I hesitated to go in when I pulled up at Griffin’s (3224 W. Capitol St., Jackson) because there were no cars around and I wasn’t sure it was open.  But then I smelled something delicious and realized it was definitely open for business.  Several people trickled in and out to pick up their orders while I waited for my burger — it is definitely a call-ahead joint if you are in any hurry.

The menu lists regular burgers and “Whoa Burgers.”  I had never heard of the latter — according to the young man who took my order, the Whoa Burger is the largest burger in the state.  When I asked how big it is, he made a pretty hard-to-believe indication of size with his hands and said “About 32 ounces,” to which I responded without thinking, “Whoa!”

Despite its size, a Whoa Burger only costs $6.50, which includes a drink and fries.  That is kind of ridiculous.  But the cashier pretty much would not let me order a Whoa Burger, directing me instead to the Whoa Jr., a 16-oz burger.  Since when is a 1 pound burger “junior” to anything?  Also, it only costs a dollar less than the regular Whoa Burger.  I agreed to get the Junior, beginning to believe that this alleged Whoa Burger was a joke that Griffin’s plays on new customers.

The Whoa Jr. was quite good.  It looks pretty unassuming in the photo above, but note the grease soaking into the bun — I consider that a good sign.  I got everything on it, which consisted of lettuce, tomato, pickle, cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and some wonderful sauteed onions.  The patty was hand-formed, seasoned with just a little salt, and was probably medium-well but still had a little juice to it.  The fries were frozen ones, but they came with a lemon pepper seasoning that made them better than your average frozen fries.

Here’s another angle for a sloppier view of the burger.  As I ate the fries I found myself saying “whoa!” for a second time, when I made this shocking discovery:

THERE WAS A WHOA BURGER UNDER MY FRIES.

I am not sure what happened.  Maybe I got the wrong order, maybe he felt bad for discouraging me from the Whoa Burger in the first place, or maybe he does this for all the girls.  I also don’t know whether the burger that came in the bun was actually part of the Whoa, or whether I got both a Whoa and a Whoa Jr.  Nor do I know how the Whoa Burger  is usually served — I doubt it generally comes hidden under the fries and without a bun of its own.  It would need one giant bun or three or four regular ones.  I plan to bring several people with me next time and find out.

In any case, I liked my burger and will be going back to Griffin’s.  The menu includes chicken-on-a-stick (like the burgers, these are apparently abnormally large), pork chops, po boys, wings, fried fish and shrimp, and something called a “SupaDog” that I am almost afraid to ask about.

Griffin’s is open Tues-Sat, 11am - 9pm.  Their number is (601) 960-9495.

Carpe Jackson does not issue ratings, but registered users can agree or disagree with our opinion. If there is significant user disagreement, we highly recommend that you review all of this post's comments, because, sometimes, we just don't know what we are talking about.

No members have expressed a view on this post.
I generally agree.I generally disagree.