Cheeseburger in Paradise

Update 8/25/2014: Cheeseburger in Paradise is closed.

In a word: Chuck E. Cheeseburger. For big kids.

The specs: #0074
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; review by Ben and Beth; reviews at Yelp, Taste Test Madison; Cheeseburger in Paradise web site;

JM ate the "Not too particular, not too precise" burger with french-fried potatoes and a lemonade.
Nichole ate the blackened tilapia and a Coke.
The bill was $23, or $11.50/person, plus tip.
JM gave Cheeseburger in Paradise a B+; Nichole gave Cheeseburger in Paradise a C+ (see our grading rubric).

Latest Cheeseburger in Paradise news and reviews

It was a crappy, snowy night when we parked our little car between the ubiquitous SUVs in the Greenway Cross Lifestyle Center Parking Lot Ltd. and hustled into the plastic paradise of Jimmy Buffett's theme restaurant.

First off, they get props for opening this location with a Habitat for Humanity benefit and bizarre use of Biblical allusions in the origin story on their menu. Second, long-time readers will know we don't drink enough to value drink-based venues highly, so take our words in a salt-rimmed glass.

That said, this place was more suited to JM than Nichole. The Cheddar-and-Velveeta burger should be a giveaway (as in dead). He was not so happy that his mediocre lemonade was $2 without refills(!).

Amazingly, Nichole was rewarded with a decent piece of grilled tilapia and a mountain of steamed broccoli. She arrived ready to hate the place, but found she just didn't care enough about it.

About halfway through the meal, that song came on and we both wondered how the staff could stand hearing it on every shift. Across the room, a table sang "Happy Birthday," and though we looked for evidence of over-the-top theatrical displays by the staff a la the Chi-Chi's dance, there was none.

Perhaps summer weather is more flattering to Cheeseburger in Paradise, but we'll probably never bother to find out.

Comments

[Kyle]

Try to forget that the place is a Jimmy Buffett restaurant, and get the satay. It's a really big portion (more than I expected anyway), and the dipping sauces are actually worth your time.

Of course, I love the burgers there (mmm...dock side burger), too, but there are non-burger menu items that are more than decent.

The funniest part of CiP is the live music that plays there. It's funny in less a "ha ha" way than a "god that's sad" way. It's essentially amateur hour, and is unintentionally entertaining.

[Heather]

I haven't been there since the preview night they held for Greenway Station employees. As I recall the food was very good - but the atmosphere was a little obnoxious...ok...more than a little obnoxious.
Part of the preview night requirements was that the group share two different appetizers, each person order a different entre, share two different desserts, and drink at least two drinks off the drink menu. Toss in the fact that at that time I was a full blown vegetarian - and we had a fun night.(since then I've been returned to the dark side of carnivorism)
When I asked if they had a "veggie burger in paradise" the wait staff offered me chicken and fish options. hmmm...they didn't quite get the veggie thing.
I ended up getting a veggie pizza that - much to my surprise - was pretty tasty. No Roman Candle pizza, but good. Pine nuts make everything better - even pizza. My co-eaters were pretty happy with their fare as well...but with two to three coctails in your system even Burrito Drive tastes semi-decent.

[Norris]

Cheeseburger in paradise was a disappointment! The food was ordinary and the fries were soggy...McDonalds serve better fries. Margaritas tasted like water.

[Kyle]

Yeah. Nowhere near as good as it used to be. Fries have declined, burgers have declined, but on the upside, the Buffett-ness of the menu has also declined. They've stopped foisting Heinz 57 onto every diner and dish.

[Timmy]

you should all bite your tongue for supporting a place that even intimates jimmy buffet. it's like voting for cheney for ambassador.

[Megan]

I love cheeseburger in paradise! The Costa Rican Steakwrap is the best thing on the menu! The chocolate nachos are probably my favorite dessert, and the strawberry daquiris are absolutely amazing !