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What the Heck is a Cheesy Western?

An introduction to the most famous sandwich in Virginia.

No, we’re not talking about the 1974 cheesy western flick, Blazing Saddles. A Cheesy, or a Cheesy Western, has been the most popular sandwich at the Texas Inn since we were founded in 1935.

A Cheesy Western, or simply, a “Cheesy,” as longtime customers call it, has been the most popular sandwich at the Texas Inn since we were founded in 1935.

A Cheesy Western starts with a 2.8 ounce hand-formed USDA Select ground beef patty with a fresh medium-size egg whisked 10 times and fried sunny side up like an omelet. The burger patty is placed on top, and the egg/burger combo is flipped to finish cooking. It is then placed on a bun, and topped with our legendary yellow relish, American cheese, and a sprinkle of chopped onion.

Sure, lots of folks put eggs on hamburgers these days, but a Cheesy Western isn’t a Cheesy Western without the Texas Inn’s famous golden relish. Often imitated but never duplicated, our famous relish is a sweet and tangy mustard-based slaw that’s similar to a Southern-style chow-chow. It’s our “special sauce” and no, it’s not THAT kind of relish. No pickles. You can order it plain, which we wouldn’t recommend. You can order a “Western With,” which means we put relish on it, or you can get it “All The Way” with both relish and onion. Trust us — you want to order everything at the Texas Inn #AllTheWay.

The Western sandwich was invented by Issac T. “Nick” Bullington in 1929, when he founded the Texas Tavern in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1971, the Lynchburg Texas Tavern changed locations, name, and ownership, but the “Cheesy” stayed exactly the same sandwich we all know and love.

Today, the Texas Inn sells more than 400,000 Westerns every year, and they have been shipped through our Goldbelly delivery service to 48 out of 50 states. (We’re waiting on you, Alaska and Hawaii.)

You’ve never had anything like it, and we are 99.7% sure you are going to love it. If you don’t, it’s on us. #Promise

Grab yourself a Cheesy Western (or “buy them by the sack”) today at either of our Lynchburg, Virginia locations – Downtown or Cornerstone – or at our newest location in Harrisonburg, Virginia!