Ask anyone around town what is a “Harrisonburg place to eat?” And I can say with certainty that someone will bring up Jack Brown’s. It’s only been in our town for a couple of years, but since it’s opening it has created a massive following. For the older crowd it offers a wide range of foreign and craft beer from all over the globe. But for the high school student unable to partake in that, they offer some of the best burgers in Harrisonburg. It keeps to a very purist menu of just burgers, fries, beer. And fried oreos and sweet potato fries. They also offer the special burger of the day. These can range from having a fried egg and cheese on top, peanut butter and banana, or a split hot dog with jalapeno on top. This is what Jack Brown’s is all about. If your business and clientele is growing, why not open another place right? That’s exactly what they did.
The same owners opened up a new place just one store away at 92 South Main Street. It’s called Billy Jack’s Wing and Draft Shack, yet another super generic name, but it’s menu overcompensates for this. Like the name would suggest, it’s menu focuses mainly on all natural chicken wings and like Jack Brown’s, beer. Price’s range from free to 10 dollars per item. A ½ dozen wings will run you 6 bucks, and a full dozen will come in at 10 dollars. Definitely not a terrible price for wings, easily comparable to Buffalo Wild Wings. And for being a privately owned smaller shop it’s very reasonable. The quality is also higher than Buffalo Wild Wings, and the wings are much larger. In the words of Scott Witten, a manager, “they’re easily the best wings in town.” The wings are also supported by an amazing cast of fries that you can either get plain or loaded with chili and cheese, homemade doughnuts with ridiculous toppings, and the Chicken Sammy for those of us who can’t handle wings. This food is served by a friendly mostly female staff that puts you in mind of a much classier Hooters.
The restaurant itself has a very relaxed homey vibe. There are big rectangular windows that can open up and give the restaurant an island outdoor eating feel. The center of the semi cramped space is filled with a large bar in the shape of a beach hut, that’s the shack part of the restaurant. It is surrounded by a four sided counter used as a bar and a nice eating area. The walls are made to look cracked and the tables and stools create a really rustic feel that supports the wing place. It has similar visitors as Jack Brown’s, and the store recently reached it’s 50 day mark. And 5-6 customers have been there everyday since it’s opening in mid July. That’s the sort of following that you want to see at a local joint. With an already strong following after only a couple months, we can’t wait to see what the owners of these Harrisonburg destinations will bring out next.
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