It's a fun little Waco icon that, if you live in Waco or travel through frequently, you should definitely try out if only to look at all the local history displayed in various newspaper clippings on the wall. But the food is just not that good. Even when I am craving a nice greasy burger and fries, I'm not going to Health Camp because it's really just meh. The shakes are great, though nothing really special there either.
All in all, it's alright! But Waco definitely has better burger joints with just as much character.
There are many restaurants that call Waco, Texas their one and only home. However there is nothing like the old American traditional cuisine available at Health Camp. Do not be deceived by the name of the restaurant. Health Camp cannot be considered to be anything close to healthy.
Health Camp serves greasy burgers with french fries and the best milkshakes this side of the Mississippi. This continues to be a great restaurant because since 1948, they stay true to the American way. They serve the type of food our country calls our own. They do not try to sugar coat any of the food with new “low-trans fat” ingredients. It tastes exactly like what one would receive at an old diner. Further, Waco is home to Baylor University and the pride in the University is a very important aspect of the Waco community. Health Camp unashamedly shows its pride for the Bears.
I enjoy the old-time feel that Health Camp provides, but the cleanliness and bathrooms should not look like as they do. The tables are rugged in some places, and the bathrooms look like they should have caution tape on the outside of them. Good thing customers generally go to a restaurant for the good food, not the bathrooms.
Health Camp is a Waco heirloom that has been around since 1948. They provide an old-time feel, with great American food. The restaurant can lack cleanliness at times, and can sometimes be overpriced. No matter what, Health Camp will remain a restaurant all Wacoans will continue to frequent. It almost seems to be a tradition. Like seeing a legend perform on stage, they are not what they used to be but seeing them is a treat in itself. Health Camp may not be what it was in 1948, but with its history and character it is a place that many will continue to patronize religiously.
Burgers good and greasy, shakes are cold and creamy!
I love Health Camp! Opened over sixty years, my parents actually went here on dates and I often bring non-Wacoans here for the nostalgia of it all. The burgers are greasy and tasty. I also prefer the homemade onion rings. And I can't go without ordering one of their numerous shakes. I prefer the peanut butter as it's tasty, creamy, and cool with a crunch of peanuts in it.
There's really one reason to go to Health Camp, and one reason alone: the malts and milkshakes. They're pretty tasty, plus they have pineapple. Yum.
I'll admit that I'm not the biggest burger fan, so when a burger is only so-so or average, it's just not...memorable. Health Camp's fit into this category.
Add to that that the whole place just feels a bit dirty, and Health Camp really isn't a place I want to sit and eat. Things feel sticky. There are flies. This makes me unhappy.
So, go, grab a shake to go (they have pineapple! yum), have a chuckle at the name, but...don't stay. Well, unless you have extra sanitizer on hand.
My wife recently went to Health Camp for lunch a few weeks ago. She'd gone there because of the positive reviews she'd read on various websites, but was so disappointed with her experience.
While waiting in line, my wife read the overhead menu and picked out her order only to discover that the laminated menu that sits on the order counter has many additional items that are not listed (and a shake menu tape on the wall was completely missed by her until after she ordered). My wife said the waitress seemed irritated by the fact that she did not know the menu and exactly what she wanted to order. Furthermore, the price that was quoted to her was $2 less than what was charged to her card (No biggie, just two dollars).
After waiting a short time, my wife's order number was called, but she was only handed her shake and not her burger or onion rings. She thought maybe they handed out the shakes while the other food was being cooked since it's all fresh. Then she noticed that the two customers who ordered after her had received their meals. At this point, my wife was quite irritated but kept her composure as she questioned about her meal status. The waitress seemed perplexed, then visually had an "Aha!" moment as she said, "Oh, we thought you ordered just a shake. We forgot." Then, she preceded to hand over the meal. This additional 10 minute wait may not mean much to others, but to someone with a 30 minute lunch break, that time was crucial.
My wife thought the burger was okay at best, the onion rings could have been skipped entirely. The only saving grace was the shake.
there's something in the way it doesn't make me move, it's got me like no other burger
Kind of a lame title, but whatever, Internet, it takes a creation talent close to Jesus' to integrate Health Camp AND a Beatles song.
Health Camp is one of those places you go as a young Wacoan and go back to once a year or so when you've grown tired of some of the other things Waco has to offer. There's something comforting about burgers wrapped in paper (Char Burger, anyone? Holla, Deer Park, Texas natives!), shakes that could be consumed as a meal substitute OR act as the kind of meal topper that makes you unbutton the top button on your pants, and the somewhat less-than-friendly staff that bark your order number over the intercom (irony: the place doesn't even NEED an intercom. it's tiny). Yes, I'd even go as far to say that the burgers are mediocre (tough edges, not very juicy). Granted, I'm not jonesin' for read meat very often, but I like something decent when I do want it.
So why DO I go back, you ponder?
Perhaps I'm a sucker for chocolate shakes that are as pale as I am. Perhaps I like sitting on plastic furniture that I will inevitably stick to (this is Texas, people). Perhaps I like looking at the dozens of old pictures on the wall while I wait a good twenty minutes for a burger.
