Enjoy Crazy Good Food at Crazy Good Kitchen

Written by Shawn Krajewski

Heh, I haven't done this in a little while, and not with a location such as this. Crazy Good Kitchen (or simply CGK) is the topic of this article, and it will likely be my first and last article on a burger place, as well as any establishment that serves this style of food. If you want the short version of the long review, this place is a must-visit. I highly recommend you visit for lunch! There are three in Massachusetts alone, so if you live here, it won't be so hard to get to one. (There's also a location in Florida.) Now let's get into the review part of this piece!

Burgers and Chicken Sandwiches

Let's start with the main course, of course! The burgers and sandwiches of the chicken variety are the main dishes provided, and they are 100% the best thing they serve. I didn't have too many of the chicken sandwiches because I prefer their burgers, but the chicken sandwiches are still good! It's just that the burgers are seriously something else. Something about the grill in the back just hits different; they have a very good chef. 

Just so you understand the quality of the burger, it's possibly the best burger in all of Salem. It might even be tied for the best burger in Massachusetts, but I need to do more testing to confirm that.

Now, why is it the best? Well, apart from the obvious reasons—it's cooked well, uses good ingredients, and has excellent toppings—what makes them special is that there are no gimmicks. They're not cheese-filled, and they're not deep-fried. The only wacky thing is that they use smash patties, but that's about it. The “gimmick” of these patties and burgers is just that they're really good. They're fantastic, juicy, hardy, and overall a perfect burger.

The Sides

This is a broader subject. What's the perfect thing to follow up the main course? The sides, of course! And similar to the burgers, the sides are just good. However, unlike the burgers that were so good it was hard to truly articulate why, the sides are a lot simpler and hence a little easier to talk about. 

Alright, now let's stop beating around the bush. CGK's got great French fries and wings. It is kind of hard to find a burger place that has both good wings and good burgers. Typically, one falters when the other succeeds, or both are just mediocre. However, CGK has good wings and great burgers. Now the wings are nothing compared to everything else in this review, but as a true concourse of wings, they're good. The skin is perfectly crisped to have the most satisfying mouthfeel and chomp. The outside coating is fabulously concocted to perfectly balance salt and flavor. There is a good side to your main course. Dare I say, perfect, if it weren't for the fries.

Now the fries, oh buddy, the fries. If you think you have had good fries, you have not tried anything like these. Salty, delicious, true beacons of flavor. Most people tend to ignore French fries when it comes to a meal—after all, they are on the side—but I feel if I didn't point them out, I would be doing a disservice to the tourists of Salem. (Or wherever the hell you're eating. Maybe you're one of the five people in Florida eating here.) The fries are the only thing on the menu I consider to be on the same level as the burger.

Image Credit: Shawn Krajewski

The Shakes

To end this review, I'd like to highlight the French fry's husband: the milkshake. I love milkshakes, and like everything else on this list, they're great! You get a good amount, and you even get an Oreo cookie with the Oreo-flavored one. But there is one thing holding it back, which is that they are so thick. I'm not even joking; when you order one, you have to wait like five minutes just for it to defrost, because if you don't, you'll be eating it instead of drinking it. I'm 90% sure they just hand you 12 ounces of high-grade ice cream. They're still delicious, but be warned when ordering one.

Well, this brings us to the end of the review! It was a shorter one, but that's to be expected as they only have a few things on the menu. Plus, they are foods most people have had before, so little can be said about them other than, “It was so good my taste buds exploded.” The only thing I’d like to say is that this place is a lot better than other locations in Salem. So, go here; you will not be disappointed!

Thumbnail Credit:

Shawn Krajewski