XXX Rootbeer

As an individual who grew up in Washington and was always a loyal patron of Triple X Burgers, I was horrified by my last experience there! I now live in Phoenix, Arizona and had not been to Triple X in several years, but was excited to take my children there this past trip for the great food that I remember - what a HUGE disappointment. The atmosphere is the same as I remember, but it has been taken over by new management, and the food is a pitiful reminder of the old days. I didn't even recognize my favorite burger (59 Caddy) when they brought it to the table - the patty was paper-thin and looked like a pre-made frozen patty. The kids meals were even worse! It looked like they had taken one or two chicken strips and cut it into four pieces to make it look like more. The vanilla milkshake my kids ordered looked fine, but neither of them would drink it, which is unheard of for them! I tried it to see what the deal was and it was on the warmish side and tasted like vanilla drink powder with some milk and whipped cream on top...no ice cream in this milkshake! The last straw was the bill - I could not believe we paid almost $50 for two burgers, a milkshake, and two kid's meals!!!!!
Bottom line: For those of us who remember and love the old Triple X Burgers, this is an insult. R.I.P. Triple X Burgers - I will never again eat here.

Posted 07/18/09

Part 1:

I have been to the TripleX 3 times in the last year.
Being a vegetarian, as is my daughter , we obviously were limited to the Ford Fairlane, now called by another name. Their gardenburger.

First time was fine, the sandwich was actually ok, but they forgot to put the cheese on them, and the fries were transparent with grease. Dirty grease at that. I have worked a deep fryer, I know old oil.
The ice cream shake was not ice cream, its the same neon white paste Dairy Queen uses full of all types of guar and locust bean gums to give a sense of creamy thickness that is all fakery!

Due to burgers being decent outside the missing cheese, I returned with my daughter a few months later.
Big Mistake.....
We were convinced neither of our sandwiches had cheese on them. Guess what they do now? Instead of a slice of cheese, get this! They put grated cheese on it! Like maybe a tablespoon! I asked the manager where the cheese was, he told me the cook put it on, its grated. I said so instead of a slice they sprinkle grated cheese on it???
To sub fries for onion rings is an additional $2.50! Guess how many onion rings I got? 5. Thats it. 5, FIVE!!! And most were small and extremely greasy. I paid 50 cents a ring!

Well I thought, from now on, I would forgo the sides and stick to just the sandwiches, as the garden burger was satisfactory though Fat Burger's far outshines them.

And I had heard so much about the burgers, I took my boyfriend there yesterday to have him try the real meat burgers, not the garden patty. I skipped the sandwich as it seems they like to "skimp" on cheese.
Big mistake. What arrived could not be classified as a burger by restaurant standards but only by all school cafeteria free lunch programs of America! Thin, not even beef colored! I am not kidding this thing was 1/8 inch thick at its biggest point. The thinnest a burger patty could be and still retain the title of a patty! No wonder the food came in like 5 minutes! The patties probably take 1 minute each side to cook!

And the fries? Even more transparent and dirty greased then the last time! I couldnt eat them! THey looked like fries that had been recycled off other plates and refried to be hot again!

They think by disguising the burger in a big glistening bun that it will evoke the idea of some hot fresh juicy burger! Kind of like commercials fake up the food to look fresh though we all know the milk is Elmer's glue! It was embarrassing to rave about their sandwiches from what I had heard, just to have this embarrassing grayish yellow circle donned with shriveled mushrooms and lettuce! Not even any cheese on his Cutlass! $11.99 for this pathetic burger basket combo that had 3 onion rings and about 5 curly fries! Some combo!

Oh and the drinks?? Better ask no ice, because for $2.59 the big mugs get no refills and they are packed to the brim with ice! 4 sips my "INSTANT" iced tea was gone. Instant powder tea! Yuck! No offer of sugar or lemon either. Forget a big mug in a chilled glass for the root beer.

My daughter's drink got one refill for the $2.69 price but it too was all ice. So, 3 drinks almost $9 for $.50 worth of liquid. (Read Parts 2-4 in comments I added)

Pros: None

Cons: Food incredibly cheap, overpriced, came too fast

Posted 05/16/09

I used to come here as a kid and the food was always good. However, I took my husband and kids here yesterday and it was TERRIBLE. MY husband's bacon on his cheeseburger was cold -sent it back, and my grilled cheese sandwich smelled like bacon-gross. My son ordered the chicken strips and all he got was one chicken breast cut into strips and it was $10! (As was my disgusting grilled cheese). Our bill was $40 overall. Outrageous. I won't ever come back here again. I think their motto is "If we put a bunch of garbage on the walls they might not notice the garbage on the plates!"

Pros: The staff was nice

Cons: Food was expensive and awful

Posted 12/04/08

Great atmosphere, wonderful food, and the service is GREAT. Granted, at any time of the day they are usually busy, but your food comes to you FAST, with a huge smile. All the servers are very nice, which is not something you find often. Also, I took my husband there for his birthday last year, and they gave him a little sundae with a free t-shirt and HUGE fun pink glasses to wear while to the whole restuarant sang to him. It was hillarious. It's a super fun place, with AMAZING food. We live in North Bend, so it's not a far drive. But everytime we have out of town guests, this is where we take them. Enjoy!

Pros: EXCELLENT FOOD & SERVICE

Cons: No Debit/Credit Cards Excepted - But they do have an ATM on site

Posted 11/12/08

caveman eat food triple x good food yum tasty so good no grammer in sentence yum tases good ugh food yum yum yum yulkjfdlkfjasoif u;odjgkl;jlskj;kl must eat food need food

Pros: ugh

Cons: ugh

Posted 05/26/08

AMAZING! Burgers you can not finish and they have the best milkshakes around. worth the drive. take the whole family. the kids would love it. buy a shirt. have fun. enjo the 50's style diner-- so good. i go every year. once a year. It's the best. right off I-90 you can not miss it.

Pros: nice fresh fast fun yummy and greecy

Cons: super rich food

Posted 03/17/08

Drive to Issaquah-$50.00 Shopping at Outlet Stores-$250.00 Triple X Burger- Worthless
Well packed up the family for dinner in Issaquah I had heard so much about this place. We were greeted by friendly waitress as she explained their famous menu. Agreed to try the triple X burger with two shakes total for this experience was $ 40.00. I must say the shakes were vey good well they should be at a cost of over $6.00 a piece.The triple burger at a whopping $11.00 was way over priced as the meat tasted like cardboard. I was so dissapointed and would have been better of with the dollar menu at McDonalds.

Pros: Ambience is cool

Cons: Food was overpriced , poor quality beef

Posted 12/23/07

I have driven past this place a million times. Even stopped there in the late 70s. It was pretty nondescript in those days. After absorbing the recent hype I figured I'd try it again. It's 50s/60s decor is interesting, if not overdone. In fact, my wife and I found it overbearing. Every nook and cranny, every horizontal and vertical surface is inundated with pop kitsch from the 50s and 60s (most of it the typical metal replica signs found in every souvenir shop and flea market from coast to coast. Even the ceilings are crammed with car ads, album covers, and autographed pictures of washed up rock stars. It's a nice try, but no drive-in I ever saw in the 50s and 60s looked anything like this place. It's as if the owners tried a little bit of everything in a small place. It felt claustrophobic inside. It's colorful, to say the least. We were there in the late afternoon so we had the place to ourselves. Oddly, the service was slow and the cooking time even slower. It seemed like we were an inconvenience to the staff. We had a mundane meal of chicken strips, fries, and large shakes with the metal mixing cups left at our table. That's always a nice touch, but the shakes cost $6.50 each. A bit steep, but I guess they have to pay for all the signs. As for the slow service I'd chalk it up to being there in the lull between the lunch and dinner rushes. The crew was probably getting things ready for the evening assault. To my way of thinking the fries were great, but my wife found them too greasy. What does she know? The chicken strips were only so-so, but how good can they be? If we come back we'll try something more exotic. Those have even higher price tags. What was really lacking though was people. An empty drive-in or diner lacks sound and movement and laughter and life. It's a good idea, but they tried too hard.

Pros: Different, bright, large portions

Cons: expensive for burgers, slow service, steep prices, overdone decor

Posted 12/04/07

This is a good place to go to check out the car shows or look at all of the car-related memorabilia throughout the restaurant. I don't think there's a blank wall in the place. On days with nice weather, being able to eat outside on the picnic tables is a plus.

As to the hamburgers, keep in mind that the meat is the simple 1/4 lb. factory pressed patty variety that's very thin and doesn't exhibit much flavor. Combined with the no-frills basic bun and other basic hamburger ingredients, it doesn't inspire. You may be able to get more flavor and texture by choosing one of the non-standard burgers on their menu, but they're still built on top of their mediocre burger platform.

Posted 06/15/07

extremely mediocre food. I enjoyed the builing and the feel of it alot, but when the food arrived. I was extremely dissapointed. My burger did not even come close to what the other reviewers said. My mom got the fish and chips and she said that it was indigestable. Service was very bad. I think that the ttenagers working there were overwhelmed with their workload. She never checked on our table after we got our food.

Overall, great atmosphere, but if you're expecting good food, go somewhere else and just order a root beer or a shake here.

Pros: great atmosphere

Cons: terrible food and service

Posted 05/19/07

Not much needs to be said about this place. It's a great burger joint that has such a classic feel. It feels like you are dining in a burger joint in the 50's or 60's. The burgers are great and have lots of fresh veggies and good condiments. The onion rings are excellent and highly recommended. The milkshakes are also fantastic here. I love this place! Often throughout the summer months, you can catch classic car shows taking place here as well. I even had a small Volkswagen "car show" that I threw myself here once.

Pros: Great food, great atmosphere,

Cons: You have to go home sometime.

Posted 03/27/07

I love a good hamburger and have been looking forward to eating here for a long time. Unfortunately, I had pretty high expectations after hearing rave reviews from everyone and their dog. And as is often the case, the reality of the situation didn't quite measure up to the expectation. Our food took a long time and was just warm enough (not at all hot) when it came out. My burger was good. Not bad, not amazing. If you like hamburgers, give this place a try: you'll like it. Just don't expect to be bowled over. At the end of the day there are several places out there doing the hamburger thing better. Dick's and Red Mill come to mind.

Posted 01/17/07

If nothing else go for the atmosphere. it is the coolest place the minute you back in time. the 1950,s the hamburgers on a scale of one to ten are a nine. the shakes and other ice cream treats on scale of one to ten are a twenty. a huge choice hamburgers to choose from. i love this place. experience it. its worth it.

Pros: ambience, parking, service

Cons: a little $$ but worth it

Posted 10/01/06

Once upon a time, I was a teenager & a college student (in the 1950's & 1960's). Triple EX Rootbeer takes me back to those halcyon days. Hamburgers, milk shakes, fries to die for (or from). Good onion rings as well. Great music from the 50's & 60's on the jukebox evokes memories of former girlfriends. Old cars that represent the cars I grew up with. What a live fantasy! Excellent family run business with friendly staff & management. Fast food with a flair not to be found in the "chains". Support your local merchant.

Pros: parking, the look & feel of the 1950's, great food

Cons: Smallish indoor space for cold weather.

Posted 09/04/06

Though the food is a bit pricy, it is worth the extra few bucks for the food and experience.

I feel that those who complain of the over-rated and high prices are failing to see the fun and nostalgia of it all. The Issaquah TripleX is one of only two TripleX drive-ins still operating anywhere. The other is in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Its a blast to drive youre old car in, see other old and muscle cars, visit with Jose (the owner, who is wonderful by the way) and have a burger, fries and a float.

The food portions are quite large. Those with an average appetite can share one meal and be completely satisfied. And so what if you have to wait 20 minutes, this isnt a fast food joint.
If youre on a schedule or lunch break, call your order in ahead of time.

So, if you are looking for a fun time, with old cars, and old fashioned burgers with an exptremely friendly and fun staff this is a place for you to try!

Pros: Jose, & his staff! Old cars, FUN!

Posted 07/11/06

The abiance of this place is really great. Grab a menu on your way in or sit outside
but dont miss the old fashion counter . The staff sits down with you to discuss the menu and made the whole dining experiance feel like a friends . The jukebox plays music right out of the 50s and 60s and fills the air with joy. I will most definitely visit once more before leaving the area and will return every chance I get. Thank you for the works XXX crew.

Pros: friendly service, Great food, good times

Posted 06/03/06

I went here based on the hype and everything that I read, and I must say this was one of the most overrated restaurants i've ever been to. The burgers were insanely expensive ($28 for two burgers and two root beers) and wasn't much better than something I would get at Dicks or Fat Burger for 1/2 the price.. The food was good, but not at that price. Wouldn't go back there again...

Posted 04/06/06

Bring your quarters - the juke box is very tempting. Awesome place to go with groups of friends. Especially when they are having a car show. Everything is old school... drippin' in grease and damn good! Be aware though, you won't walk outta there without a bill under $50. It climbs fast with extras.

Pros: Good Music, XL Servings, Entertaining

Cons: Somewhat Overpriced

Posted 02/12/06

Great burgers! Toasted bun and XXX sauce....mmmmm, juicy! Burgers named for classic cars...Cool. Great service, avoid car-show weekends unless you're an enthusiast. Fries were really good too.

Pros: quick service

Cons: busy weekend traffic

Posted 10/07/05

It's a great place to go with the family or with people from out of town. Summer time there is car shows it's like being back in the 50's and 60's when life was so different than today. Fun yes it was fun back then!

Posted 08/03/05

We have been on a ultimate burger quest, up and down the west coast.
By far, XXX takes the top prize. It exceeded all expecations.

Pros: Shakes, Atmosphere, Juicy Burgers

Cons: Busy on Weekends

Posted 03/20/05

you've probably heard the lyrical reference to xxx rootbeer in their song, but if you haven't visited it for yourself, you're missing out. a wide variety of well-seasoned burgers named after various vintage muscle cars (i love the chevelle) and colorful, truly vintage decor make this place always worth the drive.

Posted 03/19/05

This is TRULY the best hamburger in Seattle. It's worth the drive to the suburbs (Issaquah is actually the home of XXX Rootbeer.) You can't beat the rootbeer and the "blast from the past" atmosphere. Our family had a super time!

Pros: Great Atmosphere, Fabulous Root Beer, Awesome hamburgers

Posted 12/25/04

This is a great place to go with friends or family, they have birthday parties there, etc. There food is great and so is there service. Pricing is incredible especially for the size of the food and the quality of the food. They have juke boxes with all the old favorites and it transports you back to the "good ol' days." A fun place to go and the people there are very friendly. It is the last one in our area, I'd hate to see it closed.

Pros: Inexpensive, Friendly Service, Ambiance

Posted 10/07/04

My kids, wife and I love XXX, especially sunny Saturdays when there are a lot of vintage and muscle cars in the parking lot. By all mean go!

Pros: Good food, Muscle cars, Great decor

Posted 08/03/04

When I was a kid I enjoyed the XXX Root Bear we had in Des Moines. Ordering by phones, great food, and good root bear.

I make the treck to Issaquah every Summer to visit my friends at the XXX. The Piston Onion Rings are the best. I think the burgers are better the the original champ burgers. The owner is very friendly. I proudly wear one of the t-shirts too (even when I'm at the gym).

The inside and atmosphere is a time capsule of the fabulous 50's. Worth sitting in the dining room to see.

Pros: good burgers, good onion rings, great atmosphere

Cons: , no car dining, sometimes crowded

Posted 05/25/04

We live in Spokane but travel to the coast often. Wa always stop at XXX for a burger and a shake before coming back over the mountians!

Pros: Fun decor, great food , wonderful service

Posted 12/17/03

The Triple-X is really a great place with lots and lots of classic car and '50s memorabilia all over the place. Even after going a dozen times, you'll still find things on the wall that you never noticed before. On certain weekends in the Summer, there are classic car gatherings. Your kids (even the girls) will LOVE checking out the old cars - some painted HOT Pink or Neon Yellow!

The food is generally good to very good (but not excellent). The shakes are also very good (but I like the Burgermaster shakes the best!). However, be prepared, this place is truly a greasy spoon! Bring the alka-seltzer! :-)

Also, MSN gives it only a single "$" for cost. Given that it is a burger-and-fries joint, I think that is being too generous. I think it should really be "$$"!

Pros: GREAT memorabilia!, Good shakes!, Fun place!

Cons: Greasy food, A little pricier

Posted 10/22/03

Food is mediocore to say the least. Priced is high for what you get. This is no Dick's, BurgerMaster, or Kidd Valley. Cars are the only attraction.

Pros: Cool Cars

Cons: Expensive, Over Rated

Posted 07/05/03

While the 50's atmosphere is fun, it does not seem like the kind of place one would expect to pay Red Robin's prices! I was shocked that a simple cheeseburger and fries with a soda cost me $11! Definitely not worth it for the 40 mile drive to get there, nor the 20 minute wait to get burgers when it was just barely busy. If you're close to Issaquah and don't mind paying for a cheeseburger at double the "normal" cost, definitely go. It's something you should try at least once.

Pros: cute decor, outside tables, lots of parking

Cons: long wait for food, expensive burgers!, can get crowded, hot

Posted 07/01/03

This is the greatest Burger in the area bar none.
It is the place to go for fine food of other fare too, and the saturday nite cruise ins are the best in the Northwest. Also the friendliest staff Too !!! :):)

Posted 10/18/02

Old fashioned hamburgers, fries, rings - all set in a diner-style location. Shakes and rootbeer floats are huge and the XXX burger is more than most can eat. Eat inside or out, and bring the kids. Saturdays bring old-time cars for an informal car show.

Pros: Large portions, Lots of seating, Classic cars

Cons: Slow service, Crowded, Bad parking

Posted 08/27/02

Great Ambiance and wonderful milkshakes, not to mention the XXX burger with 3 patties will take care of everything including your appetite!!

Pros: Ambience, Food Choices, Milkshakes/Floats

Cons: Crowded, Weather Inhibited

Posted 08/07/02