Food book by Michael Stern as a place to find mid-century Americana.  Opening with just 4 tables it was so successful the founder had to expand to a space with room for 115 customers.  Now there is also a second location but we went to the original “Big Pit” which was being re-modeled inside.  According to our server, the remodeling has been going on for some time but they have not shut down one day for it. Booths are small and slightly larger varieties and hug the walls while tables fill in the rest.  On one end were openings into the kitchen and on one side of it was the round to-go waiting area.  Another portion of the interior was the ice cream counter which looked to usually have seating but today the counter was being resurfaced.  Large squares of linoleum are on the floor and the booth seats are bright red.  Small individual jukeboxes are at each table with free choices but all choices are added to the queue played on the overhead speakers.  The menu offered lots of choices and specials for seniors which seemed very popular.  Our server didn’t flinch at any customizations of the burger order.

Set-Up

Food

Burgers come in 4 or 8 oz. beef patties made from a secret blend of ingredients.  We got the 4 oz and it looked like the 8 was made with 2 of the same patties.  The burgers come with fries but lettuce and tomato are extra however cooked onions are added at no extra charge.  American cheese was about $.65 extra.  It was cooked medium rare as requested but with that doneness, it didn’t pick up a lot of charcoal flavor.  The bun was soft and fresh, there was one thick slice of ripe tomato and a small leaf of Romaine,  The grilled onions added a lot to the overall flavor and juiciness of the burger.  No sauce was on it, but ketchup was on the table.  The fries were crisp, not coated with good soft centers.  It was fine.

The malted chocolate shake came out in a nice metal container with a spoon for helping dip but the server poured it into two glasses before I snapped a photo.  Unfortunately the plastic glasses were quite red and you couldn’t see the color through them.  It was nicely thick but not so much so that you couldn’t get it through a large straw,  It was sweet,  malty and more than enough for 2.