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The BLT sandwich at Jim's Restaurants
The grilled chicken sandwich at Jim's Restaurants
The sandwich menu at Jim's Restaurants
The chocolate pie at Jim's Restaurants
Jim's Restaurants has many locations throughout the San Antonio area, including this one at Broadway and Loop 410.
Jim’s Restaurants are a San Antonio institution dating back to 1947 when the late founder G. “Jim” Hasslocher opened a small bicycle rental business at the front gate of Brackenridge Park, where he also sold cold slices of watermelon. He started offering burgers, and they were so successful, he went on to launch the popular Frontier Drive-In at the site.
From that foundation sprang the dynasty of Jim’s Restaurants, a chain of old-school diners still offering the same ham and eggs, chicken-fried steak and famously delicious tortilla soup it has for decades.
It used to be one of the few 24-hour places in San Antonio and so was a popular haunt after midnight for folks needing to refuel after hitting the town. The signs still say open 24 hours, but that’s no longer the case. Most of the 16 locations left in San Antonio close after the evening newscasts.
Jim's Restaurants has many locations throughout the San Antonio area, including this one at Broadway and Loop 410.
I visited the one at Broadway and Loop 410. The booths, the counter seating — it didn’t look like much had changed over the years, including the solid lineup of sandwiches, all of which come with a side. The 11 options range from fries and mac and cheese to peaches and apple sauce.
On ExpressNews.com: The Pig Stand’s famous Pig Sandwich is steeped in San Antonio history and deliciousness
For an extra 99 cents, you can get thinly sliced and crispy onion rings with light breading and a good hit of salt. They are worth the upcharge and are designed to be eaten by the handful.
Also worth the splurge are the whole pies ($10.99) served out of a display case by the register. Get the chocolate cream pie. It tastes like a dream.
The catfish sandwich at Jim's Restaurants
Best sandwich: I tried my first catfish sandwich ($8.49) of the series at Jim’s, and that breaded little bottom feeder is worthy of topping a list. The breading was cracker crisp and well seasoned with peppery notes, and the fish inside it was flaky and tasted so fresh, it was as if it had been raised in a pool of purified water. The tangy housemade tarter sauce was the perfect topper for the fillet, served on a toasted bun with refreshing iceberg lettuce and a thick slice of fresh tomato.
On ExpressNews.com: Don’t miss any 52 Weeks of Sandwiches reviews. Bookmark this page to keep up each week.
The clubhouse sandwich at Jim's Restaurants
Other sandwiches: In golf terms, Jim’s clubhouse sandwich ($9.35) is like hitting a drive straight down the fairway. It’s an incredibly generous, triple-decker stack of turkey and thick smoky bacon with cheese, lettuce and tomato on toasted white bread with just enough mayonnaise to keep all that toast and bacon from getting too dry without turning into a soggy mess.
Bacon was the backbone of the BLT ($7.99) on toasted white bread — another solid version of a diner classic. The bacon was beautifully crunchy — you won’t find any of that wimpy, flexible bacon at Jim’s — and played nicely with its simple toppings: a thick slice of tomato and a hefty slathering of mayonnaise.
The kitchen should have taken a mulligan on the grilled chicken sandwich ($9.69), though. It came topped with that same good bacon, plus Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion on a mayonnaise layered toasted bun. All good but for the chicken itself, which was dry and bland.
The chunky chicken salad sandwich at Jim's Restaurants
The advertised chunky chicken salad ($7.49) was a swing and a miss. The chicken looked like it had been pulverized by the hammer of Thor — hardly chunky. Not even the fun infusion of pineapple and chopped celery could salvage that chicken salad.
Overall, Jim’s is sort of like a culinary Swiss army knife. It has a rich history, and while the menu offers a little something for everybody, diners usually keep reaching for the same few options.
cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
Location:Multiple locations, jimsrestaurants.com
Hours: Hours vary by location.
Chuck Blount is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience at the San Antonio Express-News, and a tenure split between writing and editing about food, drinks, poker and sports, where he was part of the team that covered four of the five Spurs' NBA championships. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.