Here’s a hamburger stand that is fully realized as, just that, a burger joint. The burgers, which come to you searing hot inside white paper wrappers, are dressed just right: ketchup on the side. The fries are dependably of the thin, crisp variety, the onion rings hefty and made with genuine slices rather than those deceptive concoctions of onion particles formed into shapes to resemble rings.

When milk shakes are made with real ice cream we sing their praises, too. We’ll add a descant for TJ’s shakes, which tasted of the real thing and were almost too thick to drink with a straw. While the vanilla and chocolate were flawless, the strawberry shake offered bits of fruit, which may be why it managed to outshine the others. TJ’s offers single patty burgers, as well as doubles and triples; they taste of good, honest beef and drape a good few centimeters over the edges of the buns. Hot dogs are also offered (they would be better if served as hot as the burgers), along with a couple of other sandwiches, including a good, crisp-fried chicken breast.

Don't let the well-used walk-up ordering and entry area put you off. TJ's apparently puts its efforts into the food—and ambience be damned. That said, we found perfectly clean tables in the small eating area. But, we can't argue that a new menu board would be a huge improvement.