Damn. Where did summer go? As always, the season was a crazy, busy, plan-filled blur that flew by in what seemed to be an instant. Now that fall has emphatically announced its presence and the action has (mostly) slowed down, it’s time to make up for lost time and visit some of the places we’ve missed in the unrelenting frenzy that was summer. The first place on our list was Archie’s Flat Top.
Located at 6922 W. Becher St. in the former site of West Allis bar and fish fry stalwart Randy’s Neighbors Inn, Archie’s had some big shoes to fill when it opened back in mid-August. Almost two months later, it appears they’re living up to the hype and have continued the tasty tradition of the property with a simple-yet-undeniable combination of burgers, beer, and ice cream. A few days ago, we finally had the time and the appetite necessary to try Archie’s Flat Top for ourselves. We’re happy to report the new restaurant with a classic concept has all the makings of becoming a new West Allis standby.
With its checkered flooring, classic red stools, and neon lighting, Archie’s has the diner aesthetic down pat. The nostalgia mostly stops there. Instead of oldies on a jukebox, a steady mix of accessible indie rock played over the house speakers. There’s also a turntable behind the bar with a small stack of records beside it.
Speaking of the bar, you’ll find far more than just soda pop and malts behind the pine (though both of those things are available as well). “The Swill” on hand includes a respectable selection of liquor and corresponding soft drink mixers, an arsenal of spirits for shots, and dozens of “Suds” options that range from low-price domestic favorites, craft brew crowd-pleasers, lauded local libations, a surprising number of imports, and even some non-alcoholic beers. Heck, there’s even hard seltzer, cider, kombucha, wine, and canned cocktails available. Your grandpa could never drink like this at his favorite greasy spoon. Best yet, almost everything is at least a dollar less than it is elsewhere in town.
While the beverage options are abundant, Archie’s keeps its food menu small. There are four burgers (including one veggie burger), fries, and onion rings that can be ordered at the counter. Ice cream, shakes, and malts can be procured at the Scratch Ice Cream counter that’s housed in the same property.
For our maiden trip to this burger joint, we ordered The Archie, a massive double smash burger topped with diced and sauteed PBR onions, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a creamy house sauce that’s all piled between a potato bun. Thick pickle slices are served on the side. While it was delicious, we weren’t expecting the smash patties to be quite so large, which made eating the decadent delight a very messy affair. It took four napkins to undo the damage it inflicted on our hands, so be warned. It’s also worth noting that a mistake in the kitchen led to our guest not getting PBR onions on her No. 2 burger, which—upon trying it for ourselves—revealed exactly how much heavy-lifting the onions and pickles do in order to elevate an otherwise straightforward smash burger.
Honestly, we expected the crinkle cut fries to be standard issue, but they were well-salted, crunchy on the outside, and soft within. A very pleasant surprise! We figured the Panko-breaded onion rings would be great and we weren’t disappointed. Sure, none of the food at Archie’s is particularly groundbreaking in terms of its culinary innovation, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s just simple and good comfort food the whole family can enjoy. Once we washed down the meal with a Riverwest Stein tallboy, we chased the meal with a tremendous scoop of cold brew brownie ice cream from Scratch…which we inhaled before we remembered we were eating there for our job and that a photo would’ve been helpful. There’s always next time!
And there will be a next time. West Allis has been unfairly maligned as a regional punching bag for generations, but the city is growing, changing, and evolving. Between celebrated classics and a new crop of restaurants, there’s a lot to like about ‘Stallis these days. While Randy’s Neighbors Inn will be sorely missed, Archie’s Flat Top is helping to bring something new to W. Becher St. that’s worth celebrating, or at the very least, incorporating into your regional burger rotation.
