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The Bacon & Blue burger
($7.50) features a quar-
ter-pound patty, bacon
and blue cheese with
lettuce and tomato.
The newly re-established Custard
King features more than a fresh coat of paint
E
Even as the pink paint peeled off, Cus-
tard King’s old sign told passers-by most
everything they needed to know: The place
was a holdover, a remnant
of 1950s drive-in culture,
a place to get hamburgers
and milkshakes.
And in recent weeks,
perhaps you’ve noticed
that the Custard King sign
has received a fresh coat of
paint. The sunburnt pinks
have been traded for bold
blues, and the oft-dark neon
tubing too is under repair.
But what’s happening at
Custard King is more than a facelift — it
goes to the foundation.
Earlier this year an ownership group
bought the aged eatery. This spring they
tore out the guts and installed a sea of
shimmering new stainless-steel appliances.
As today’s re-brand explains: Custard King
was established in 1951 and re-established
in 2015.
When I heard the ownership group in-
cluded Franz Spielvogel, owner of the bur-
geoning Laughing Planet Cafe, I perked up.
Laughing Planet is a modern, quasi-yuppie,
American burrito shop with nine locations
throughout Oregon. And from a number of
them I’ve emerged energized. Since 2000,
Laughing Planet’s unpolluted and unpre-
tentious designs for purer, healthier fast
food have dovetailed with the times. My
hunch was that Spielvogel’s involvement
with Custard King would
lend something similar
and that the reborn Custard
King would thoughtfully
prepare quality ingredients.
I was right.
The new menu is rather
simple. Around the con-
tours it’s not wholly unlike
the one that preceded it:
burgers, fries, cold treats
and a few accoutrements.
On the other hand, today’s
Custard King is probably the only drive-in
in the state that offers kale salad.
And as far as kale delivery vehicles go,
Kale to the King ($4) is about as robust as
it gets. A light, citrusy lemon parsley vin-
aigrette dressing coats the kale, which is
topped with sunflower seeds, thin slices of
Today’s Custard
King is probably
the only drive-in
in the state that
off ers kale salad.
The Kale to the King sal-
ad is tart, sweet, bright
and hearty with a lem-
on-parsley vinaigrette,
kale, carrots, cranber-
ries, sunfl ower seeds
and queso fresco.
carrot, cranberries and flaky queso fresco.
It was tart and sweet, simultaneously bright
and hearty. Quickly after digging in I felt
my body perk in approval.
But hamburgers are Custard King’s real
centerpiece. There are nine variations,
from classic to blue cheese, bacon to green
chile, as well as options for the vegetarians
and kiddos. Besides the veggie burger, all
feature quarter-pound beef patties sourced
from Warrenton’s Reed & Hertig. I tried a
number of them, including the Royale With
Cheese ($6.50, aka a traditional cheese-
burger). The Royale, like all its brothers
and sisters, featured an ample amount of
roughage. The shredded lettuce was crisp,
OF THE COLUMBIA
the tomatoes tart, and the onions added
a bit of crunch. The buns, from Astoria’s
Home Bakery, were soft and airy.
While the Royale was perfectly accept-
able, the Bacon & Blue ($7.50) and the
Santa Fe ($7.50) distinguished themselves
— certainly worth the extra dollar. The
Bacon & Blue, obviously, featured bacon
and blue cheese. The bacon was salty and
well-cooked, both crisp and supple, and the
blue cheese was added to the patty while it
was still on the grill, allowing the cheese
to cook down and permeate the meat. The
product was equal measures sharp and
smooth. The Santa Fe burger went instead
with green chiles and queso fresco. The
generous layer of chiles were bright and
tangy, gooey and chewy, not at all spicy.
All in all, a welcome tweak.
For those less interested in beef, The
Un-Burger ($8.00) is a wholly worthwhile
vegetarian alternative. The herb-y Field
Roast patty was cooked on a separate,
COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW
Continued on page 18
mouth
Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com
Custard King
Rating:
1597 Commercial St., Astoria
503-325-KING (5464)
Custard King has traded in its pink and purple colors for bold, fresh coat
of paint. The revamped sign still awaits its neon lighting.
12 | August 20, 2015 | coastweekend.com
www.custardkingastoria.com
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
PRICE: $ – A burger plus a side hover around or just
below $10.
SERVICE: Take-out window, friendly young staff .
ALTERNATE OPTIONS: Worthwhile veggie burger,
salad and fries. Gluten-free buns available.
DRINKS: Soda fountain.
KEY TO RATINGS
poor
below average
good & worth returning
excellent
outstanding, the best in the
Columbia-Pacific region
