Not that long ago, or at least it doesn’t seem so long ago, if you wanted a cheeseburger in Atkins there was one option — Bewley’s Tastee Burger.
Besides hefty and delicious cheeseburgers, Bewley’s Tastee Burger offered other options like taco burgers, pizza burgers, burritos, taco salads and various dinners. Through the teenage years, I sampled nearly every item on the menu and had nary a complaint. I’d wager that the entire town of Atkins from that time period would agree with my assessment.
All good things must come to an end, though, and Bewley’s closed up several years ago. But sometimes those good things come back. Sometimes they come back even better
Now there’s a new Tastee Burger in Atkins under the direction Jerry and Shelly Mize. And guess where Shelly worked through high school. You don’t have to guess. You can take a look at the Mize’s Tastee Burger To Go menu listing many of the old favorites.
We travelled to Mize’s Tastee Burger To Go for a country classic — the fried bologna sandwich. And it was scrumptious. We paired it with a side of pickle fries, which were an incredible eating experience on their own.
But then Shelly dropped the cheeseburgers on us, and suddenly, not much else mattered. I don’t know what she’s doing to those burgers, but the result is a rich, savory umami explosion like nothing I’ve ever experienced between two buns.
After two bites, Liz agreed, and a proclamation was made: Here in the River Valley — this land of iconic cheeseburgers, legends known beyond our state’s borders — the Tastee-Burger is, in fact, the tastiest burger we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.