While there are several items on the menu, the Onion Fried Hamburger is what has made Johnnie's famous throughout central Oklahoma. Each burger is individually prepared as you order it, with the onions cooked separately on the grill so they become carmelized and then added into the patty as it is cooking in order to ensure a proper blend of beef and onion flavors. The onions are added early into the meat's cooking process and the patty is mashed flat to ensure proper cooking of all ingredients. The onions end up being cooked much longer than is found with the typical "burger with onions." In fact, they are cooked so long that for me it eliminates the negative side effects of eating onions such as a strong taste and possible gastric upset.

Johnnie's famous onion burger

The end result is one of the best burgers around, and a meal that in terms of flavor rivals many "fine dining" restaurants. The meat is high quality and never frozen, and the mustard and pickle toppings go perfectly with this creation. Only the white bread bun is a throwback to a half century ago that I think perhaps could be updated.

Johnnie's famous coney

Johnnie's other highly popular item is the Coney, a high quality hot dog that comes with different toppings. The most popular, though (and Johnnie's specialty) is a coney topped with chili and a special cole slaw that seems to be served only in El Reno (with other popular restaurants serving slightly different versions). The chili was really one of the smoothest and most flavorful I have ever eaten (by smooth I mean mainly that it was not greasy and was somewhat liquid so that it could be poured over the hot dog). Many people familiar with New Mexican cuisine (and I among them) proclaim their chile to be hotter, more flavorful, and more satisfying than the Tex-Mex style chili (which is always brown and usually made either with meat or beans). Johnnie's chili, though, was different, with a flavor that I think made it equal in quality to much of the New Mexico chile (although certainly not as spicy).

The slaw made an interesting flavor contrast, and although I did not think it in itself was as exceptional as the chili, the combination of the two allowed me to experience the flavor that makes the El Reno coneys famous. This was a somewhat toned down slaw with not as much sharpness as is sometimes found in normal cole slaw.

The French Fries were greasy, but not overly so. They are certainly better quality than is found at most restaurants these days.

Pie to take home

Sitting at the counter is a great way to chat with people and watch the food being cooked, but tables are available for families and those who prefer more space. Being at the counter allowed me to spy out several types of pie that were available (Johnnie's has a person who specializes in baking the pies). I would not call the pies gourmet, but they were good (yes, I tried more than one kind).

A drive-through window is also available for take-home or if you need to get back to Interstate 40 for a cross-country trip. Going to Johnnie's requires about a two mile detour from IH-40.