Teddy’s Bigger Burgers offers big chills and thrills in Bothell
Published 1:30 am Friday, August 5, 2016
When a guy I was meeting for a story suggested we meet at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, I was all in.
I was even more excited when he said the burgers really were bigger, just as the name boasts.
Not only that, it was Hawaiian themed.
Can it get much better than that?
Teddy’s Bigger Burgers is tucked in a Safeway shopping plaza in Bothell. Sometimes there’s a person twirling a surfboard sign outside to make sure you don’t miss it.
The chain, launched in Hawaii, has sites in Washington and a few other states on the mainland. The Bothell store opened a few years ago.
The menu is loaded with choices, from pancakes and pastrami to gourmet burgers and gluten-free buns.
Burgers come in Big, Bigger and Biggest. They’re topped with whatever you want and cooked just the way you like it.
That’s pretty fancy for an order-at-the counter place.
No wonder Dave Heykamp, my story guy, comes to Teddy’s several times a week. He drives there in his car hot-glued with about 700 Hot Wheels (that’s what my story was about).
Sure, Heykamp goes there for the food. But he also likes the workers. And they like him back.
The manager greeted him by name and friendly chat.
Heykamp has tried many items on the menu. His favorites are fish &chips, sweet potato fries, turkey burger with pineapple and the hand-scooped milkshakes.
It all looked good to me.
I ordered the teriyaki burger with pineapple and umami fries ($11.29, combo).
“They issue you a little hand wipe because they know their burgers are messy,” Heykamp said. “I actually eat mine with a knife and a fork.”
A flashy mural on the dining room merges Hawaii with Washington, with a hula dancer and surfers, an orca and a ferry. The Space Needle observation deck is depicted as a giant burger. I’ll never look at the Space Needle without hunger in my heart again.
Booths line the walls. Stools in the middle surround a giant aquarium with coral and colorful fish straight out of “Nemo.” Tables with red umbrellas offer outdoor dining.
The food arrived hot and juicy.
My burger was cooked medium well. Perfect. It was huge and it wasn’t even the Biggest. The thick slabs of pineapple gave it a nice kick.
Heykamp ordered a pineapple milkshake ($4.38) and two fried eggs. He said he was eating light that day. He also ordered a small serving of sweet potato fries ($3.59). There was nothing small about it.
“They always give me too many fries,” Heykamp said.
Wait. Is there such thing as too many fries?
My pile of umami fries was slathered in garlic butter, furikake and sriracha aioli. I didn’t even need ketchup. I did need the hand wipe.
Halfway through the meal I noticed Heykamp hadn’t cracked the lid on his frosty cup filled with goodness inside.
“Aren’t you going to drink your shake?” I asked him.
I remembered reading an online reviewer’s suggestion: Dip Teddy’s delicious fries into any smooth and creamy shake of your choice.
My ulterior motive was to take the shake off his hands if he had changed his mind about wanting it.
No such luck. He said it’s so thick that rather than dig in with a spoon he prefers to drink it with a straw later for dessert.
Another sweet thing: This place is a Pokéstop.
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter:@reporterbrown.
24032 Bothell Everett Highway, Bldg. D, Suite 400, Bothell; 425-485-8111; www.teddysbb.com.
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Vegetarian: veggie burger, sides, salads, breakfast items.
Alcohol: None.
