Simply delicious: Wacky flavors and fun meet at Hamburger Mikey

Hamburger Mikey
Photos: Daytona Niles

By Kelsey Smith

There’s no such thing as a dull day at Hamburger Mikey. Tucked along Muskegon’s vibrant Third Street, Hamburger Mikey serves up a lot of laughter with its award-winning burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes.

“I want people to experience not only good food, but an atmosphere where they feel happy,” said Tim Taylor, managing partner. “We’re always clowning around. We just want to make sure people feel like they’re our best friends or our family — every single time.

“For the most part, we’re just having fun. And that’s what we’re known for.” 

Taylor and his parents, Mike and Mary Jane Burling, purchased a piece of Muskegon history and opened the doors to Hamburger Mikey in 2016. It’s housed in the former Ice Pick, a punk rock club that reached its heyday in 1980s and ‘90s.

The restaurant has a huge following and keeps it pretty simple — everything is made in-house with a freezer-free kitchen. And the fries? Absolutely killer.

“We’ve won in the top 10 for MLive’s best burger and best fries competitions,” Taylor said. “It’s just all about fresh food.”

Each month, Taylor embraces his creativity and partners with local businesses to concoct a burger of the month — August’s was the Cowboy Mikey Burger, a collaboration with Yummy Delights on the Lakeshore, a Muskegon bakery and dessert shop. It was made with a single or double patty, a jalapeño cheese spread, lettuce, tomato, chipotle barbecue mayo and crispy fried onions, all on top of a sundried tomato brioche bun from Goobers Bakery.

Hamburger Mikey

“The burger of the month is really unique for us — I want to give people the chance to try something they’re probably not going to try anywhere else,” Taylor said. “It keeps things fresh and it’s different.”

Taylor also creates a “Feature Dawg” that runs for about two weeks. In July, Taylor collaborated with New Standard’s Park Place provisionary for a Feature Dawg — it was made with a premium beef/pork natural casing hot dog that was filleted and seared, and it was topped with house-made, fudgy peanut butter, strawberry jam, crispy bacon and Cap’n Crunch cereal.

And for dessert, you can try the shake of the month, which has included flavors like black cherry, fruity cereal milk and orange dreamsicle.

Over the summer, Hamburger Mikey expanded its operations and purchased a food truck. It will travel to various locations along the lakeshore throughout the week, including Whitehall and Grand Haven.

“It’s busy, but I’m not going to lie — I love my job,” Taylor said. “I love what I do every day.”

Hamburger Mikey
1129 Third Street, Muskegon
231-724-3008
hamburger-mikey.com

Tim Taylor, managing partner at Hamburger Mikey
Tim Taylor, managing partner at Hamburger Mikey