The only places my family ate out when I was a kid (money was tight) was 2-Js on north 183 and Sometimes Island (which is now the upper restaurant part of Volente Beach). I would always get two corn dogs and some fries at 2-Js. The burger was also a treat. Anyone else remember it?
That 183 location originally opened as a Royal Burger back in the mid 70's. 2-J's came later and now it is an Enterprise Rental. I used to love those small cheeseburgers and fries back in the 60's at the Lamar location. Good old Packer Jack sold a lot of their burgers back in his Uncle Jay Show days.
My first real job was working at the 2-J's on N. Lamar back in the early 70's. I still run into one of my co-workers at home games. Between Holiday House and 2-J's, I don't know who had the better burger.
I worked near the Lamar 2-J's in the mid 1980's thru mid 1990's... used to hit the place often for dirt cheap lunch specials... the food was damn greasy, but tasty and affordable for my lacking budget. You could stand in their for 5 minutes ordering a burger to go and smell like a saturated french fry for the rest of the day... memories
Yeah, buddy, I had many a burger at 2-Js!! Thanks so much for the picture. I am trying to collect pictures of now-defunct places from my Austin childhood. It's sort of sad how much is gone.
1918, here's the site where I got the 2-J's pic. There's some others in there of the restaurant, as well as about a thousand pics of Austin in the 40/50/60's. Austin Pics
I am so old I remember when it was like that in that last photo. All they had was burgers, fries and shakes. They were those small McDonald's type burgers with pickles, onions, mustard and ketchup. I still like a burger that way occassionally. Later on they added more building where those picnic tables are and called it Toonerville. There you could get a larger burger with everything on it. They had awsome french fries too.
As long as we're taliking about fast food on north lamar, who remembers the draft beer at long john silvers in the same block as 2Js? It was the next best thing to Syd's in my warped mind.
I was not in Austin then nor was I on solid food. But it brings me much joy, for some reason, to read about all of your past experiences and memories of this and other things. Reading about what was where, what moved to where and what replaced what is awesome. Thank you.
That may be my father's Studebaker in the first photo. I grew up a few blocks away, and this was my mom's "go to" meal when she didn't want to cook. God, I miss Austin...and I still live in Austin...know what I mean?
I remember it was the 2-J's sauce that made the burgers special. By the way, I believe Short Stops were open by the owners of 2-J's... I don't know if they are still owned by the same folks or not.
2-J's, Holiday House were owned by Ralph Moreland. At the time, also Sandy's, and The Tower (next to Posse E.). 2-J's and HH had similar recipes. I worked at HH two years and Tower one, and there recipes were similar for bugers, except HH was charcoal grilled. Great places, yes.
Moreland opened up a burger joint in a strip center out on Parmer years ago, and they had great burgers as you might expect. It was called "Moreland's" but it's been gone for many years now, maybe close to 10? That location is now a Poke E Joe's BBQ.
A man who gave Austin its Holiday Houses, 2-J's, and Sandy's should have a statue erected in his honor on Lady Bird Lake...maybe close to SRV.
