Val's Burgers

2115 Kelly Street, Hayward, CA - (510) 889-8257

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Posted By Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch on 1/20/2009 7:19:00 PM

Eternally searching for the best hamburgers, we jumped at the chance to sample what fellow Roadfooder santacruz claimed to be “the best burger on the West Coast” at Val’s Burgers in Hayward. We found Val’s in the rolling hills of the southeastern Bay Area with no problems, though the small parking lot was totally full, with anxious customers snagging parking spots on residential streets up to two blocks away.

The line was out the door, and there was a longer wait for a table/booth. Fortunately, two counter stools opened, where we planted ourselves to witness both the skillful food preparation and the waitresses pirouetting around each other while juggling multiple plates. Posted around the restaurant on large boards, their encyclopedic menu covers all three meals, and their signature, cooked-to-order burgers come in three sizes: Baby (¼-pound), Mama (½-pound), and Papa (1 pound). We opted for the Baby with jack cheese and grilled onions, a chili dog with cheddar, onion rings, and a chocolate malt.

The burger arrived: thick, hand-packed, and cooked medium-rare with a blush red, warm center. The grilled onions came on a separate plate for an extra charge and were enough to feed 3-4 people. Split in half with bun and cheese on the bottom, a nine-inch wiener was grilled and slightly blackened, and the whole concoction was entirely smothered with a chunky chili dominated by pinto beans, truly requiring a fork to eat. “Oh, there is cheese under there, trust me!” explained our waitress as she placed the platter on the counter. The onion rings were huge and heavily battered, and the malt was made to perfection: locally made vanilla ice cream blended then placed in a freezer for a few minutes before our waitress delivered it to us—you could even see the white chunks here and there of unmixed vanilla through the tall glass! After one mouthful and a brief discussion, we quickly realized that this is the best chocolate malt we’ve ever had anywhere in our travels.

Though customers favor their burgers, Val’s breakfast selections seemed to be popular on the tables around us. There was a little girl next to us celebrating her eighth birthday, eating a cheeseburger that she could barely hold with both hands. Now that’s our kind of party!

Scorecard

Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour

Chocolate Malt	Chili Dog
Baby Burger

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"The chili dog, so evenly smothered with bean-laden chili that the cheese is nowhere to be seen. Real onion rings are in the basket."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Bar none, the best chocolate malt we’ve ever had (with unmixed vanilla chunks clearly visible)."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Val’s famous burger, fully dressed with grilled bun."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"A rare moment when the milkshake-making staffer wasn’t cleaning, as he left every inch of stainless steel seen here sparkling and immaculate."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Untouched by time, Val’s remains one of the Bay Area’s finest burger stops."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch