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Burger Review: Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets #12 Kuwait
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
I am expecting this to be my most controversial review because it involves one of the most popular burger places in Kuwait and to many readers, their favorite burger place in Kuwait. So before I continue let me make something clear. I love Johnny Rockets. I’ve been a customer since the first week they opened (I think it was 1996) and me and my friends used to go and hang out there on weekends with the half of Kuwait. It was like the “it” place to be back then and even though there are A LOT more restaurants open now (back then it was just Johnny and Fuddruckers) they’re still doing really well. Personally I have Johnny Rockets at least once a week and I’ve tried everything on their menu, all their appetizers, all their burgers and all their desserts. So when you read this review please keep an open mind to what I have to say.

So let me begin. Today I had Johnny Rockets for lunch. I went to the branch near my office which is the one in front of Salhiya. It was tough choosing which burger I would have for the review, they’re all my favorites and I just keep shuffling between them. In the end I decided to go with the #12 since its their most popular burger.

Johnny Rockets #12 Kuwait

The #12 is a cult classic which means if I say anything negative about the burger I am most probably going to get a wave of attacks from an army of fans. To those die hards, my credibility will crumble and they won’t believe any of what I am about to say. The #12 burger is not the best burger in Kuwait! In fact, I am predicting it won’t even have a spot in the top 3. As I mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Johnny Rockets but its not just because of their burgers. A lot of things come into play for example they have a lot of branches which makes them very accessible. Their prices are very good, their appetizers are amazing their milkshakes are the ultimate and even their desserts are not bad. When you combine all the above you end up with one of the best burger places in Kuwait. But this burger challenge is about the best burger and not the price of the burger, the location of the restaurant or anything else. When it comes down to just the burger I find it above average. I love their bun, I love their meat but in the case of the #12 for example I think there is just wayyy too much lettuce for the thickness of the patty and the thickness of the patty is actually one of my biggest issues. I really wish their patties were thicker, like double the thickness. The meat tastes good but in a burger like the #12 its M.I.A. And the special red tangy sauce? It tastes like ketchup, its over hyped.

The problem with blogs is the reader interaction. Sounds bad I know since reader interaction is what makes blogs great but not in this case when the writer of the post is going to get bashed by his readers. I’m giving the #12 at Johnny Rockets a 3 out of 5. Its a great burger, one that I have a lot of respect for but, if this is the best of what Kuwait has to offer then I might as well stop trying any more burgers and go back to my shawerma reviews. I still think I can find the ultimate burger somewhere else and I will continue my search.

My favorite Johnny Rockets is in Salmiya near Fanar.
The cost of the #12 Burger is KD2.050

90 replies on “Burger Review: Johnny Rockets”

The review part is only bout a few lines in that half a page review. 😀

Just kidding, critics get bashed all the time, comes with the job.

mark, to avoid people attacking you on this opinion, even though its “Your own opinion”. Its best to have this competition with 5 others and then you’ll make points , take and average of the points and then give the burger a score.

then no one will complain and it will be all fair to the burger, the burger joint and your visitors.

hahahaha, maybe those Johnny Rocket fans won’t run very fast! I would agree with Mark. I’ve only had one JR burger here and it wasn’t good at all. The bun was wet, the hamburger way overcooked and the condiments looked like a kindergartener was fingerpainting. There are so many good places, I won’t be visiting JR again.

Mark .. with all due respect to your opinion and with your journey finding the best burgr in Kuwait, I still think that you are not the right person to review Burgers.. because you’re standards is different and off for a normal looking burger .. you want your burgers “thick” which doesn’t look like a burger, instead it looks like a “Steak” burger ! the other thing would be the cooking of the burger .. Yes, I really think burgers should be cooked Medium to medium well, but I might join you to eat your burgers well done because the average person might choose his burger well done. Please don’t consider this as an attack. It’s your opinion and I totally respect it but I don’t think you are the right person for the job.

Sunny: I know I noticed, its a style I picked up while reading Jeremy Clarkson reviews on the Times Online website. It can get annoying sometimes i admit. https://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/jeremy_clarkson/

Rayboy: Life is a lot simpler then that. I can state my opinion and whoever disagrees can disagree 🙂

Nas: note taken

Q80 In Denver: You see I have to disagree with your opinion. I don’t think there is anyone here that eats more burgers than me. Majority of the readers eat normal food. They have either someone cook for them, or they cook themselves or generally eat a variety of different dishes at restaurants. Not me. I don’t cook. No one cooks for me and I don’t like a whole range of foods. There is nothing I eat, I dislike everything. Thats why I spend 70-80% of my time having burgers for lunch on regular days and this is why having a burger every day for lunch at the moment isn’t out of the ordinary for me. I live on burgers and I’ve had a lot of them over my lifetime. Hotel burgers, cheap fast food burgers, expensive burgers, square burgers you name it i’ve had it. Which is why I disagree with what you have to say. My standards are different because I am a burger guy, I understand why one burger costs 500fils while another could cost 12 dinars and I would appreciate both of them for what they are. To me though johnny rockets is like a better version of McDonalds, its fast food burgers just using real meat.

“think there is just wayyy too much lettuce for the thickness of the patty” – Mark.

I think you can actually ask for less lettuce in ur sandwich, not sure though, give it a shot next time.

i totally agree with mark… i dont know buyt lately johnny is not the same as before
good job and please keep us updated with ur reviews 🙂

Dear Mark, please dont take my comments personal:
1-Maybe you are looking for more hits on your site thats why your reviews are negative and sometimes you “over do it” :).
2- Maybe you need to let someone taste the burgers with you for a second opnion.
3- Maybe you burgers not meant to be for you.
4- Maybe you are good at marketing & wranglers.
5- maybe all the above wrong except # 2
6-maybe you need a break from burgers.
Cheers,

Bujasim: i wont take your comment personally but again will have to disagree with u. posting negative reviews just to get “hits” is not my style. firstly i dont know how i can get hits by posting negative reviews if anything its going to piss people off and they will stop coming. I won’t let anyone else taste burgers with me for a second opinion because their opinion doesn’t matter here. i believe i’ve built up enough credibility over the years with my blog not to need a friends backing to support my ratings. I am also better with burgers than i am with marketing and my wrangler lol

Mark, great topic for argument,please elaborate more on your burger credibility & do you have i.e ISO 9001 for burgers ratings or are you certified from a crediable institution to rate burgers?
In addtion about negative marketing can you please explain it for us and is it powerfull to attract the reader to interact then more hits than you can get sponsors to advertise? and is it related to your blog? LOL

Cheers

I know a guy that eats nothing but burgers, since he’s busy with studying and can’t be bothered to do otherwise.
lol Mark, there’s always someone that can do the same.
A couple of judges reviewing gives an objective review. And a review by one judge is always seen as subjective, no matter what the case is.

Just adding my 2 cents.

“think there is just wayyy too much lettuce for the thickness of the patty”
maybe next time u should try and ask for a little less lettuce mark, if youre lucky, it might just work.

Bujassem, reading the burger reviews made me realize that someone else should start his own, proper, reviews.

No offence mark, just an opinion 😉

1- I’m glad you respect the burger, because at the end of the day it’s all about respect.

2- Shawerma > everything else within the fast food category.

3- Within the burger subcategory, in-n-out pwns all.

4- In Kuwait, Fuddruckers makes the best burger, imho.

At first when i read only three stars, you were gonna lose your credibility.. then i read on and realised that you were not rating the “Original Burger”.
I’ve been eating the Original burger in JR’s since the mid 80’s in London, UK. Still haven’t tasted a better all round burger till date.

Mark .. I don’t want to talk about myself .. but I think I’m living the same situation as you .. I’m in the states .. I don’t cook .. and I do eat burgers most of the time.. still, it’s not a competition between u and me to see who eat burgers more .. and eating burgers more than the others doesn’t mean that u know burgers more than the others .. it’s the same situation with movies .. watching movies more than anyone doesn’t mean u know movies better than the others ! it’s the sense of taste! u might see a whole lot of movies but your taste in movies suck! the same here .. could you explain how a burger guy eats his burgers “thick” ? burgers were never made to be thick ! this called steak burgers! if one burger doesn’t satisfy u, you could order one more other than taking a “steak” burger .. and the price sometimes doesn’t count .. some burgers are over priced because they want to rip your pockets off and sometimes not because of the quality of the meat they use and the ingredients they use !

@Q80 In Denver,
I think this is just one person’s opinion, so it should be taken with a pinch of burger sauce.

There’s nothing stopping you from reviewing this exact same burger and give it 5/5. It’s doesn’t mean we’ll all run to the shop and start eating burgers. It’s just an opinion.

Q80 In Denver: You see I am not saying I am the best burger reviewer in the world or in Kuwait but I do know burgers and I like them a lot. You don’t have to agree with me but is that really the end of the world? I don’t have to defend my taste buds because in the end they are my taste buds and this is my blog which is based around my opinions. You don’t have to like what I have to say but it doesn’t mean I have to change what i say so you can like it.

This commenting area is for readers to interact and state their opinions like you are doing and it is welcomed. If I didn’t want people to share their opinions I would have just turned commenting off. Just keep in mind though this is a personal blog thats run by one guy and everything on it is based on his taste, be it a burger review or a youtube video. (wow I just wrote in third person)

Anyway I don’t know how you got the idea that I like thick burgers. When I say I wish the patty was thicker its based on proportions. When you put half a kilo of lettuce in a burger you expect a certain amount of beef to go with it. In the johnny rockets burger for example i thought the ratio of lettuce to meat was not equal. Again this is just my humble opinion, you can disagree with me all you want but I won’t go back and rewrite the review so its agreeable with you.

No one is mentioning price in these reviews, all burgers are treated equally no matter what they cost. There will be no price discrimination.

Like cajie said, anyone can review the burgers. Some people are even reviewing burgers and posting them as comments here with their own ratings, you can do that also no problem.

I agree with you mark. #12 aint all that… and neither are the burgers in johnny. Keep up the hard work and you will find the 5/5…

Convicing rebuttal with post no.35

Mark, i believe that certain people who visit your blog tend to force their own opinion just for the sake of wanting to disagree with you and not necessarily to share their own “true” opinion. I mean its fine to state a balanced opinion and you welcome them to it, however i sense that they just want to argue and prove they are right, even when they are wrong.

Somehow i like this blog
after his review of ipod i bought it (and later sold it in forum)
after his review i started using usws
after his review i bought my Imac
Now i am waiting for his burger challenge to be over
So that i can try the best ones he chooses.
Heheh

At the very beginning of this burger adventure, Mark clearly stated that these reviews are based on his opinion and taste alone. Can Mark ever be wrong with a review? NO, its HIS opinion & HIS taste. You can’t tell anyone they have a wrong opinion, you can only state that it differs from yours.

Mark isn’t saying this or that is the #1 selling burger in Kuwait, a piece of info that can be verified whether to be right or wrong. He is not stating facts, he is stating his personal opinion.

On the same matter, who is to say that a world renowned Chef’s opinion matters when it comes to ranking specific dishes or restaurants. Again, thats his taste and his opinion. It could be the same as mine or different. but not right and wrong.

No Country for Old Men won the Oscar for best picture, the most prestigious award given to a film, yet i thought it was one of the most pointless movies I’ve seen my whole life. Does it mean I’m wrong and they are right, or vice versa, NOOOOO. We just have different opinions.

On that note, Q80 in Denver, if you really are in Denver, go to cherry creek grill for their burger, IN MY OPINION, the best burger ever.

Cherry Cricket isn’t bad either, its in the same area.

glad to know I am not the only one who didn’t like No Country for Old Men. It started of nice, the first 15-30 minutes and after that it went downhill. I am still trying to understand the role of Tommy Lee Jones in the movie!

I was just wondering if you introduce the place to the burger challenge before ordering or after? Assuming you let them know… + how popular is your blog? Do people usually know about it when you mention it? Again Im ammusing you do let them know…

I imagined you would have the ‘Original’ burger, since it’s the most popular.
After all, from the looks of #12, it seems like a crispy chicken sandwich and not a ‘burger’ with beef.

Mishary wrote:
“No Country for Old Men won the Oscar for best picture, the most prestigious award given to a film, yet i thought it was one of the most pointless movies I’ve seen my whole life.”

See how simple it is?.
We can now clearly state that Mishary’s opinion sucks 🙂

“I still think I can find the ultimate burger somewhere else and I will continue my search.”

Like fox mulder hunting little green men…

One thing mark,can you make a PDF of the whole thing after its done with stars and all,so that we can print it out….wonder how many more left to go…

cajie,

I knew you were, just having a laugh about an issue thats a huge problem in Kuwait, and the middle east.

People of the middle east, I can have a different opinion than yours, it doesn’t mean you are stupid, it doesn’t mean you are wrong, it doesn’t mean i am stupid, it doesn’t mean i am wrong.

People get angry when someone voices an opinion different than their’s, and they try to convince you of their point of view, and if they can’t they try to force their POV on you.

Different people have different tastes in burgers, its gonna happen, just accept it. We can’t all have the same opinion about a burger, it can’t happen.

Well except for Wimpy, all of us pretty much agree it sucks.

Yes mark.. There’s at least three locations that i can recall..
Johnny Rockets expanded internationally, capitalizing on the appeal of American popular culture abroad. Teitelbaum used a business connection from his clothing business to open a Johnny Rockets restaurant in Tokyo in September 1989. City Centre Restaurants, which operated a variety of casual dining chains in London, opened a Johnny Rockets there in 1990. In addition, a prospective franchisee approached the company to open a Johnny Rockets in Melbourne, Australia, which went into development at this time. By June 1992 the company had expanded to 28 stores in the chain, with six company-owned units and 22 franchises.

https://www.answers.com/topic/the-johnny-rockets-group-inc?cat=biz-fin

On either fulham road or the kings road in chelsea they had both Johnny Rockets and also their competition which was Ed’s Diner… it’s like McDonald’s and Burger King.. I still prefer Ed’s Diner. Unfortunatley it’s not kuwait yet. Here’s the site if anyone is interested in bringing it and being in direct competition with Johnny Rocket’s:

https://www.edseasydiner.co.uk/

How much does it cost to open an Ed’s?

It costs approximately £350,000 to open an Ed’s Easy Diner. This covers all franchise fees, training, legal and professional fees but does not account for any unforeseen building works. You will need 30% of this in liquid cash and our banking partners will be happy to discuss the balance of funding with you subject to your status. We would strongly advise every person who is looking at an Ed’s Easy Diner franchise to prepare a financial plan that covers where they will get their funding, what working capital they will require and plan their finances accordingly.

It is vital that you have the full support of your spouse or partner, your family and close friends. Any new business requires hard work and commitment. Ed’s Easy Diner is no different. You will get out of it what you put into it. But if you have the right attitude you will have great fun and have the opportunity to share in our 20 years of success.

Still interested? Then read on, check out the financial data section below, and if you are still interested then please contact us and let’s discuss the opportunities available.

you obviously have problems with your taste buds, if you gave johnny rockets 3 of 5, then go to a doctor and get checked asap

otherwise, i have one last recommendation for you, if that doesnt satisfy your burger needs, and get 4.5 of 5, then i am giving up on you and 248am

maybe eating burgers every couple of days isnt the right way of going about the challenge in the first place…. maybe you should give it more time, to crave the burgers, or at least miss them

so little oven ” the local place from we didn’t know where ” has better burgers than Bredz and Johnny Rockets .. hmmm .. I hope these reviews are not going in ” commercial thingy ” way .. it will be a waste of your health !

I always thought Johnny Rockets burger taste like Hardee’s burger but in a better way, if I were you I wouldn’t give them more than 3 of 5 either, its good but not that special.

Dying laughing, 64 comments on a Johnny Rocket Burger Review! I like Johnny Rocket’s veggie burger, but their hand packed burgers are heartburn city. I like Ruby Tuesdays mini burgers!

Hardcore fans don’t beleive in democracy of tastebuds ! I say we shut down everything and only have shawarma joints, because you are not supposed to enjoy anything else ! Say hello to taste bud dictatorship.

just look at the number of comments! 😛
anyway, i just wanted to mention that everyone talks about Johnny’s burgers and desserts but no one mentions their breakfast. They have the best omelettes! u should try that mark

yeah, their pancakes r good too…but if u really want to experience american breakfast at its best u should try johnny rockets (perkins is the best, but not in kuwait).

Mishari .. Cherry Creek Grill burger is Great! and cherry cricket burgers are taste from heaven! 🙂

I wish we had steak’n shake here in kuwait, I miss thick burgers. Used to buy a bulk of thick burgers from walmart and grill them every night in my last course in college, damn…..(starts staring far away)

BTW, Mark, I think u might drive to do the pizza challenge, I love pizza!!

i have to remind myself to only check 248 after lunch because i ended up ordering a burger at 10am! I was sooooo good…

Mark,

You gave JR 3/5 because there was too much lettuce!? Take them off 🙂 !!!

You mentioned that you do not care about price doing your review? Ya3ni if the best burger in Kuwait cost 20KD would you consider this as the best? Man you said it yourself about JR … you love it for many other reasons not for only the burger! and that how your review should be handled. What if your best burger turned to be in a filthy place in Jeleeb El-Shoyoukh overlooking some sewage scenery?

I suggest you have a check list of all possible elements such as atmosphere, service, location, etc. beside all the elements that are involved directly with the burger itself.

And when you do that I assure you that Johnny Rockets would be #1.

One more thing, Burger is all about the meat and I believe JR does the best meat. At least it is done on the spot and not out of a frozen nylon bags!

3/5 was not fair and next time you can order it with less lettuce 😛

UncleBenz I did not give the burger 3 out of 5 because it had too much lettuce.

These reviews are not restaurant reviews, they are burger reviews which is why if I find the best burger in a filthly place in Jeleeb el shoyoukh then that burger will win the challange. The idea here is if you wanted to have the best burger in kuwait where will i find that burger.

Atmosphere, location and service don’t play a role in these reviews. It would complicate things and take away from the main focus which is the burger. If a place has a great burger but terrible service and location, why should the burger get a low score?

Mark i really think that you should review other good burgers in johnny rockets like the Rocket Single or the Original….not the number 12:s those two are the best in johnny in my opinion

wow , i googled whats the best Hamburgers of Johnny rockets ? , on a normal US google and this poped out in Kuwait..amazing.. you guys are sure doing reviews and making stuff matters..im proud to be Kuwaiti 🙂 , anyways i always tried the original , and cant remember what i tired 6yrs ago but wasnt pleasant.. is there a good choice for a person who doesnt like catchup but adores mayo , mustard and becon? (other than the original?)

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