Lil Woody’s offers late night burger refuge

By Nicole Lisson
- The Capitol Hill Times -

Lil Woody’s serves up Molly Moon’s ice cream shakes. Nicole Lisson / The Capitol Hill Times

Wandering around Capitol Hill on the weekends drunk and is no longer an issue – at least the starving part – thanks to Lil Woody’s late night burgers. Keeping its doors open till 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Woody’s is a classic burger joint taken up a notch.

I walked in for a late breakfast on Sunday afternoon to find the open kitchen smack dab in the middle of the restaurant surrounded by counter height tables and red stools. There is additional seating up above in the loft space, but beware, it gets mighty hot up there due to the rising heat from the grill below.

The menu is tacked to the wall and offers an array of classic burgers and more artisan optoins like The Fig and The Pig ($8.50), which is smothered in pickled figs, topped with bacon, mayo and crumbled gorgonzola. For vegetarians who would venture into a burger joint, there is a bean burger ($6) and for those who want an actual breakfast item there is the Good Morning Woody ($4.50), which is a classic breakfast sandwich, served all day. And you can’t forget about the sides. Onion rings ($6), Hand-Cut Fries ($3.50 for a basket) and House-Made Queso and Fries ($5).

Even though it was my first meal of the day, I ordered The Fig and The Pig and a chocolate milkshake. You cannot go to a classic burger joint and not order a milkshake; it’s a rule, especially when the milkshakes are made with Molly Moon Ice Cream. If you’re not in the mood for chocolate, try the Vanilla bean, Salted Caramel, Vivace Coffee, Scout Mint or Strawberry, all for $5. The rumor through the grape vine is that The Scout Mint taste exactly like a thin mint cookie.

My friends got The Big Woody ($7) and a basket of fries to share. Since my boyfriend is asking for a heart attack, he ordered an over easy egg on The Big Woody. The fries contained the right ratio of salt to grease and every fry was crispy. I had no doubt in my mind that my chocolate milkshake would be delicious, which it was. Rich and complex, you could taste the superior Theo chocolate.

On the Extra’s section of the menu, there is an item called Crack ($5): hand cut fries with a bit of milkshake to dip them in. Speaking from experience, the title is spot on. You cannot stop at just one.

Since everything else was so good, I assumed the burgers would be too. However, I was sorely disappointed. The flavors from The Fig and The Pig were outstanding; figs pickled in balsamic and the earthiness from the Gorgonzola completed each other perfectly. But the meat was overcooked to the point where it was dry, and my burger wasn’t the only one that suffered. In fact, my boyfriend’s egg was fried, not over easy, like he asked, negating the whole point at getting an egg on a burger so the the richness of the yolk spills over the meat. I’ll give Lil’ Woody’s the benefit of the doubt that Sunday was an off day for them. And I’ll probably return for the milkshakes and fries alone. But I dearly wished the burgers were better.

Nonetheless, its late night hours make Woody’s stand out among the rest, especially when the room is spinning and your stomach is growling.

211 Pine St.
MONDAY through THURSDAY 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
FRIDAY through SATURDAY 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.
SUNDAY 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.