Short’s Burger and Shine

Last Thursday, we had to make the two-hour drive over to Iowa City for a doctor’s appointment. While driving a total of four hours just to see a doctor isn’t exactly our definition of a “fun day,” there was one good thing that came out of the trip…

We paid a visit to one of Iowa’s greatest burger joints, Short’s Burger & Shine.

In 1920, H.D. Short opened a shoe shining business in Iowa City. Today, from that same building comes some of the best burgers and fries we have ever tasted. Their beef comes from a local farmer, their fries are hand-cut daily, and all 10 of their draft beers come from Iowa breweries. Basically, if you want to experience a taste of Iowa, get to Short’s Burger & Shine! They also have chicken sandwiches and black bean burgers, but we have never tried those. We love us some beef.

Don’t let the empty seats trick you into thinking no one goes to Short’s! We ate at 3:30 in the afternoon, so it wasn’t busy at all. Around dinner time, this place is hopping.

Sarah and I looked through their menu extensively before we even walked through the door, so we knew exactly what burgers we would order. Sarah ordered the Arion (cucumber, tomato, feta, and tzatziki sauce).  It was basically a “greek burger.”

The flavors were awesome! It was a little “dry” because feta cheese doesn’t melt like most cheese you would typically put on a burger, but that didn’t matter. It still tasted sooo good!

I decided to go with the Dundee. A friend of ours wrote a guest post for us a few months ago and voted this as one of his Top 3 favorite burgers of all time, so I knew I had to try it during this trip. The Dundee is topped with sauteed mushrooms, garlic ailoi, fried egg, and american cheese. Seriously!!!! I wasn’t even sure how to eat this thing. It was huge!

The burgers at Short’s are always incredible, but the fries are THE BEST FRIES WE HAVE EVER HAD. We are not exaggerating with this statement in any way. Hand-cut, fried and salted to perfection. Holy. Crap.

Give yourself an early Christmas present and get to Short’s Burger and Shine as soon as you can!!!