We have had the pleasure of eating here multiple times this summer here in Lake City and I just adore Eli. The place is really cool in terms of atmosphere and vibe. The best burger --well bacon cheese burger with pickle only I have EVER had. Not to mention the bar is stocked with a variety of drinks and as I mentioned earlier the atmosphere is really cool. The owners, Ryan and Christina take a lot of pride in being available to chat with and connect with their customers.
There are a lot of Sportsmans bacon cheese burgers in this belly.
If there was a million stars--that still would not be enough.
Bacon cheeseburger for lunch was FANTASTIC. Really should have come back for dinner to actually try the BBQ. The place we went instead was kind of a letdown. But I don't think you could go wrong with the BBQ Station.
Might have been the best burger we’ve ever had. Definitely not a frozen patty. Not fancy, by any stretch of the imagination, but a cool old building. We’d just gotten off the Alpine Loop so didn’t care either.
Our first night in town, we got a recommendation to go here. It doesn't look like much from outside, but the food was excellent. We had pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad which were both really good. The pork was actually smoked unlike many places nowadays. The staff was friendly also.
I don't think I've ever given a 5-star review to a restaurant, ever. For a BBQ/gas station/convenience store, I was stunned!
Chopped brisket sandwich was cooked perfectly - tender, with a good bite to it; the bun was pillowy soft but held its shape, soaking up whatever juices and sauce were there without being a dry-takes-for-ever-to-chew or disintegrate-at-a-glance bun. I had onion rings as a side, and they were THE BEST onion rings I've ever had in my life! The breading was the perfect thickness, fried to perfection - crunchy and flavorful. The onion was just the right thickness and cut, they must have dried it and removed the slick membrane cuz biting into it, there was soft al dente onion and nothing slimy at all.
I also asked for jalapeños and pickles on the side. A hearty portion of large dill pickles, and whole pickled jalapeños came with the meal. Good spice! Great flavors!
I have no pictures because I wasn't expecting much from BBQ out of a gas station/convenience store, but they knocked it out of the park for me.
