• Recipes
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy

Chattavore

What I ate, plate by plate.

  • Start Here!
    • Contact
  • Easy Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Drinks
    • Easy Baking
    • For the Grill
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Instant Pot
    • No-Bake Desserts
    • One-Pot Recipes
    • Salads and Cold Dishes
    • Sheet Pan Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
  • Videos
    • From Scratch
    • Recipe Videos
    • Techniques
    • Tools
  • How-To
    • How to Cook From Scratch
    • How to Get Organized
    • How to Make Ahead and Meal Prep
    • How to Use Tools and Techniques

Sofa King Juicy Burger-May 31, 2013

June 2, 2013

With its wacky, off-color name and serving burgers & gourmet shakes, Sofa King Juicy Burger has (quite literally) made a name for itself in Chattanooga & beyond.

While my mom and sister were sifting through the Black Friday sale ads on Thanksgiving, I noticed a headline in the business section of TFP (Chattanooga Times Free-Press, for you non-Chattanoogans) about a new burger joint coming to the Red Bank area-Sofa King Juicy Burger.  As a big SNL fan (there’s a Sofa King sketch that used to air on SNL a few years ago), I immediately broke out into laughter and ran to show the paper to Philip, who had a similar reaction.

It didn’t take long for the reaction to begin.  If you don’t get the joke yet….well, I’m not going to explain it to you.  I, however, am not offended in the least by expletives, real or implied, so the publicity just made me laugh even more.  Sofa King even made it to Huffington Post….and so the set-up began.

As soon as the place opened in March people started asking me if I’d been yet.  We actually attempted to go the week after the place opened, but the parking lot was so full that we couldn’t find a space so we just drove on to somewhere else.  I definitely heard lots of opinions on the place, though.  The lines instantly became legendary, and they ran out of buns on the first day, forcing an early closure and prompting a hysterical YouTube video. The thing about me, though, is that no matter how hyped a new restaurant is, I’m not going to wait 30 minutes or an hour or whatever. That’s not my style. After the “no parking” situation we quickly decided that we were going to wait for a weekday, not-during-a-meal-rush opportunity to go there. Friday I tweeted the following and Philip suggested that we could check out Sofa King:
20130601-170254.jpg

We definitely got there at a good time. There were plenty of parking spaces and, while there were quite a few people inside, there were only a couple in front of us. Of course, you instantly notice the decor….the walls are lined with sofas and there are lots of retro signs, ads, and pictures hanging everywhere. Of course, I had to post the logo on Instagram….

20130531-212510.jpg

There are a few specialty burgers, including a “classic”, the Awesome burger with Boursin and strawberry jam, and the Nutty burger, with peanut butter and bacon (intriguing, but I’m not sold). I considered the Awesome Burger but ultimately decided to go with something basic so I could judge the burger based on its….”burgerness”, not on an interesting combo of ingredients. I just went with the “build your own” with a beef burger (there’s also a veggie burger, which is a grilled portobello) on a white poppy seed bun with classic sauce (more or less a Thousand Island-ish dressing), cheddar ($1.00), bacon ($1.00), lettuce, tomato, and pickle. Philip decided to go with the Classic Burger-a beef burger on a white bun with lettuce, tomato, and classic sauce. Since our burgers were basically the same….I’m not going to talk about them separately. Mine’s first with the cheese and bacon. The burgers are made with grass-fed beef, which is always a plus. Each burger is made with two thin patties, which allows for a bit of a crispy edge (which I really like). The buns were very fresh and everything had a good flavor. I liked the sauce a lot….I really like the mayo-ketchup-relish combo and often add it to my burgers at home.  I would rate the burger as good, and I really appreciate the use of local, grass-fed beef….but I wouldn’t place it in my “top five” (that’s gotta be a Friday list soon).

20130531-212524.jpg

20130531-212544.jpg

We decided to split an order of onion rings, battered with Budweiser (not PBR? What’s up, hipsters? There was a huge stack of PBR cases in a little storage area in the back….more on the beer in a minute) and Aretha Frankenstein’s pancake batter (Sofa King shares an owner with Aretha’s and Crust Pizza) and a milkshake-we decided to go with the Cat Man Du-vanilla ice cream, Himalayan sea salt, cashews, and, on the cashier’s recommendation, we added caramel to it. The onion rings were pretty good…sweet, more crumbly than I was expecting from a ring coated with pancake batter (I guess I was expecting a more tempura-like consistency). I really liked the shake (which had more of a soft-serve consistency than a shake consistency and needed to be eaten with a spoon); Philip liked it okay but said he wouldn’t really want to order it again. I really liked the sweet/salty combo of it.

20130531-212517.jpg

20130531-212530.jpg

20130531-212536.jpg

Okay, back to the beer. They have a sign outside that boasts $1.00 beers. What? Okay…that’s PBR, Budweiser, or High Life. There’s no drink fountain, and those three canned beers cost less than canned Coke products (at $1.50) and are the least expensive drinks on the menu (there’s also a craft beer list for “beer snobs”, which we did not view). “Gourmet” sodas like Blue Sky are $2.50 apiece, and a Steaz coconut water is $4.95. Hmmmm. That brings me to my final verdict…

Sofa King Juicy Burger has been hyped a lot. I’ve talked to a few people who said they loved it, and I’ve heard a lot of people express disappointment in the quality of the food, and honestly I think when a place is so overly hyped you are pretty much doomed to be disappointed. I try not to let the hype get me, and I wasn’t disappointed with the food. It didn’t blow me away. I’d eat there again, but probably only if someone else was paying or I was going with a group and that’s where everyone else wanted to go. My big problem? The price. For 2 pretty basic burgers, an order of onion rings, and a milkshake (or a “liquid nitrogen milkshake”, whatever that means) we paid $25.00. I kind of feel like Sofa King Juicy Burger is all hype and not a lot of substance, and there are definitely other places that deliver food-wise without the hefty price tag. So, I didn’t hate it, and I’m not going to tell you not to go there.

Try Sofa King Juicy Burger at least once and make up your own mind….but don’t expect too much or you might be let down.

Sofa King Juicy Burger is located at 1743 Dayton Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-490-SOFA. Check out their website: http://www.sofakingjuicyburger.com.  You can also “like” them on Facebook.

Sofa King Juicy Burger on Urbanspoon

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.

You might also like...

  • Merv’s-June 5, 2013Merv’s-June 5, 2013
  • Dub’s Place-November 10, 2012Dub’s Place-November 10, 2012
  • Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger JointJack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint
  • 517 Subs (Signal Mountain, Tennessee)517 Subs (Signal Mountain, Tennessee)
  • Mike’s Pizza and BurgersMike’s Pizza and Burgers
  • Typhoon of TokyoTyphoon of Tokyo

Filed Under: By Location, By Type, Delis, Sandwiches, Burgers, & Hot Dogs, Red Bank, Restaurants Tagged With: Red Bank restaurants, sandwich/burger/hot dog restaurants By Mary // Chattavore 10 Comments

Summertime Coffee: Coffee Soda

Strawberry Popsicles with Lime & Herbs

Comments

  1. Toni says

    June 2, 2013 at 9:44 am

    A nice, honest review. I still haven't tried this place. Love the piece with this post!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      June 2, 2013 at 9:47 am

      Thanks, Toni!
      Reply
  2. Toni says

    June 2, 2013 at 9:45 am

    That's suppose to say *pics
    Reply
  3. Paige Phillips says

    June 2, 2013 at 10:05 am

    I cannot wait to see your list of Top 5 Burgers! My favorite is Blacksmith's. Also--I can't wait to try the new 1885 Grill opening in St. Elmo tomorrow. It looks interesting!!!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      June 2, 2013 at 10:07 am

      Paige, I was just down in St. Elmo the other day and noticed 1885. If you try it, let me know your thoughts! I'll get to work on that Top 5 Burgers list. Burgers are pretty much my favorite :)
      Reply
  4. Vanderbilt Wife says

    June 2, 2013 at 1:28 pm

    We haven't been even though it's right around the corner because, yeah. Everyone we've heard whose gone there has said WAY overpriced and bad service. Plus the name does kind of offend me.
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      June 2, 2013 at 2:03 pm

      I didn't have a problem with the service. Since it's an order-at-the-counter type of place, I didn't even find it worth mentioning. The employees that we talked to were friendly, though.
      Reply
  5. _emily_rose says

    June 3, 2013 at 11:27 am

    Love your review, I haven't been there yet, but will probably end up there just to say I've been. That area has a lot of tough competition with Tubby's & Nikki's right around the corner.
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      June 3, 2013 at 2:29 pm

      Very true! You have to bring your A game, for sure.
      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Top Ten Burgers in Chattanooga (According to Chattavore) - Chattavore says:
    August 17, 2015 at 6:05 am
    […] 6. Sofa King Juicy Burger […]
    Reply

Thanks for your comments, but remember that Chattavore is a positive site. I reserve the right to delete any comments that contain unnecessary negativity! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

Follow Chattavore!

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bloglovin
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • RSS

Categories


Copyright © 2021 | All content property of Chattavore and may not be reproduced without permission | Cha Creative Clique

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.