NORA, Ill. — Ed and Marion Hawley know a good burger when they taste one.
“I’m 91 years old and I’ve eaten a lot of burgers. The best burger I ever ate was here,” says Marion at Nora Bar in northwestern Illinois, just a few miles from their home.
Ed also knows good beef because he raised feeder cattle for years. Today, his two sons and grandsons carry on the tradition at the family farm in Stockton, Illinois.
Ed and Marion have driven hundreds of miles in search of the perfect burger. They always visit the winner of the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association’s Best Burger contest
For their palates, The Flying Elbow in Marshalltown, Iowa, which was the 2022 winner, didn’t come close to their Illinois favorite. However, they thought the restaurant’s theme reflecting the owner’s wrestling career was fun.
Sometimes the drive across the border is well worth it, Marion says. She loved a pork tenderloin they tasted in Waukon, in northeast Iowa. They also loved the atmosphere at a restaurant where the owner was a children’s book author.
“She came to our booth and sat with us like we were old friends,” Marion says.
While they enjoy the atmosphere of restaurants on their travels, it is really about the burger.
Matt Lawson, a co-owner of Nora Bar, says the key to his burgers is using fresh local beef, not frozen. He grills them in butter and serves them on toasted, buttered buns.
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He has always appreciated a good burger. He remembers going for a haircut at the barber in Freeport as a kid. The highlight was getting a quarter-pound burger grilled in butter at The Sizzle Shop.
The Hawleys aren’t the only fans of Matt’s burgers. While the tiny town in northwestern Illinois has a population of about 92, it’s not uncommon for 102 people to be in the restaurant and bar, Matt says. He and his wife Jessica own it with Bobby Hills, who bartends.
The couple liked to play darts at Nora Bar and had an affinity for it. They didn’t want to the bar close. Eight years ago when the bar came up for sale, they considered buying it. So when it was available again in 2021, they did.
“We frequented here a lot, but it was still a bit of a spontaneous decision,” Matt says of buying the restaurant during the pandemic.
Jessica, who says she is picky about her food, helped plan the menu which kept some of the community’s favorites. They added mini tacos and the “Jeanie sandwich” named for a customer who ordered it as a special request.
In their first year in business, they already made Jo Daviess County’s Best Burger list, coming in third place.
Between Matt and his wife Jessica, they have 10 children ages 8 to 26, so they are good at feeding large groups. Thursdays are wings night here, often selling 140 pounds of wings. On Tuesdays 40 pounds of goulash go out the door.
They serve specials like corn beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day and fish on Fridays. They also serve some dishes you may not see at most restaurants, including gizzards.
“We’re pretty proud of what we make,” Matt says.
Even though Nora Bar has the best burgers Ed and Marion have tasted so far, they aren’t done looking for the best of the best.
Ed points out he still has his motorcycle and rode it last year, but judging by Marion’s look, they will be driving the car.
“I don’t care how far it is, we just go,” says the 91-year-old burger fan.