Big Johnson’s Highway Grill: wonderfully shady but not so tasty
by Andrew | January 7, 2009 | 15 Comments
(votes: 10, average: 2.80) 
Loading ...Big Johnson’s Highway Grill is located at 3600 SW 104th in Oklahoma City (map). They are open from 6am to 10:30pm seven days a week. Call them at 405.320.0813 or visit their website.
Having a penchant for trying all things shady, I’ve been excited about a couple of suggestions I received lately. The first was a recommendation of a place that serves fried pig ears, pigs feet, and Mexican donuts. That one will definitely be reviewed soon. The second was Big Johnson’s Highway Grill, home of the Big Johnson World Famous Trucker Burger! That name and claim had me anticipating lunch so much I barely got any work done all morning.
Big Johnson’s Highway Grill is joined to a gas station. When you walk in you get a great, shady diner feel complete with stained, tile floors and creepy, unsanitary bathrooms with malfunctioning soap dispensers. There’s a long bar where you can sit on a stool and make friends with other shady eaters that have a hankering for trucker burgers. If communal bar stool dining isn’t your thing, there are also tables and booths. We chose one around the corner with a good view of the nice, large, flat panel TV. I’m starting to feel sorry for myself since I don’t have a flat panel TV at home. Even the shadiest spots in town are starting to broadcast news and sports in HD-capable, flat panel glory. Anyway …
The nice thing about shady spots joined to gas stations is that if the food is no good you can always go next door for beef jerky and an energy drink. Unfortunately, you may be more satisfied with the beef jerky than the menu items here at Big Johnson’s. The menu is typical diner fare — hot plates with various warm meats and sides, several fried options slathered in gravy, a handful of sandwich options, and its namesake — the Big Johnson World Famous Trucker Burger.
There is a danger in heaping praise on yourself. Declaring yourself as “world famous” is setting yourself up for undue scrutiny. I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about a shady place serving a frozen patty if it hadn’t been declared “world famous.” Big Johnson’s uses one of those weird, uniformly mis-shapen patties. You know, the ones that are neither round nor square, but rather created to be oddly asymmetrical in an attempt to fool the rubberneckers at neighboring tables into believing they are hand made. They’re not. So much for world fame.
I actually didn’t order the burger myself. My shady companions were already getting burgers and I was skeptical in the first place because mustache man from the Golden Touch Grill was eating one. Big red flag. Of course, I did get to observe them on my companions’ plates. They were paired with ordinary orders of fries. Not bad looking plates, just not deserving of a world famous title.
So, what did I order since I didn’t go for the burger? Well, I broke one of the rules of shady dining. I took advice on what to eat from a truck stop waitress. Believe me, I paid for my mistake. When I asked her what was best and heard, “Oh honey, the hot beef sandwich is unbelievable,” I should have resisted and ordered a corn dog. Instead, I not only placed my order but also found myself anticipating my meal. The anticipation only increased the disappointment when I tasted it. It was obviously reheated from frozen meat. The whole thing was completely covered in a dark, salt-jelly that posed as gravy and it was all served on top of a piece of soggy, white bread. It really was terrible. On the bright side, I did play with the gravy for a while and was amused by the way it bounced.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of Big Johnson’s is the pricing. It seemed pretty high considering its shadiness. If dishes were three and four dollars, you could probably find some value here. But the food here is pricey by shady restaurant standards. I spent over $8 on my hot beef sandwich. Chicken fry rings in at over $10, catfish for $8, and most everything else for $6 or $7. With prices like these, I just can’t recommend it when one can go to Nic’s Grill and experience a burger worthy of world fame with fries and a drink for around $7.
When it comes to shady atmosphere and quirky names, Big Johnson’s really has it all going on. I just wish it offered a good value of flavor and price. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t love to announce to their coworkers, “I’m headed to Big Johnson’s for lunch, you want anything? Burger? Skoal? Jerky?” I know that would make my day.
It’s possible that the breakfast at Big Johnson’s is good. Shady places often do breakfast right. I’ve just never tried it. Have you? Let me know what you think in the comments.
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So far, 15 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?January 7th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Andrew — you are the bravest, shadiest man I know. I would have stuck with the jerky.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
You came out with your insides in tact. I guess that’s the risk for a bonified shady restaurant critic as yourself. Thanks for the review!
Charlene
January 8th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
i pride myself on usually eating anything anywhere, but this place I would probably pass up for a hotdog at 7/11
January 11th, 2009 at 7:45 am
can’t speak for 7-11 hotdogs, but them 2fer99cent Big Bites smoked sausages are actually rather tasty. You can nuke ‘em and slather with condiments, or take ‘em home, chop ‘em up with some eggs and turn the buns into toast or even garlic bread. Where where these when i was in college?!?
As for BJ Highway Grill, here’s a tip for Andrew. The more hyperbole in the sign, the worse the grub … no exceptions. Truly good truck stop food doesn’t need overly bragged out big signs. Word of (well satisfied) mouth packs the folks in, and saves on paint too.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:35 am
As for your comments on Big Johnson I find them ridiculous and unfounded. I have eaten there numerous times and find the food always delicious and hot. The atmosphere is friendly and prompt. The owner himself is usually there offering conversation and priding himself on you getting exactly what you want. He states that if you don’t like what you order tell the waitress and you can have something else. The roastbeef is not frozen it is cooked and cut fresh there. So before you offer your “professional” opionion maybe you should do a little research. Because to me the restraunt isn’t shady it is you.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Great review and I am glad you ate their before me. Seriously how can you use frozen hamburger patty and label yourself “world famouse trucker burger”?
Keep it up and we love the Shady reviews.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Amanda, you are right, I am shady. I just wish I could afford to eat the shadiness at Big Johnsons. I’m sure there are good things on the menu somewhere, but for the money I can’t justify it.
January 25th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
My husband and I have eaten at this cafe twice, and we live less than a mile away from it. The menu is Oklahoma Cafe, but the price/quality ratio is off. For $7 an Indian Taco should cover your plate, not be the size of a biscuit with a single spoon of beans. I don’t know where the beef came from on my husband’s hot roastbeef sandwich, but it wasn’t from the good side of the cow (proper slicing might have helped the stringiness). We won’t be returning to Big Johnson’s.
March 26th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I’ve eaten at Big Johnson’s a couple of times and the only thing I can recommend is the fried catfish on Fridays. I couldn’t finish all the food on my plate, which was a shame because it was really good catfish.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
If a this place is so shady then way is so full for breakfast, and lunch?
July 29th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Sounds like someone may have gotten a “shady” payoff. The food here is very good, the fries great,trucker burger fantastic and the catfish the best I can find in OKC and you have to try the biscuts!! The owner and his wife treat you like family, if something is not right say so, you can’t fix what you do not know is broke. Look at the parking lot, look at all the trucks, even in these tuff times, and best of all try it for yourself.
August 11th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Breakfast pretty good pies great friendly but it is overpriced.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:55 am
I tried this place on the suggestion of one of my workmates. I did try the “World Famous Trucker Burger”. It was not bad. The burger was large and decent but I would not call it “World Famous”. The fries were fresh cut (a plus) but under cooked (a minus). The waitesses were attentive though.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Ok I think that your post was totally RUDE. I have eaten all around town and we just ate at BIG JOHNSONS and had breakfast for lunch and it was GREAT. Your walking into a Greasy diner type place you cant have the same standards as a fine dining experience. We have been to RED PRIME, Mantle, Nona’s and many many others and never would I say the things you said, Big Johnsons is what it is a gas station diner if you wanted the best food ever you should have chosen to spend some money on your friend you was accompained with PLEASE! For all others the staff is nice and the food is good we like it for a quickie on are way home from a late night out watching our kids palying baseball and they dont mind if your not wearing your sunday best, its a truck stop get over yourself LADY
January 29th, 2010 at 12:40 am
Well, haven’t eaten there myself…..yet. But it was actually on Ch 4 news tonight & they showed some of the food coming out. It looked fantastic. A Chicken fried steak that covers a plate by itself……wow……thats what I’m getting.
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