Jubilee returns to Tacoma with a spiffed-up burger menu

The burger restaurant Jubilee is back — and so are its burgers.

Jubilee was the longtime burger hangout in the Lincoln neighborhood that closed in 2012. It reopened with a new owner in January 2014 as Amp, a coffee house and frozen yogurt shop.

After a few years of struggling with that concept, the restaurant ditched the frozen yogurt and sandwich menu and returned to its longtime mission as a burger joint — and its original name.

The burger menu was created by Philip Walsh, who is a new business partner hired by owner Jason Maggard. The longtime restaurant chef designed a dozen-item burger menu in November. The restaurant is now on its second menu, which includes crinkle-cut fries and nine shakes.

For some Lincoln locals, the restaurant always was referred to as Jubilee, mostly because the original building sign was never removed during Amp’s tenure. Maggard had sought advice on donating or moving the sign, but that never happened. Now, they plan to freshen up the distinctive orange marquee.

“Moving forward in the summer we will be smartening up the original Jubilee sign, but in no way are we changing the name,” said Walsh via message.

On the menu is a classic burger — the Smitty — with a long history in the region, and at Jubilee. The Smitty burger, built on a French roll, is sold alongside burgers such as a Cajun with spicy mayo ($5.95), a blue cheese burger ($5.95), a breakfast burger with a fried egg ($6.45), a basic burger ($4.95) and a cheeseburger ($5.95).

A visit in late December found a menu of eight beef burgers, all third-pounders, and three with chicken.

The concept is more refined than the previous Jubilee.

The focus is on bigger burgers with premium ingredients, and with higher prices to match. The cheapest burger on the menu was listed at $4.95, which nudges Jubilee to the top of the price range for local fast-food burger joints with counter service.

Execution on my visit was mostly fine, with a few quibbles. Slightly overcooked patties tasted dry, but the thick patties pushed the ratio of the burgers in favor of beefy over bready (my burger pet peeve is too-thin patties).

Burger construction was admirable, with cheddar in lieu of American cheese and thick-cut bacon slices. Buns were well-toasted, condiments evenly applied and vegetables (chopped onions, shredded lettuce, pickles) tasted crisp and fresh.

Onion rings ($2.95), poutine ($2.95) and chili cheese fries ($3.95) are now listed on the menu.

Expect to see more dining room changes on the way.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Jubilee returns to Tacoma with a spiffed-up burger menu."