Lunchbox Laboratory makes burgers that resemble Popeye’s burger-loving friend, Wimpy: the bun looks as silly and out-of-proportion on the burger as Wimpy’s tiny derby looks on his misshapen body. It’s a cliché, but this is food porn, no doubt about it.

The beef patties—there are also lamb, bison, chicken, and vegetarian falafel versions—are juicy and delicious, but they’re all cooked the same way (no asking for rare here). But in the fully-cooked genre, these burgers excel. They’re also not cheap.

The science experiments atop the patties range from reasonable/familiar (caramelized onions and gorgonzola) to ridiculous (duck, pork, salami, havarti, onions, shallots, and tomato sauce). Generally, the simpler the better (the duck/pork monstrosity does not work very well).

Lunchbox has survived a number of recent shakeups, including the loss of its main investor. The owners have made promises to rebound with a streamlined menu and special events. Let’s hope they also use this second chance to clean up their act a little—literally. This place is inexplicably grungy, which is too bad because the vintage lunchboxes and Route 66-type road signs and pendants are cute and would look a lot better in a space that doesn’t give germaphobes the heebie-jeebies.