Val's Burgers — Restaurant in Hayward

If you seek the gold standard of Hamburgers, Val's is it. Consistent. Unchanging. Excellent. Utterly committed to doing the right thing.

Burgers: I always have a Mama burger, with cheese and tomatoes on a French roll. Those of you who think you can eat a Papa, have at it. I have tried and failed at eating all of the Papa burger, fries and chocolate shake. My Mama Burger is always prepared medium rare and it is. Incredible juicy which drips down my elbows.

Oh it is indecent. That is why I order the French roll. I turn it upside down so the juice goes all the way through it and stays intact for the meal. I ask them to cut the burger in half. Fresh sweet onions, dill slices, sweet slices are on the side of the table. You can overdo it and get the mushrooms and grilled onions, as I have done. No regrets but just too much. Oh it was good.

Fries: Crunchy outside, melting inside. One order feeds two for sure. You can try an order of fries and a Mama burger all for yourself, but when you add the chocolate shake it becomes all you can do. The Papa burger added to the mix is too much. Food coma happens with Mama. Death happens with Papa if you finish it all. I have never tasted better fries.

Shake: I always have a chocolate shake. Malt is there for those who want it as well. Real whipped cream in the shake. Portion fills really large glass three times over. Over diameter straw helps create the brain freeze. Exceptional. The best shake I have eaten.

Val's has other offerings, but I have never eaten anything else. I always tell myself I will try something different, but there is no reason.

I have been eating at Val's for 20+ years. This place does one thing and one thing well. Think 1959 or so. Red plastic banquettes. Burgers, breakfast, shakes, fries and rings. Cash only. You cannot get a better burger but you can argue about what makes this place so special.

Parking is challenging, but not impossible. In the city I have eaten the cheeseburger and Fries and Chocolate Shake at Marlowe's, Zuni Cafe , Bullshead, Roam, Bill's and all the others of note. In the East Bay I have eaten at True Burger, Fatapples, Barneys and Boulevard. They are all good but none are better and...

We've been hitting Val's every Friday and Saturday since July of this year 2021 (except 9/17/21 & 9/18/21 when they took a break). They are open for takeout via phone orders only: Friday and Saturday 11am - 5pm. With only a 2-day supply of fresh food, if food runs out early on Sat, they have no choice but to close early. So hit it early, or call during the opening hours before you go. To order, call ahead or from the car in the parking lot.

Now, on to the food. The burgers are out of this world! Meat is super flavorful and juicy, cooked to perfection how you order. Quality is so good, you (I mean I) could order rare. Cheese is thicker than at most burger joints, melted just right. You actually see the whole smooth melted slice, rather than just melted bits scattered on the patty because the slice was too thin. Bacon is two long and wide strips of pork fat heaven, unlike the short and narrow ones elsewhere. Stacked together, you get a yummilicious burger that is to die for! Every. Single. Time.

Even though there're now only burgers (with condiments), fries and onion rings on the menu, we don't need anything else.

3 months into this groove of 2 Mama burgers every week, we're still so addicted to them, Fri&Sat can’t come fast enough for our fix.

The takeout-only option is in no way a deterrent at all - with our own utensils, plates and trays, we take our time savoring in our car in the parking lot.

The staff is now family only, so manpower is limited. The two whom we always talk to - daughter who takes phone orders and brings out food to cars, and father who’s owner and the only chef - are...

I’ve been coming to Val’s for over 30 years. It was always a dependable, nostalgic place. The Mama Burger, fries, and a thick shake were staples. What made it stand out was the consistency and efficiency. The experience always felt the same in a good way—it was straightforward, fast, and you knew exactly what you were getting.

Since COVID, Val’s has changed dramatically. They never really reopened in any meaningful sense. They are now only open two days a week, cash-only, with an extremely limited menu. Prices have climbed to the point where two burgers and fries now cost around $50. That’s a steep price for what is now a takeout-only setup.

They do have a couple of folding chairs outside under a faded pop-up tent in the parking lot, but calling that a dining area feels like a stretch. It is a pretty weak substitute for what the experience used to be.

When you ask about the reduced hours and setup, the answer is always about staffing or COVID, but after all this time, that excuse feels worn out. It seems like they’ve stopped caring about creating a good customer experience and are content to ride their old reputation while squeezing loyal customers.

It’s disappointing to see such a long-standing, beloved spot fall into this pattern. I’ve been coming here for three decades, but this isn’t the Val’s I...