Don’s Burgers, Fries & Fountain
90 South Street, Morristown
973-267-4500; donsburgers.com
Hours: Sun-Thurs, 11 am–10 pm; Fri-Sat, 11 am–3 am
Price: $/$$
Style: The new Don’s in Morristown is an homage to the first and only Don’s Drive-In of Livingston, founded in 1955 by Don Roth. The extremely casual red-and-white interior has an updated ’50s malt-shop feeling and a huge black-and-white photo mural of the original Don’s, which remained a local landmark for nearly 40 years.
Don’t Miss: The burgers, which Don’s says are made with 100 percent dry-aged, certified Angus beef. Choices include the Original ($5.45), Alpine with Swiss cheese and mushrooms ($6.95), and the Double D two-patty with triple cheese ($8.95). Other crowd pleasers are hot dogs with sauerkraut ($3.95), Cobb and chicken Caesar salads ($6.95-$7.95), potato and sweet-potato fries ($2.50-$2.95), and onion rings ($3.50). Top it off with a hot fudge sundae or brownie à la mode ($5.95). If you’re not into caloric fare, opt for the grilled chicken sandwich ($6.95) and a fresh-brewed iced tea. Soda-fountain beverages ($4.50) include orange freezes and milkshakes in traditional as well as s’mores and blueberry-cheesecake flavors. Kids’ meals (sandwich, fries and soda) go for $5.50.
Heads Up: For a special treat, embellish your burger with a little Mayo—the Mayo Performing Arts Center, that is. Located directly next door, the community theater turns out hungry late-night patrons who flock to Don’s, especially on weekends.
The Scoop: In recent years, more than 1,600 cultish fans joined the I Miss Don’s Facebook page, and they’re still reminiscing about the cheeseburgers and pizza burgers they enjoyed at the original Don’s decades ago. In its heyday, that South Orange Avenue location served half a million customers a year. Mike Chutko, owner of the new Morristown shop, says Don Roth would be proud. The two were friends for 30 years and, before Roth died in 2010, he wholeheartedly supported the idea of bringing back the spirit of his establishment—with an updated style for a new generation to enjoy.