The Burger Joint, nee Laci’s Burger Joint, is a tiny spot that is very easy to miss on James St. in the heart of Eastwood.  As you can imagine, they serve burgers which I’ve heard are excellent.  However, whenever I go, I always get one of their paninis.

No need to cry foul.  Their small, horse trailer sized eatery is indicative of their minimalist pastiche – they only offer about four core specialty items: smoothies, salads, burgers and paninis. Oh, and Dum-Dums, which they hand out with every order.  They also offer numerous sides as well from the regular (fries, rings) to the more eccentric (funnel cake fries and apple pie fries).  Their burgers are simply named, which belies their creative construction.  A perfect example is The Diva Burger, which has cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bacon, ranch and…baked beans.  So that’s kind of what you are dealing with here.  You can also order the Diva Burger which allows you to dictate the toppings and opt to have only onion slices that form perfect circles – that is, if you are cool with being labeled a diva.

As I said, I ordered a panini (The ‘Cuse) which is relatively standard containing turkey, ham, swiss and honey mustard. It was awesome, mainly because of their focaccia bread which is thick, herb-y and delicious.  My usual is the Cuban, which has roasted chicken, ham, swiss and their Mojo sauce which is phenomenal.  Seriously, their Mojo sauce would make beets delicious.

I have yet to try any of their salads or smoothies, but I am pretty sure they would be just as excellent as their other menu items.  Stop by their spot on James St. in Eastwood or you can order their goods online.  This is the perfect spot for a local food joint: small yet visible, independently owned and serving freshly made food.  For burgers, this is THE joint and there really isn’t much more you can ask for. So do not be a Diva, get to the Burger Joint.

Tags: burgers, eastwood, locally owned, ny, paninis, syracuse, the burger joint