I dropped my quarter into the jukebox and selected one of my favorite sixties tunes, “Soldier Boy” by the Shirelles. I shimmied back to my red leather seat, took a swig of my strawberry milkshake and waited for my burger and fries to arrive.

If you haven’t been yet to J.W.’s Doo Wop Grill in Bearfort Plaza, you do not know what you are missing. This 1950s throwback diner is complete with a television showing old commercials and sitcoms, records, movie posters and other 50s and 60s memorabilia adorning the walls that serve as eye candy while you are waiting for your food. When the walls and booths of a restaurant keep you entertained, who could ask for more?

The milkshakes are fantastic and are handmade with ice cream and milk—not some processed fake flavored blend coming from a machine. The fries are golden and crispy and have the perfect amount of salt. I ordered a regular cheeseburger, sorry, I’m not that adventurous, but it was cooked well. It was juicy and had the perfect amount of burger to bun ratio. I am pretty sure the lettuce and tomato was extra, which is somewhat annoying, but a small price to pay since the burger and fries platter is decently priced. They can’t give away toppings and probably figured that other people just don’t use them or throw them away; this way they don’t waste food. They have a decent variety of burgers, for instance there is a one with a Tex-Mex feel and one with avocado. It’s not just burgers, there are chicken fingers and other typical diner type foods, but they offer a soup of the day (it changes, but some are stuffed pepper, cream of broccoli or minestrone), salads of all types, and even full meals such as tilapia francese with linguine, bbq rib eye, stuffed rigatoni with chicken in a pink vodka sauce, roast prime rib, sweet and sour chicken and shrimp, and more. Their full dinner meals are $12.95 and include soup or salad, one or two sides, and an ice cream dessert. Even though we didn’t order such a meal, you can be certain we will be back to try some of their delectable dishes.
One of the cutest things they offer is adorable
little cars for the kids’ meals. Children 12 and under, who often can get a full meal for only five dollars depending on the specials, are served their entrees in paper in 3-D folded Cadillacs. I wish I could get my meal served to me in one of those.

 
The restaurant is spotless, service is quick and friendly, and the best thing about J.W.’s is that they are definitely involved in the community. They donate to many local causes for schools, little league, charities, etc. They offer some excellent contests, like a raffle entry for every guest for Valentine’s Day, a Mother’s Day raffle, and more, plus there was a Halloween event there. Families can host their child’s birthday party there, heck, they might even do parties for high schoolers, why not?
We will definitely be returning to this restaurant and if you haven’t been yet, what are you waiting for? Give them a try! They are in the back of Bearfort, basically across from Pine Cliff Lake. They restaurant is around the side across from the Creative Playground in the back.