When I was in LA there were many a late night runs to Tommy's.

JJ's is good. They also have a nice Ahi/poke burger.

Val's. Hayward. Case closed!

red onion in pinole if its still there

Red onion is still there. My mother loves that place

oskidunker;842458780 said:

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Red onion is still there. My mother loves that place

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haha awesome. old school style burger joint. spent many a days after school in high school going there

Glad to hear Kirk's is still going strong. I first hit the T&C location when I was in college nearly 60 years ago and I was a regular at the Campbell location when I lived a few blocks away and worked at The Pruneyard. It is still the standard against which I measure all burger joints.

St. Johns in San Jose/Santa Clara! Excellent burgers and beer selections including the tapping of a Pliney keg every Thursday. The Dutch goose in Menlo Park has some legit burgers too!

DLSbear;842459005 said:

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St. Johns in San Jose/Santa Clara! Excellent burgers and beer selections including the tapping of a Pliney keg every Thursday. The Dutch goose in Menlo Park has some legit burgers too!

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the one on lawrence?? love that place! and their chicken tenders......... one of the few decent sports bars in the sunnyvale area

Big C_Cal;842458597 said:

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That's my stomping grounds and I like burgers. Will check it out. Is it all crowded, or good to walk into with lil' kids?

Too bad the "new" Kwik Way closed. They might have ben trying a bit too hard with their burgers, but I liked the fact that they had re-started the place. (The original Kwik Way had cheap-azz burgers, halfway decent, but their pies were good and everything was cheap.)

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The Merritt Kwik Way burgers are better than the previous Kwik Way burgers. But they aren't gourmet by any means. Will give JJBurger a try this week!

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I'm psyched to know TrueBurger and JJBurger are just a few minutes away by bike for me. Hoorah!

hehatenate;842392645 said:

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Son of Cal - any chance you can share the name? I work down there and am always looking for a good burger.

In no particular order:
SF: Umami, Roam, Super Duper, 4505, Park Tavern (Marlowe burger)
Mtn View / palo alto: Counter, Jefferies, Peninsula creamery, Kirks, Mayfield bakery (thick bacon)
Sacramento: Squeeze in, Nationwide, Hefty, Stockton Burger (pastrami topping)

and corner bistro in NYC - wait in line near bar, have a mug of beer, pick up burger on paper plate, crisp bacon

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if you like umami, they opened one up in Palo Alto a little over a year ago. i'm also in the south bay, so looking for good recs as well (The Habit location in south bay is no bueno)

is jeffrey's the one with stores in san mateo and menlo?

beeasyed;842459006 said:

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the one on lawrence?? love that place! and their chicken tenders......... one of the few decent sports bars in the sunnyvale area

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Yup! That's the one!

TandemBear;842459010 said:

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The Merritt Kwik Way burgers are better than the previous Kwik Way burgers. But they aren't gourmet by any means. Will give JJBurger a try this week!

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I'm psyched to know TrueBurger and JJBurger are just a few minutes away by bike for me. Hoorah!

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Merritt Bakery has taken over the Kwik Way location. No burgers, but they sell their fried chicken and some baked goods.

JimmyMcNulty;842458766 said:

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Val's. Hayward. Case closed!

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Yes, still my favorite!

Gizzly Bear;842458410 said:

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Have any of you guys tried JJ Burger on Grand Ave. (near the Star)? It's pretty new and by far my favorite hamburger in Oakland. (I have tried many on this list.) I highly recommend any local burger lovers check it out. (Their Yelp reviews are off the charts too.)

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Thanks for the tip, Gizzly. I used some rare 86Oski-weekend-alone time to try JJ for lunch today. It was very good...the burger was well cooked and fresh-tasting. I'll have to try it a few more times before I can render a final verdict. I also need to check out the other types of fries they have.

The quality of the burger is won or lost in the preparation of the meat. As little handling as possible is desired.
Chopped chuck (20% fat) plus 20% by weight chopped pork, adding spices and other. It's all about texture and flavor.
Form the paddie by hand and grill.
Only the best places do it this way.

What are places that do it this way?
Gather is one.
B'meister and Sauls' might be.
Barneys' could be, but not likely.
Bongo and Nations are not.


*Machinery and paddie forming equipment "mash and emaciate" the texture of the burger.
You might as well be consuming pre-chewed meat (just add spittle) from Costco.

goldenokiebear;842459067 said:

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Merritt Bakery has taken over the Kwik Way location. No burgers, but they sell their fried chicken and some baked goods.

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Au Contraire! The do indeed do burgers & fries. Had a burger & fries a couple of weeks ago a few weeks after their reopening. Not as greasy as the old Kwik Way burgers, so it's a step up.

I had JJ Burger this week and fully enjoyed the experience. Thanks again for the tip. Nice burger cooked just right (I didn't specify my desire) with tasty mushrooms & cheese. Nice thin fries too. The combo can easily be split between two people and you'll be sated.

VERY clean restaurant. In fact, I might say TOO clean as I got a pretty good dose of cleaning chemicals when I walked in the door. Apart from that, they were friendly and prompt with my order.

I'll be going there with the family soon - and again, I'd plan to split the combos to save space for dessert.

Amazing to read the varied views on this thread.

Shake Shack in NYC is IMO just a better McDonalds. Putting it up as the best burger to me classifies the question as being pure fast food.

The best burgers I've had are: ApplePan and The Office in LA; Village Pub/Spruce in Woodside/SF. None are cheap. For faster food, the Counter is very good but I agree with the poster that the choices reduce the allure.

I will admit that I haven't tried the burgers at the vast majority of places mentioned in this thread. I usually don't order a burger when I go out. But I flew into LA today from the East Coast and hit up In n Out and for me, that's still the best burger I've ever had. It's the freshness you can taste in the burger and in the produce from that single bite.

CalHoopFan;842461191 said:

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Amazing to read the varied views on this thread.

Shake Shack in NYC is IMO just a better McDonalds. Putting it up as the best burger to me classifies the question as being pure fast food.

The best burgers I've had are: ApplePan and The Office in LA; Village Pub/Spruce in Woodside/SF. None are cheap. For faster food, the Counter is very good but I agree with the poster that the choices reduce the allure.

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Fathers Office CHF. The best. The only arguable point is that it's not a "traditional" burger. Apple Pan I agree is no slouch.

moonpod;842461240 said:

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Fathers Office CHF. The best. The only arguable point is that it's not a "traditional" burger. Apple Pan I agree is no slouch.

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I'm partial to Apple Pan. Fathers Office is too precious. Out here I like Corner Bistro. Old School. The Black Label Burger at Minnetta Tavern is the mothership.

NYCGOBEARS;842461242 said:

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I'm partial to Apple Pan. Fathers Office is too precious. Out here I like Corner Bistro. Old School. The Black Label Burger at Minnetta Tavern is the mothership.

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Are you from West L.A? What hs did you go to?

calumnus;842461244 said:

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Are you from West L.A? What hs did you go to?

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Lived in LA for seven years. I graduated from Folsom HS. Stayed in SF after Cal for 14 years.