As I am sure many of you may or may not know, I travel to Northwest Ohio on a pretty regular basis for work. Today, as I was about to head back towards Kentucky, a co-worker, who I would definitely describe as a foodie, told me about the “Best Burger in Ohio” and it just happened to be in Urbana. Funny enough, I go right through Urbana on my way home. I knew I would be getting there about lunchtime today, so I figured I would stop in and give it a try.
I was told that the burgers at Crabill’s were sliders, similar to White Castle, only better. Now, I LOVE White Castle and I am always down to get some sliders so my co-worker had made a bold statement that may be hard to back up. But the thought of a simple burger really peaked my interest, as most burger joints these days have over-the-top burgers with all kinds of crazy ingredients and/or toppings.
I rolled into Urbana about 12:40, apparently just in time to hit the lunch rush. Normally, I don’t stray too far off US 68 (because I’m always in hurry to get home) but Crabill’s is located only about a mile west of the roundabout in downtown Urbana at 727 Miami Street. As I get close to the restaurant, I notice that there are a ton of cars in the parking lot and in the drive-thru. That’s got to be a good sign, right? I noticed a sign that said Drive-Thru Only, so I pull in and had to have the rear-end of my car hanging out in the street. Not the ideal situation but I’m here, so let’s give it a try. After 10-15 minutes I had only moved about 2 cars lengths. These burgers had better be good! I seriously waited almost 30 minutes to get to the window. No menu board, cars lined up into the street behind me, the pressure was on!
I ordered 3 sliders with cheese. The sweet lady at the window asked me if I wanted them to be doubles. Not knowing how big they were going to be or if I would even like them, I opted to go with the single. She asked if I wanted everything on them, brown mustard, onions and relish. I don’t mind relish but I’m not a huge fan plus I was going to be eating in the car, so I decided to forgo the onions and relish. I could see through the window that they had Mike-sells Potato Chips as well as Grippo’s. I happen to love both of those brands and ended up getting a bag of plain Mike-sells and a bottle of water to go along with my sliders. Because there was no Menu Board, I was worried about how expensive it would be. I was pleasantly surprised when she said, “that’ll be $8.75”.
As a guy that is on the road a lot and has to each lunch out way more often than he would like, $8.75 was a bargain, especially if this was the “Best Burger in Ohio”. She asked me to pull up and wait and said my food would be out in a few minutes. After 3-4 minutes, my sliders were delivered to me in a brown paper bag. The burgers were not individually wrapped, just set inside the bag. I get back out on US 68 to head towards home and dug in. Let me start by saying, the burgers were very good!. But here are a few observations and corrections I will make for when I go back.
- They were a little smaller than I thought they would be. I should have looked at their website before I went. They point out there that the burgers are 3 inches in size.
- I am kind of particular when it comes to the bun/bread to meat ratio. I prefer more meat, so I wish I had gotten the doubles.
- I love mustard! Next time I will asked for extra, there just wasn’t enough on the burger for me.
- I knew when I ordered, I would regret not getting the relish and onions. And, here I am regretting not getting the relish and onions. I need to try their burgers in the way they meant for them to be served.
- The sliders were cooked perfectly. They had that little crispy edge around the burger. Love that!
Crabill’s Hamburger Shoppe was founded in 1927! Any business that has been serving food for nearly 100 years has to be doing something right. Crabill’s is no exception. They have a great burger, a no fuss menu and small town charm. I don’t think I’m ready to call it the best burger in Ohio just yet but I will definitely put it in my Top 5. I reserve the right to move it up once I go back and have it the way they are meant to be, a double with cheese, brown mustard, onions and relish.
I you happen to find yourself in downtown Urbana, Ohio, do yourself a favor and go grab some sliders at Crabill’s Hamburger Shoppe. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Remember, if you go, Crabill’s is Cash-Only, that debit card of yours won’t work.
Jonespky Approved – ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
