The Smokehouse
The Smokehouse things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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With shrinking portions, rising prices, and a changing demographic, one that includes vegan options, oat milk, and taro root gluten substitutes, this place still holds some loyalist fascination for me, as a place where I would get a burger anytime I happened upon a few bucks in the 1970s. The Smokey char flavor is definitely the appeal here, and on a 1 to 10 I'd rate the burger a solid 6, (they simply cannot, and will not, ever hold a candle to Big Al's on San Pablo across from Albany bowl, currently The most consistent, and high quality hamburger in the East Bay hands down). The outdoor seating is nice especially in the evenings, and I'll give any newcomers a couple of solid tips. 1: if you're eating in the outdoor area anytime after 6:00 or when it's slightly cooler, your food, particularly your fries, will get cold faster than a bad date. 2: several of the tables in the outdoor area are slightly angled and have plastic tops, which when you place the plastic milkshake containers on them, might give you the impression that there are poltergeist or evil spirits moving your drink around! There are not. It's simple physics. Two slippery plastics make for one moving drink. You have been warned. 3: on the weekends, and after work, this place can become a rambunctious, zany, loud, explosive corral of toddler rugrats making more noise than a Republican who just got voted out of office. Pick your slot carefully. 4: if you can, we'll leave the oat milk, and taro root gluten substitutes alone. They are disgusting and will ruin all your positive memories, and they will also remove any good flavor memories that are on your hard drive, so that you never taste anything good again. They're disgusting. I'm currently appealing to the attorney general of California to strictly control, and punish the supply of gluten substitutes and oat milks. So far I haven't heard back from them. All in all, though it's a really solid burger experience, if you eat your food within 5 to 10 minutes of getting it, and when you want to sit outdoors, it's still a nice spot. The people are super cool, and the cooks are super hard working, and I have a lot of respect for them. That is my review. Mr 27 million views
P. I.P. I.
80
For $19.28 I got the double cheese dog, chili cheese fries and a large fountain drink. I think this is reasonable. PROS; - they purposefully leave the bathroom door propped open which I LOVE, it is hard to find places where you don't have to ask to use their restroom, I give this place 5 stars for the value in that alone, as I am an uber driver. - hot dogs are large and grilled, not boiled like caspers - plenty of seating inside and out - free refills with their fountain machine, yes!! CONS; - the dogs best flavor is the fact they're grilled, i do wish they had a bit more variety and kinds of dogs. - personal preference; I don't like fat fries, I prefer shoestring fries. So if you're not into the fat fries then these will be underwhelming. - fries portion, I suppose the price was fair, but I wish there were a large option, because I don't exactly want a whole 'nother order, but this wasn't very big alone either... @ $20 I am leaving barely satisfied, not at all full. - parking, costs $0.25/10 mins, it took 41 mins for me to order (no line), recieve my food and finish it. So expect to keep at least 4 quarters for parking if you're eating in. 3 quarters if you're taking it to go. Overall the food wasn't anything terribly special but, It was still edible, the free soda refills and bathroom access alone will likely make this a common stop for me while I'm Ubering the area. Next time I'll try a burger.
Vicky GeezVicky Geez
10
DO NOT EAT HERE! The food was HORRIBLE! It was worse than that but what word could I use to describe it. I placed an online order that was not ready when I arrived. I waited another 45mins for cold food and the wrong order! I asked for a refund and was told I had to do it through the platform where I ordered. The platform I ordered from was their actual webpage but the young high guy at the front wasn’t understanding that. I don’t want to give it any stars because the food and customer service was bad! I’m upset i wasted my time and money ordering from this garbage box! There is also no order for a line. Everyone was just clustered in front of the pick up window like hawks. There was no separate line for door dash/ online orders and ppl who ordered there at the restaurant. One poor guy kept telling him that was his chicken sandwich he ordered but they were not listening all for them to burn his sandwich. I felt bad for him and I felt bad for myself for ordering this trash. My food was so cold the cheese wasn’t melted on the burger. I didn’t have the cherry peppers or onions I ordered and my bun was cold and cardboard like. Just save your time and money and fine elsewhere because this was a disaster. Who can I call? Kitchen nightmare? Cuz they need chef Ramsey! Didn’t take pics of the garbage food but this is how everyone was standing at the window.
missashleymissashley
00
Unbelievable. I was really regretting being dragged at this place by a friend. You can tell by driving by. It's a step above 7-Eleven food. And then you walk up and then nice staff member in her Modelo hoodie. Greets you and smiles and treats you like you've been coming there for years. You get your little vibrating food alerter , how modern considering how old the place looks. And as you look around, you realize it's not dirty at all. It's actually quite well kept and there's tons of patio seating and twinkly lights overhead and happy faces all around. And you chat for a bit and then the food comes and it's way better than you expected. By 10 times. I got a hot dog with everything on it. It was absolutely delicious with a toasted bun. And the cheese fries I ordered were just enough and the cheese was a little spicy. I loved it. I've lived in this neighborhood for 15 years and underestimated this place far too long. I 100% recommend coming to this place. It's cheap prices and they've been in business forever. Obviously they're doing something right. I am very excited to go back, especially after how wrong I was by my drive by judgment.
Cee RoseCee Rose
10
As you can see on my receipt, I ordered a double cheeseburger, a large order of fries, and a small order of fries through Doordash. The delivery driver was excellent- he got here so quickly that I assume he was waiting at the restaurant for someone to place an order. I received a small order of fries and a large order of fries. Instead of a double cheeseburger with grilled onions, however, I received a small burger-box containing only the bottom half of a bun, some lettuce, a pickle and a tomato slice (see the attached picture). Bizarrely, the meat, cheese, onions, and top half of the bun were missing. This was quite frustrating after waiting patiently for my food and seems extremely sloppy, lazy and incompetent. I knew something was off as soon as I grabbed the burger box because it was as light as a feather. Furthermore, they recently changed the type of fries they serve. They replaced the delicious fries they had for years with cheaper, smaller Kringle fries. This was quite disappointing, but of course my primary concern was the burger debacle.
Pat AziPat Azi
00
Your absolute classic American food joint. I’m talkin hot dogs, chili fries, onion rings, hamburger with the American cheese. But it’s also elevated too. For instance, the buns are toasted on the grill, and you can get caramelized onions, no extra charge. They also have some tasty milkshakes and you can get them dairy-free. Don’t expect fancy service here, it’s order at the counter and then they call your # when it’s ready. Outside seating is great, and there’s plenty inside too. If you have to get anything, I highly recommend the hot dogs, the onion rings, shakes (malted and mix flavors), and the cheese burger. You can skip the fries and grilled chicken. Chili is fine too, but nothing special.
Heather ZulimHeather Zulim
60
Nearby Attractions Of The Smokehouse
Willard Park
Berkeley Flea Market
Bushrod Park
Rialto Cinemas Elmwood
Crossroads Trading
ISKCON Berkeley
Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles
Dry Garden Nursery
Black Repertory Group Inc
WORTHY Self-Care Studio
Willard Park
4.5
(319)Click for details
Berkeley Flea Market
4.1
(265)Click for details
Bushrod Park
4.4
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Rialto Cinemas Elmwood
4.5
(188)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of The Smokehouse
Millennium
Wood Tavern
A+ Burger
The Starry Plough Pub
La Mediterranee
Flacos
Kirala
Boichik Bagels
Nick's Pizza and Bakery Made in Oakland
The Italian Homemade Company
Millennium
4.5
(644)Click for details
Wood Tavern
4.6
(424)$$$
Click for details
A+ Burger
4.5
(449)Click for details
The Starry Plough Pub
4.6
(385)Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
3115 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705
Map
Phone
(510) 845-3640
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Website
eatsmokehouse.com
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Reviews
Overview
4.4
(766 reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Charbroiled burgers, hot dogs & malted milkshakes in an old-school spot with outdoor benches.
attractions: Willard Park, Berkeley Flea Market, Bushrod Park, Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, Crossroads Trading, ISKCON Berkeley, Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Dry Garden Nursery, Black Repertory Group Inc, WORTHY Self-Care Studio, restaurants: Millennium, Wood Tavern, A+ Burger, The Starry Plough Pub, La Mediterranee, Flacos, Kirala, Boichik Bagels, Nick's Pizza and Bakery Made in Oakland, The Italian Homemade Company
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