If you are looking for a high-energy, college-crowd restaurant and bar, Billy Jack’s Shack is the place to go. Upon entry, the bouncers checked my friend’s and my IDs. We were meeting another friend and I had no idea how we were going to find him in the dense crowd. It being 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night, I was prepared for a cramped, louder atmosphere, but I underestimated how popular Billy Jack’s is for JMU students. The only seating options left were a few stools at the end of the bar, where we found our friend.

Worming our way through the crowd to get to the bar was a chore. Due to the high traffic, many people were standing at tables so that they could still talk with their friends. I say talk, but yell would be more accurate. The combination of music and volume of people made it difficult to hear much of anything.

Our bartender was incredibly pleasant and sensed my discomfort and unfamiliarity with the restaurant. He apologized that they did not have food menus because they were all being used, but said that if I named something, he could put in an order or recommend something comparable. Being on a primarily vegetarian diet, I ordered the black bean burger. The topping options he listed felt endless, and they did not cost extra, unlike most burger joints. I added jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, mustard, tomato, lettuce, and guacamole. I also had Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout.

The wait was surprisingly short—I had a healthylooking burger and half a plate of fries in 15 minutes. During the wait, I lamented that I could only hear 75 percent of the conversation that my friends and I were having. Because we were at the bar, the linear seating made it difficult to hear my friend on the end. The music and other customers drowned him out.

I was relieved when my food arrived because I could focus on eating, rather than straining to stay involved in the conversation.

The burger with my beer was exactly what I needed. For a restaurant that incorporates meat into most of their dishes, I was delighted by how agreeable the burger was.

Although the patty wasn’t swimming in delicious spices, it still had a pleasant simplicity to it. The guacamole added extra flavor and the jalapenos and pepper jack gave it a kick to make what could have been a bland burger a satisfying late dinner.

The fries were good but nothing to write home about, and I found myself wishing there were a few less. I usually eat a bite of fry with a bit of burger, but I had to eat two or three fries per bite to ensure I wouldn’t have a pile of cold fries left by the time I ate the burger. Despite that effort, I still had leftover fries after finishing my burger. Luckily, I hadn’t drank all my beer yet, so the malty chocolate-coffee stout was the perfect fix to help finish my fries.

After finishing our food and drink, my friends and I were ready to find a quieter place to spend the rest of our evening. Overall, I was happy with my visit to Billy Jack’s and will probably go back at a time when they aren’t as packed.

Billy Jack’s Shack is located at 92 S Main St, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801.