Review: Butterburgers, frozen custard at Culver’s live up to expectations

West Knoxville has welcomed a new eatery to its already abundant variety of restaurants.

Culver’s, which opened earlier this month, is found on Kingston Pike near the also newly opened Main Event, and I could not wait to try it out.

Culver’s which got its start in Sauk City, Wisc., in 1984 and has chains in 24 states. The restaurant features a large diverse menu, but is known for its “Butterburger” which consists of  fresh 100% Mid-West beef, a buttered and toasted bun and toppings of the customer’s choice. Culver’s however, does not only sell burgers and has a wide variety of food options available.

Upon arrival to the restaurant, I quickly saw I would be waiting a bit for my food. Although the parking lot is large with ample spaces, they were all full and there was a lengthy line out to the road with cars waiting for the drive-thru.

During my wait, however, several friendly and outgoing Culver’s workers walked around to the cars waiting for parking or the drive-thru handing out Fresh Frozen Custard samples, which really made the wait more pleasant and made me overall happier with my first Culver’s experience.

As soon as I entered the building, I was welcomed with delicious aromas, a large comfortable looking dining area, and a seemingly endless line to order. While waiting to order I was once again greeted by friendly staff with more free samples which I did not turn down.

After a short wait, I finally got to order my meal. I decided to order a Butterburger with cheese meal, regular order of Wisconsin Cheese Curds, and a scoop of vanilla Frozen Custard. My total came to about $11, and I was still unsure about how much food I had just ordered.

A short time later, I was presented with a bright blue tray adorned with delicious looking food. I was honestly surprised at the large amount of food I got for the price I paid.

My Butterburger, which was surprisingly flavorful, came with a wide range of standard burger toppings, but overall had an excellent burger to topping ratio. The bun which gave the “Butterburger” its name was soft and buttery and perfectly proportioned to the burger and toppings.

Even though the taste was great, the presentation of the burger was generic and was a tad messy to eat, but the Butterburgers are definitely worth a try and lived up to their hype.

My burger was served with crinkle cut fries, which are rarely anything special, but these had a crisp, golden, and lightly salted exterior and steamy soft interior that was surprisingly delicious.  

After tasting the main portion of my meal, my standards were high, and I was ready to try the Wisconsin Cheese Curds. The curds, which were served in a paper bag, were golden and crunchy, perfectly filled with warm and melty cheeses. The curds were honestly one of my favorite items I ordered.

Finally, I went in for my vanilla frozen custard. This by far was what I was most excited for, and my standards were high. The custard was a perfect cream color in a perfectly tennis ball sized scoop. The custard was the perfect temperature and was just the right ratio of creamy, thick, and fluffy. The flavor was a simple traditional vanilla, but was not overwhelmingly sweet.

Overall, Culver’s is a unique and great addition to West Knoxville’s wide range of cuisines. I would highly recommend giving the restaurant a try some time soon. The service was friendly and welcoming despite the large number of customers, and the food was reasonably priced and delicious to eat. I came in with high standards and was not disappointed by this Mid-Western based chain and their Butterburgers.