A downtown Peoria hot spot for the night crowd serves more than just good beer.
Eric Shangraw takes you to Mushrush in this week's You Gotta Eat.

Mushrush is an Irish Pub popular with the young people who like to stay out partying all night long.
The kitchen serves char grilled hamburgers until three o'clock in the morning.
A truly tasty burger needs few words to define.

"Big. Thick. Plenty of cheese," said customer Tim Curtis.

The French fries are cut fresh to order. They come from a one–pound Idaho potato via a hand cranked "spud–slicer."

"They make pretty much everything from scratch. And it is pretty much cooked to order, any way you want it," said customer Robert Powers.

Owner Jim Murshrush is also the bar mascot. He's known to jump up on the bar and do a jig or the jitterbug.

"There's been things that I've done here that sometimes being a married man you might want to regret. But I got a good understanding wife now and things are just a lot of fun," said Mushrush.

Employee Joe Ulrich is trying to take over the bar. He hopes to secure a liquor license and buy out Mushrush at the end of the year.

"He's like our little leprechaun. So we'll keep him coming back and keep the name the same for a while," said Urlich.

Photographer Josh Simon and I shared an avocado dip as an appetizer. It was okay.

Then came the fresh fries. They're remarkable. And the burgers even better. I had the Ultimate Hickory Burger: minced Jalapenos are mixed into a Black–Angus patty covered with a couple of fried onion rings and barbecue sauce.

Josh, who actually introduced me to Mushrush on a late night a few moons ago, ordered the cheddar cheeseburger. Even though Josh and I come from different religious backgrounds, we were both in hamburger heaven.

With drinks, our bill: $24.50 plus tip.

Mushrush is a Peoria staple for burger lovers and a last stop for late night munchies.

Mushrush's kitchen is open from 10:30am-3:30am Monday through Friday.

Saturday and Sundays 4pm-3:30am

Mushrush's
631 Main Street
Peoria
(309)676-1423