Tonight was our first visit to this iconic college town hangout and sadly it will be our last. Our food was yuck. I had a crispy chicken sandwich. Easy right? Nope! It was over cooked and burned. Seriously not eatable. My husband's hamburger was just as bad. Fries were obviously frozen. The famous fried cheese was ok. Just ok. read more

EAT HERE! EAT HERE! EAT HERE! Fantastic food for a good price. Excellent service and the ranch is amazing. Everytime I go I get something different and it's always out standing. The club, BLT, and The Monte Cristo are my personal favorites. Also The Hotter Then Hell burger is great if you love spicy food. The margarita I tried was delicious and only $4.50 and it comes in a variety of flavors. Very good place and it's local. Not to mention wait times are always short. I always try to stop by when I'm town. I love Spankys! read more

Typical college town burger place. Burgers were "ok" nothing out of the ordinary. Onion rings were pretty good and the fries were fine. The fried cheese was good but one stick is enough for most people. There is also an interesting back story to the cheese sticks. read more

Just in town briefly and this place was recommended. Cheese sticks were the unique highlight; never had anything like them before. Fries were okay, onion rings were excellent. Burger was quite good with the juices soaking into the bun. I'd probably visit again if I came back through. read more

I would have easily given Spanky's a fourth star if the customer service had been better and it the bun on my burger had not been over toasted. For starters this place can be a little confusing (or at least it was on my visit) if you're visiting for the first time as I was and the employees did not help the situation. You walk in the front to and the first thing you see is a typical counter with a cash register and a large menu board on the wall behind it. Ok, I have seen this before, walk up to the counter and order off of the menu right? Ok, maybe not at Spanky's. The girl behind the counter, forgetting the polite things is to start with a hello or some other type of acknowledgment, states "will you be eating on the patio or upstairs?" I ponder it for a second and think about the fact that is is a stippling 105 degree day outside, but before I am able to respond the girl says "I would go upstairs, it is air conditioned, there are TVs on the wall and a bar." She says we can order upstairs. That's fine, but I find it a little odd that I would order in two different places depending on where I choose to sit. Upstairs we go and just as she said, there were TVs, a bar and a couple of decent sized dining areas. What is not upstairs is the same menu on the wall for ordering food. Maybe we sit down and someone comes to our table to take our order? After sitting for a few minutes and not seeing any of the Spanky's people helping anyone at their tables, we decided we should go to the bar and ask. At the bar, my brother and I state that we would like to order food to which the bartender seemed a bit surprised as if people don't typically order food from him at the bar. After a bit of a surprised look and more confusion for us, we're handed a small one page menu sheet that we had to share. The huge menu on the wall downstairs that we were sent away from seemed like a much better option, but ok whatever. Shortly thereafter, we were called to pick up our food, everything looked great and I was excited to start eating. The only problem was that before I could even take my first bite, an announcement came across the speaker that Spanky's was now closed and shortly after, a couple of employees were working frantically around our table, cleaning and placing all of the chairs on the neighboring tables around us. It was Memorial Day so they were apparently closing early and by early, I am talking about 6:00. This was something that no one ever bothered to mention until they were closed and leaving us sitting in the middle of their closing routine feeling as though we were completely in their way. I am sure the employees were just in a rush to get off work, but as a customer I do not appreciate having all the chairs around me placed on the tables and people sweeping next to my feet as I am trying to eat my meal. One last moment of disrespect came when one of the employees stated that he was ready to empty the tea dispenser (or whatever) in case we're drinking tea. Yes, we are drinking tea and really, you can't wait ten more minutes to empty the tea out? I realize I just wrote an entire essay about the service and my review is now getting a little long so I will keep the food short on the one. As you will read in the other reviews, the fried cheese is what this place seems to be doing best. I am not sure exactly what it was about it, but these cheese sticks are definitely not the little previously frozen ones you see in so many places. The was thick chunks of perfectly battered fried cheese goodness. I will say best cheese sticks I've ever encountered without hesitation. Onto the burger since this is a burger place. I went with the bacon Swiss burger and it was great. The only complaint I had was that the buns were over toasted which was probably an isolated incident where they were left on the grille a touch too long. Otherwise, the meat was flavorful, the bacon thick and perfectly cooked and the bun, despite being over toasted, was the legitimate hamburger bun. I did notice some fries in my basket, but they did not look appealing at all and already being overwhelmed with the burger and the fried cheese, the fries were never given a second thought. I will definitely give Spanky's another shot, but would only hope for better customer service and to not be there as they're main goal is getting closed for the day. read more

Spanky's - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

I haven't been back to Lubbock since I graduated law school over ten years ago and I vividly remember Spanky's and the He-Man Woman Hater burger in particular. So, not long after checking into my hotel, I drove up University to Spanky's to relive my burger memories. Apparently, my memory is almost as awful as my Spanky's experience tonight. First, the service is slow. Very slow. Part of that may stem from a large group of giggling high school girls ahead of me. I'll grant them that. However, I cannot forgive that my burger was fixed incorrectly, then the ingredients were scraped off. Major points off for that, especially for leaving one of the pickles on it. Finally, it was expensive. Basically, $14 for a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and an iced tea. I won't be back. read more

This a step up from a 5 Guys and a step below a Chili's. I like both of those places, so I liked this place. Not a local, came through with the folks to drop off my lil bro at a nearby university. (Go Red Raiders) Parking - Limited Seating - plentiful. Area/Clientele - Largely students. I don't know what this place is gonna look like on a game day - but I bet it won't be pretty. Service - Texas friendly. For Non Locals - Although it might not be obvious what to order here, GET THE DAMN FRIED CHEESE. Everything else on this menu you've had everywhere else. The Fried Cheese here, you'll never see anywhere else. Get it and thank me. read more

My family and I came here to remember the good times of college and fried cheese. I would love to tell you how great the food is but unfortunately I have been sitting here an hour and a half since we ORDERED and still haven't received our burgers. Get it under control guys... We won't be back. Finally got my burger.... It was wrong. read more

Haven't eaten here since college over 20 years ago. Food was as amazing as I had remembered!

Spanky's is a survivor. It's been an institution across the street from Texas Tech University for decades, and shows no sign of leaving soon. Not only are the owners tenacious -- their food is what a college burger joint should be -- good, filling, and simple. The burgers are big enough to fill you up -- just lightly seasoned, so you can enjoy as much or as little of the condements and fixin's as you want. Good, fresh fries every time we've visited (my first visit was in the 70's) -- so that's a pretty good record. The cokes are a little weak, but no so much as to be avoided. And the location -- their old 2-story storefront -- is right across from the football stadium, so they've got the 50-yd-line view of everything. Great, long-time institution. read more

Food is mediocre at best. Took close to an hour to get the "famous " fried cheese. Waitress copped a rude attitude when I had the audacity to complain about the wait read more

Good customer service and great burgers. Not the cheapest place in town, but the food is quality. There is a decent amount of seating, but I'm sure they could use more during peak hours. I also tried the cheese sticks and wasn't entirely impressed as my friend told me I would be. It is just a large stick of cheese, breaded, and fried. I think if they added some sort of seasoning or spice they would have a lot more success with them. I.e. putting a Cajun seasoning in the breading, or maybe a jalapeno cheese instead of just mozzarella. Overall, well kept establishment, good burgers, and good customer service. If I'm back in Lubbock it will be hard to keep me away. read more

What I love about Spanky's: It's the perfect place to go the day after a crazy night, an sit on the balcony overlooking nothing across from an ugly landscape, drink beer, and gorge on greasy hamburgers and fried food. Prices are pretty reasonable. The food is actually good, although you can feel your arteries clogging as you eat. The layout is cool, and very old school. They have a dumb-waiter to transport the food from downstairs to the top level. It's not something I crave all the time, but definitely has it's place in the grand scheme of things. Don't go here if you want something healthy though. Just skip it if you don't want to eat a side of grease with your grease. read more

An old favorite from my time in Lubbock as a student. I love that it is still around, and the food is good. The staff is pretty standardlyhorrible. read more

We went here after our daughter wanted to eat the fried cheese. First off, walked in and easily found a place to sit. Ordered at the bar as we sat downstairs. The service was outstanding, the young men were attentive but not hovering. They work the bar as well. Now the food came, these fried cheese is quite an eyefull. Large, hot, crispy, you can imagine the pounds of cheese oozing out from these monsters. They were just as good as everyone says. The onion rings came out and they were piping hot! Bam, those rings were huge as well. I had a burger to go with the rings, the burger played second and third chair to the rest of the meal. If you go, get the cheese and rings, have a beer and relax. read more

Best burgers Lubbock has to offer. parking is a little wild, fried cheese is the best appetizer. fries could use more seasoning

I went for lunch on a Friday and the staff was overwhelmed with the lunch crowd and a bit frustrated that I did not know what to order. I was sad they weren't more welcoming or helpful when it was obvious I A. had been there before and B. Had no idea what to order. I ended up choosing the Turkey Melt and paid a big-city price for a so-so sandwich. The fries were good and the ranch dressing was a highlight. Since the ranch was the highlight of the meal, I was not too impressed with the food. I am a big believer in second chances and next time, I'll order what they're known for: Burgers, the fried cheese, and maybe some onion rings if my wallet is feeling extra full! read more

A classic. If you want to relive college days of glory and grab a good burger, this is the place to go. The fried cheese alone is worth the trip. The atmosphere is great; and the food is pretty good. The cost seem a bit high for a greasy burger and soft drink, but what the heck. Definitely worth a stop if in the city, or ever so often with friends on a Friday night after a long week of work. Again, the fried cheese is worth the trip. * Scored an extra star for the great 80s music that always seems to be playing when I go there. read more

I thought the burgers were going to be small from the pictures but they were pretty substantial. This was where my boyfriend & I came on our first date so we thought it'd be cute to go back. We went during happy hour & both got a beer, burger & fries, & fried cheese for $30! The fried cheese was huge & it really went well with their marinara. The burger was big & juicy, they went perfect along side the fries. I couldn't finish everything but I really enjoyed it & the atmosphere. Next time I'll remember to bring a sharpie so I can make my mark. read more

Spanky's - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

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I give Spanky's 4 stars for one reason...and one reason only...the fried cheese! If you are a fan of cheese and like things battered and fried then the fried cheese is a great choice. Other things on the menu...I've had better...for a better price. I went with my mom and we split a burger, order of fried cheese and each had a regular soda...$19. That doesn't seem like much but when you consider we split everything but the sodas...not a good value in my books. read more

Spanky's is pretty good. I wasn't expecting much by the look of the place but the food is actually decent. My favorite thing were the mozzarella sticks. They are so amazing! I found it very expensive for my budget though, as I am a college student. read more

It pains me to write this since I grew up in Lubbock and graduated from TTU, this place WAS an icon. It is a shell of what it used to be. The only thing to get there and the only reason I didn't give it 1 star was because the fried cheese still rocks. Last time I was here the burger was one of the worst burgers I've ever had. So this visit I thought I'll just get what they call the "World Famous Grilled Chicken Sandwich". Huge mistake, it was the worst, and I'm not exaggerating, chicken sandwich I've EVER had. It seemed like the chicken breast was boiled and then just slapped on a griddle for 30 seconds. It's as if the chef doesn't give one flip about what he sends out. Service was fine and I still like the decor of the place, but you're really there to eat. I travel to many college towns during the football season and always try to find a local college haunt in each town. Most are a little old and run down, but that is the appeal. The food, ambiance, and history is why you go to those places. I would never recommend this place to anyone as I would be embarrassed to send them there. Spanky's management if your reading this please fix it and stop riding on your history. I would love to be able to say is is one of the places that is a must visit when I come back to LBK. read more

My husband and his mom always talked about good this place was, so when I finally got a chance to try it, I wasn't disappointed. The fried cheese was really good, but the chicken sandwich had me sold. It was so, so GOOD. The only reason why I didn't give it full stars is because I felt like the service could have been a little better. read more

My family took me here after picking me up at the airport. We arrived at about 12:30 to a small lunch rush but the line moved quickly. I ordered the honey crisp salad. The chicken was great and the honey mustard dressing was tasty but the salad only contained romaine and three tomatoes. I'm a veggie person so I would definitely ask to add veggies next time. I also tried a bite of my aunts fried cheese which was excellent, definitely lives up to the hype. Overall great casual lunch spot in Lubbock! read more

I've always enjoyed this place. Started coming here when I first went to Tech before the area really blew up around it.

I am giving this place four stars because of their yummy club sandwich I always used to order in college years ago. Well, I stopped by at Spankys recently and decided to give their burger a try. I was not impressed. The burger didn't have that much flavor and was a little dry. I would give them 3 stars on their burger. Maybe it was just a bad day. The atmosphere is fun and you get a good mix of college crowd and locals. Going up the wooden stairs to the second level always gives me great memories from my college days. read more

Took clients here for lunch. Burgers were good, service was good, cheese sticks were AMAZING!! If you like big chunks of fried cheese that will block up your intestines for a few days..... THIS IS YOUR PLACE!! I loved them. read more

This is crazy that there is only 3 and a half stars. They are amazing and the staff is supper helpful. They even helped me ask my date to formal there, and it went smoothly. Love this place! read more

Spanky's - When i asked a girl to formal - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

Crap Food, Steep Prices. If it wasn't for their location this place wouldn't exist. read more

We really like this place! Everything has been great! Burgers, fries, chicken salad and THE CHEESE! Nothing like it! It's even good leftover after being heated in a toaster oven. So good! read more

Spanky's - The fried cheese deliciousness - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

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Spanky's is exactly what a dive across from a major university should be: a hole in the wall with character exuding from every nook and cranny. We had to wait for a table, and our food was ready before one opened up, but the staff was super nice and helped us by asking a big group if we could use a table that they weren't using (but was turned to be part of their table). THe fried cheese was good, but with 6 to an order we each had one and left 2 on the table. The burger really isn't worth mentioning, it was overdone and resembled cardboard. The atmosphere was great and I'd love to bring Hubs here for some cheese and a brew. read more

Ahh Spanky's... What would University Avenue be without your gobs of fried cheese? Spanky's recently expanded their building. Downstairs is new and clean with a full bar and waiter service, while upstairs is self service with the same old divey feel we've all come to know and love. The burgers are pretty run of the mill and nothing special. However, anyone who knows Spanky's knows that the Fried Cheese appetizer is the reason you come here. They are huge, crispy, cheesy, and probably single-handedly responsible for a few years off of my life, but so delicious. I'm contemplating a trip back to Lubbock just thinking about them. Overall, a great place and definitely worth visiting if you want to experience a Lubbock classic. read more

This is a nice little local spot. It's not gourmet, it's just good food. Service staff was friendly. Food came out in a fair amount of time. I had the fried mushrooms, which were huge. The fried cheese was excellent. The He-Man WomanHater burger is a mouthful. Probably should have brought a dolly to have them wheel me to my car. Worth stopping by if you're around. read more

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We had the worst experience at Spanky's which is such a shame because it used to be great. My order came out wrong and when they took it back they just scraped off the stuff I didn't want and slapped a cold, unmelted piece of cheese on my burger... and it was still not correct. Before the manager took it my food bad to fix it I tried to explain to her what I had ordered so that she could get it fixed, she walked off while I was talking to her. After she returned with my incorrect order again she walked away before I could even check it. I had to flag her down again and tell her to please just take it off our tickets. She was so rude, she never apologized or tried to make it right. After she walked away from our table another guest sitting next to us came and said they had also received horrible service so we weren't alone! So so this place has turned so crappy. When she came back to the table she said she'd need the receipt for the refund, we found find our receipt. She was then SO INCREDIBLY rude about how she needed the receipt or we couldn't get a refund. As if we had somehow stole the food ‍ anyways I asked her why she was being so rude to me given the fact that she was the one that had made the mistake, she retorted that she wasn't being rude and rolled her eyes. I honestly did not believe that she as the manager and later asked another employee if she really was.. sadly it was confirmed. Won't ever be back. Disappointed that I can no longer take visiting friends and family members to enjoy the famous fried cheese. Sad day. Managers name was Lorianna or Lorraine. read more

Spanky's - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

Spanky's is a Lubbock classic right across from campus. The main floor is tiny and cramped but there is a second floor with plenty of seating. In fact you can even order upstairs if you don't want to wait in line downstairs. Try the "Heman Woman Hater" if you're super hungry. The fried cheese is a delicious heart attack waiting to happen but a must try. FYI, the fried cheese comes six to the order. I got the green chile pepper and swiss burger and it was delicious, it has been one of my favorites since I first started going there almost ten years ago. read more

Spanky's - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

They are living on their reputation, although food was basically good, nothing special here going on. The fried cheese is their claim to fame and compared to typical mozzarella cheese sticks they are larger and I guess better, but I just have not been trying to find the next best fried cheese place so for me that was not the draw. I was let down by the high prices drinks considering the location, also very limited beer selection, however I am a self confessed beer snob. read more

Lousy lousy lousy. Had to send my burger back because it was not cooked well.got a BLT with two pieces of bacon on it. Send that back brought me another BLT bread is drenched in butter. read more

The burgers are good, not great... But the fried cheese is what keeps me coming back. The fries are not good, ever (sub out for the onion rings, which are great). Tip: you can order a 1/2 order of fried cheese so you don't have to commit to a big order) The location has had some upgrades in the last 2 years, but still maintains the college town hole in the wall that you just have to love! read more

We waited 20 minutes to get our fried cheese, but I'd have to say the wait was worth it. Not only are the sticks HUGE, but it's obvious they're breaded to order and taste like heaven. Unfortunately, our burgers arrived about 2 minutes after we got our fried cheese and they were disappointing. Not a lot of meat, kind of dry, not impressive. I spilled my drink and one of the employees helped me clean it up with a smile. Very helpful and nice. Overall, I would come back, but only for the fried cheese. And maybe I'd get it to-go and see if the order was filled quicker. Twenty minutes was a long time, and it was not remotely busy. I saw two tables (with food downstairs) and one table without food upstairs, so I can't imagine the kitchen was extremely busy. read more

Only ordered the cheese sticks and fried okra. They were average to be honest, but they had a lot of tv's on the second story which in a way compensates for the "normal" food. Nice environment read more

Spanky's - Everything was good but didn't exceed expectations by any stretch of the imagination... - Sandwiches Near Me - Lubbock, Texas