NEW Fat Belly Jack's Foodtruck

Andrew Nguyen
8th Mar 2021

DID YOU KNOW that Fat Belly Jack’s, a food truck, is now currently doing a popup at the Illinois Hotel in Five Dock.

Fat Belly Jack’s is slinging out delicious burgers ranging from their signature Fat Belly Burger with Nashville Fried Hot Chicken which you can choose what level of spice you particularly want, to their Classic Smash Burger which has their Smashed Beef Patty in it with Pickles, Diced White Onion and House-made FBJ Sauce while the Le Fancy Smash Burger has Lettuce and Tomato with it, along with the components that go into the Classic Smash Burger.

In addition, they do have a Southern Fried Tofu option if you are looking for something that is vegetarian-based for you burger lovers out there.

They don’t just stop at serving burgers though, as the sides offered are equally great such as the Crinkle Cut Chips which have a paprika-like seasoning sprinkled on to it, the Jalapeno Poppers which are stuffed with a Cream Cheese mixture, crumbed and deep fried and the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls which condenses the flavour of an actual Cheeseburger as there is a cheesy meat mixture with onions within the Spring Roll wrappers.

I got their Fat Belly Burger ($17) with a Medium Level Nashville Fried Chicken Patty which comes with a crisp Oak Leaf Lettuce, their creamy house-made Sauce and Pickles that offer some acidity which is served in a fluffy, soft bun. The Nashville Fried Chicken is tender while the batter surrounding the Fried Chicken itself was crispy and had been coated nicely in an oil or sauce that’s been seasoned with a good amount of spice after the deep fry process. The heat level was manageable for Medium Level that for next time, l could potentially go hotter if l was brave enough to take up the challenge.

The Jalapeno Poppers may look cute by their size but they do pack some heat at the end. A whole Jalapeno Pepper has been deseeded, stuffed with a cream cheese mixture, crumbed and deep fried until crispy. Just as the name suggests, you can pop the whole Jalapeno Popper in one go into your mouth but be warned, the heat may get to you afterwards like it did for people such as myself.

‘Come for the food, stay for the entertainment’ is what l thought instantly when l first step foot into the beer garden at Illinois Hotel in Five Dock. The beer garden is outfitted with televisions which may display various sports shows such as Mixed Martial Arts fights. Patrons can sit down on the chairs set in the beer garden to converse, eat the food that Fat Belly Jack’s serve and watch the entertainment offered by Illinois Hotel.

Fat Belly Jack's is located at The Illinois Hotel
15 Parramatta Road, Five Dock Wednesday – Sunday

Wed & Thu midday - 3pm & 5pm - 9pm
Fri midday - 3pm & 5pm 10pm
Sat midday - 10pm
Sun midday - 9pm

The Illinois Hotel is open seven day 11am - 3am

(Editor: Welcome to Andrew Nguyen who joins our Sydney Scoop team as a food writer. You can check out more of his food adventures on instagram @awks.eats)