Kirk's Steakburgers — Restaurant in San Jose

Update: The Chicken Philly and Crinkle-cut fries were delicious tonight. Thank goodness Kirk's has good rolls for its sandwiches again—no longer rubbery. Personable staff.

Update: Great Clubber sandwich, chili dog, and crinkle-cut fries. We sat outside; it was chilly, and one of your sweet employees brought out a portable heater. All was well after that. Thank you!

Recent past:

In a nutshell, the relocated Kirk's is NOT your old Kirk's, and it has NEW owners. We've been regulars at Kirk's at their old Bascom location for around 25 years. Our visit to the new location was a complete letdown; we will not be coming back.

The atmosphere of the new Kirk's is like sitting in a dark, claustrophobic cave with BRIGHT disturbing lights turned up to compensate; there are no windows. The old location had many windows with pleasant views, which provided a calm and relaxing benefit. The new location's seating arrangement needs to be more cohesive. A sizeable unused bar grill toward the back takes up a lot of space and blocks a natural traffic flow. You feel corralled into one area rather than free to roam about as needed.

The lack of acoustic balance accentuates LOUD everything: loud talking, loud music with an emphasis on loud BEATS, for example, old songs by Michael Jackson, noisy, loud, loud. After leaving, it took a while for our ears to recover. Massive televisions line every wall side by side, all turned on simultaneously. The whole place sets one's nervous system on fire, stress-inducing. Unlike the old location, where you felt an airy openness, lowkey natural lighting, and appropriate personal space for dining, this new setting makes you feel all scrunched together near your neighbors at the other tables. I saw many frowns on the faces of the clientele this evening, regulars from old Kirk's getting their dose of culture shock in this new, unfriendly, alien environment.

You can't pick up your food at the counter anymore; you must wait for a server to deliver it. Unlike the old location, if there was a discrepancy with your order, you could pop over to the counter and get it quickly remedied; now, you have to wait for your server to take care of it. In our case, this meant waiting quite a while to get the problem corrected; in the meantime, your once-warm food was now cold and aging. The fries were good, but the burger's flavor seemed off from what old Kirk's served. The buns on our sandwiches had a weird, oily appearance, and the texture was tough to chew, unlike the buns Kirk's served at the old location. If you want an iced tea refill, you have to go and WAIT for the bartender to have time to help you. At old Kirk's, you could refill your iced tea as needed. The lemonade had an off flavor; they must have changed vendors to save money; it now says Minute Maid.

If you like a dark, claustrophobic NOISY sports bar atmosphere, unimpressive food and service, and a small parking lot, this...

After Kirk’s recent move across Bascom from their iconic location, I decided to try out the new digs. In full disclosure, I've been coming to Kirks since the ‘70s enjoying their various locations: Campbell, PA (Town and Country), Cupertino (permanently closed now).

The service (outside) was minimal but prompt and polite. I did ask the server for pepperoncini peppers that were available in the past but the server never returned.

The atmosphere transitioned into a full-on sports bar complete with table service (inside), sport memorabilia abound and flat panel monitors inside and out. I am not certain how much pre-existed within the previous (Grill ‘Em) establishment.

Unfortunately, their seasoned grill was no longer the centerpiece as it was in the old place (even though the previous occupant had an open grill in the dining area at one time, I believe.) Gone also was the self-serve condiment bar. On the up side, the (mens’) bathroom was a definite upgrade, though.

The steakburgers seemed more processed than I remembered from previous visits. The last I had was just before the move. The ground beef patties seemed overworked and as a result a bit tough and less tender. And the absence of the condiment bar precluded customization like additional pickles and the aforementioned pepperoncini peppers that could have offset the deficiency. On the plus side, the onion rings and french fries were crispy on the outside and tender and piping hot on the inside. I also believe they switched from Pepsi to Coke well drinks for those who care.

The parking was surprisingly tight, especially given how few customers were inside when I first entered at 1120a. My lunch mate actually had to park on the street. I half expected to encounter some company lunch meeting inside given the fleet of white service vans parked in the back and out front.

Finally, they no longer honor any of the loyalty cards based on policy of the new management who apparently need not bother. On the bright side, I can declutter my wallet of partially stamped Steakburger Club cards and coupons. Let’s hope Kirks can start new traditions with a new nostalgic feel in this location. To paraphrase C. Sagan, if you don’t evolve, you die....

I always get full there they always cook my burger at the way I want the chicken sandwich I had today was phenomenal! That's because Kurt's establishment always buys Supreme quality and feeds its crowd so they're tripping over themselves to get to the salad bar to get a refill of iced tea pea tip in the tip jar because they felt bad for not leaving a tip in the first place when they paid because I've never left Kurt anything but satisfied. However it's not a very large establishment to have to run and I think I could do just as good of a job in the kitchen or the barbecue pit by myself one of the employee to people to do the job I can do all by myself but that's all right because it's family and they do a good job there I would have given them five stars because I've never like I said been disappointed with a meal that I've had it hurts and I've had plenty. So I would give him a five-star ratings but I think if I ran an operation like that we just be better have a little bit more options like well I won't tell you because I might just run something you're pretty soon and give Kirk's a run for their money because when it comes down to it there really is no place around here steeped in San Jose West San Jose Campbell Heritage like Kirk's has that's been here forever and I hope they're here for another hundred years cheers to Kirk's Burgers! An absolute staple and pillar among the carnivorous citizens in this region! Forget about it! Who needs a vegan or their whole train of thought. Oh yeah 4 and 3/4 Stars. They have excellent beer on tap and lots of other styles of beer to choose from. So if you like meat and soda or iced tea or beer or water or lemonade they got it all go to Kirks it's worth it! Bring your friends & your Kin Folk along for the ride if you really love 'em!! Hee-Haaw!! Good Eats, Man!! 🍔...