Original Tommy's World Famous Hamburgers — Restaurant in Barstow

(What I wrote 2 years ago in the following paragraphs still stands. However, I am dropping a star because on my visit last night [12/22/2020] the chili was diluted in one way or another.)

Tommy's uses quality ingredients. They're fast food is far better than most fast food restaurants. They're not about big meat patties, although you can ask for a quarter-pound patty if you like. I don't recommend the quarter pound Patty as it costs quite a bit more and messes up the ratio of ingredients in their fantastic burgers. They serve chili on most of their items by default. Tommy's is all about the chili. It is all beef chili and does not contain beans. If you like the chili you'll love Tommy's.

My personal recommendation is to get a cheeseburger with everything and extra chili on the side. All the flavors here blend together. Tommy's uses a cheddar/American cheese that melts into the chili. The onions, pickles, tomatoes and even the mustard all blend to create an amazing flavor with the chili. So even if you don't like one of those toppings, I recommend trying a cheeseburger with everything on your first go.

I once read a review of great hot dogs in the LA area and Tommy's made the list. The author said that getting a hot dog at Tommy's was a little like admiring Raquel Welch for her legs, as the cheeseburger is the star here. That said, the hot dog is really good. They use a hot dog with a natural casing. I believe it is an all beef hot dog and does work well with the chili. The chili dog is quite a feast if you get it with all the trimmings. It's not anything you can eat in the car as you're driving somewhere.

Their french fries are some of the best I've ever had. The original owner Tommy Koulax did not like french fries. Therefore, Tommy's didn't start offering french fries until after his passing. The french fries are a little on the thick side. They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They are not as big as steak fries. You may want to add a bit of salt, but they're fantastic. I personally do not recommended chili cheese fries because I think the chili goes best with the...

OK, Tommy‘s corporate all the employees here are great. All of the food is great. You however, are falling on your face. I specifically came here the time before last for a chocolate shake, but nobody can be bothered to fix the machine so I spent 20 bucks anyway and didn’t get a shake. I came again today for the third time specifically for a chocolate shake and a burger and chili cheese fries, of course but I wanted a chocolate shake. I won’t come back until you fix this shake machine. I don’t wanna reply unless you reply is that it is fixed and then I will come back. Randy, who owned the Del taco across from Kmart in Santa Clarita God rest his soul anyway when I worked at Del taco three times he decided not to fix the shake machine because he did the math and it cost him more to fix it Then the money he collected from shakes. What he didn’t realize is his business would go down down down down once in a while. All customers would come back and he would say I haven’t seen you in a while. Why not? They said well your shake machine is broken so we go across the street to McDonald’s because mom wants a shake. Get the point you’re gonna lose 20 or $30 orders because people will go down the street to In-N-Out to get a shake and spend 20 bucks on burgers and fries. It’s not just the money you make from the shake machine. It’s the whole ticket that you’re losing. You’ve got an excellent facility And staff here, if the shake machine were fixed, you would probably get a considerable amount more business. I want to see this...

A great place to stop for gas and a meal is Lenwood Road in Barstow. They have all of the major gas stations like Chevron, Shell, etc. They also have a huge selection of restaurants to choose from. We normally stop at Del Taco so I can get my Bun Taco and Combo Cup, but we decided to eat at Original Tommy's Hamburgers for a change of pace. All of the entrees are served with Tommy's famous chili unless otherwise requested. Their chili is very thick and sticks to everything - burgers, hot dogs, fries, you name it.

Triple Cheeseburger (upgraded to ¼ lb. patties), topped with cheese, chopped onions, tomato, pickles, mustard, and of course, chili. The burger was served on the tray and looked like a volcanic lava flow. The thick and viscous chili slowly oozed from the burger along with the melted cheese. The hubby used his fries to scoop up the saucy deliciousness of chili before he went in to devour this marvel of food porn. The patties were juicy. The chili and cheese just made this scrumptious burger along with acidic elements from the pickles, onions, and mustard. Rating: 4/5

Chili Cheese Fries was calling my name. After 5 hours behind the wheel, I was hungry but had a comfort food craving. Just like the Triple Cheeseburger, the chili overflowed the fry basket and melted the cheese. The gooey chili cheese wrapped perfectly on each fry with no drips on the table, my shirt, or my face. I knew I could eat something else but since it was almost midnight, I saved my hunger for the morning....