Spanky's Roadhouse

• 1800 E. Evans Ave., serving 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 303-733-6886, spankysroadhouse.com

• What: Cozy bar and grill that builds a bridge between rugged roadhouse and sweet malt shop. Sandwiches, burgers, salads, Greek specialties and bar food fill up the menu.

• How cheap is it? Nearly every meal is in the $7 to $9 range, with a few exceptions: 10-ounce rib-eye steak for $11.95, 1-pound Big Papi burger for $10.95, an extremely shareable order of 48 hot wings for $24.95. On the low end, chips and salsa run $3.95, as does a house side salad; choose from four sandwiches and one burger priced at $6.95, each with a side. Happy hour, 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, offers drink deals and half-price appetizers, most of which are, like the entrees, regularly $7 to $9.

• Our deal: The reputation of Spanky's, a University of Denver neighborhood haunt and favored hangout of Pioneer hockey fans, precedes it. We knew we wanted to try one of the famed burgers as well as a Greek item. With our budget in mind, we went for the basic Spanky Burger ($6.95), billed as a "premium 1/2-pound angus chuck burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle." Among the possible sides, the "funions" seemed a no-brainer. Not to be confused with the bagged snack Funyuns, this was simply half fries, half onion rings. To get a taste of Greek, we went for the gyro sandwich ($7.95), the traditional lamb/beef in pita bread with feta, tomatoes, onions and a side of Tzatziki sauce. And though potato salad, cole slaw and chips also were offered as sides, the siren call of the funions proved too powerful to resist. The Sunday beer special - $3 for a pint of New Belgium beer - was tempting, but we kept our eyes on the eventual total and ordered iced tea ($2) and a diet Coke ($2.25), free refills on both.

• So how's it taste? When a place touts "The Best Burgers in Town!" on its receipts, it'd better be a darned impressive burger. This one wasn't. A good burger, sure, but not great. The meat - good quality, tasty - had the uniformity of a pre-formed patty and was a little on the dry side. It sat on an above-average bun - golden outside, soft inside - with fresh leaf lettuce, tomato slice and Bermuda onion. A dill pickle spear came on the side in the paper-lined plastic basket, which also cradled the fries and rings. The fries were fine, while the onion rings - whole rings wrapped in crispy batter - were top-notch. The gyro sandwich, meanwhile, might be the best gyro in town: The generous serving of meat was hot and moist, the crumbles of feta big and chunky, and the Tzatziki sauce cool and tangy, with just-right kisses of lemon and dill. We'd order this again.

• How's the place? On a warm Sunday evening in mid-summer, the covered patio was popular, with just about every table filled by 6:30. There are TVs to watch, KBCO to listen to - and road noise from Evans to tune out. The very comfortable space sits adjacent to the small, indoor dining area, where high-back booths rest on checkerboard tile.

• Who else eats there? Even during the summer, it was a mostly college-age crowd, with practically everyone enjoying a burger and beer. Young families with kids in tow enjoyed the fare, too. Servers weren't especially affable, but service was prompt enough.

• Deals we wish we had tried: The Greek Platter appetizer ($12.95) sounded like it could fill us up, promising gyros, hummus dip, feta cheese, dolmades and more.

• Final damage: Food and soft drinks totaled $19.15. Tax ($1.55) and tip ($4) brought the grand total to $24.70.

• Find John Lehndorff's dining reviews, columns and 2007 Dining Guide at RockyMountain News.com. To nominate a restaurant for $25 for Two, e-mail lehndorffj@RockyMountainNews.com.

Jay Dedrick is an assistant features editor.