Legends Burgers — Restaurant in Upland

There are moments on the road when necessity and nostalgia intertwine—when the call of nature leads one not just to respite, but to an unexpected encounter with history, however kitsch. Legends Burgers in Upland, California, is such a place. A roadside diner clad in the vestiges of 1950s Americana, where the chrome gleams with defiance against modernity and the menu reads like a greasy hymn to the glory days before mass commercialization flattened fast food into bland uniformity.

Drawn in not by hunger, but by decorum (for one does not avail oneself of a diner’s restroom without offering patronage), I found myself speaking with the friendly and informative cashier. She warned me well—the portions were generous, decadent even. The menu, emblazoned upon the walls with photographs as drool-inducing as they were calorically daunting, offered the promise of burgers, fries, and shakes untouched by the sanitization of the corporate giants.

But restraint was my companion on this leg of the journey. Already sated from lunch, with dinner waiting patiently in my cooler, I opted for a smaller meal: a corndog accompanied by half an order of regular fries and half fried mushrooms. A modest indulgence, or so I believed.

The corndog—what can be said? It was the comfort of carnival memories, a crisp golden sheath yielding to a soft, mildly sweet batter and the salty snap of a hot dog within. Simple, unpretentious, and exactly as it should be.

The fries—dependable, unremarkable, yet satisfying in the way that only a diner fry can be: a touch of salt, a hint of grease, no pretensions of truffle oil or hand-cut artisanry here.

But the fried mushrooms—ah, here lies the misstep. Tempted by novelty, I wandered into culinary curiosity, only to find myself mired in disappointment. Mushrooms, those absorptive enigmas of the culinary world, demand a partner—wine, butter, garlic—to coax their elusive depths. Encased in breadcrumbs and bathed in fryer oil, they became hollow echoes of what might have been. Crunch without character.

Yet, for all that, Legends Burgers remains a charming detour—a relic of a bygone era, offering a taste of what fast food once aspired to be before the golden arches spread their shadow. It is not haute cuisine, nor does it claim to be. It is, simply, comfort—with a side of grease and a sprinkle of regret.

Rating: 3/5 – A nostalgic nod to diner culture, with comfort food that mostly hits the mark—save for the hollow promise...

Edit: Long-time patrons, no longer going here. My family and friends and I have frequented this location for many years. There have been a lot of changes in the past couple months. The changes: -got rid of past management. I don't know if she was fired or quit but she was friendly, sweet, helpful, personable. She even knew the regulars and their orders. You immediately knew who management was when you walked in the door, and you don't know who management is anymore. -on that note, I think a lot of the past (mainly female) employees were fired or quit. They were all very friendly. At the time of writing this review a male cashier helped me and literally gave me attitude every step of the way. I had never even seen him before. -got rid of masks required signs. This is obviously annoying since the pandemic is not over and most food establishments are still requiring this. Male cashier did not wear a mask, and no one inside was, including the cooks, the people breathing over your food. -the fries are shaped differently and not seasoned. Their fries were very good with the old management but now it is inconsistent whether your fries will even be seasoned. -the ranch containers now have a plastic film on them instead of a lid. This means once you open it you can't close it again to take with you. Also more plastic waste because before you could rinse out the lid and container and recycle them, but now you can't. -new drive-thru sign outside has confusing duplicate mentions of chicken tenders. Plus the sign is so bright it will burn your retinas. A petty thing to complain about, but hey. I'm disappointed with all of the changes with new management, and they lost really...

Sad .... An upland institution has been ruined. Someone has been making big mistakes running this place. Been going here for over 20 years. Food WAS always dependable.... Salads were always great ... Now just a joke. Sandwiches were epic.. AND BIG ... Now just a joke. The woman that ran this place is gone. Seems like the new guy that took over decided to try to get rich quick and raise prices while cutting product quality and portions down... Not sure if its working out for him very well. You cant get away with poorly cooked food and greedy management. The LOCAL patrons can always see the changes.. You haven't fooled anyone by reading these HONEST reviews from loyal daily cusomers. The cooks have bad attitudes .. Thats why people aren't enjoying the food anymore. They take no speacil requests at all ... Angry food is poor tasting food. You should return everything back to 2010 standards. Otherwise you will destroy this place. Just went there a couple of nights ago. The help dosent have the kind happy spirit it used to. The place is being severely mismanaged ... If youre going to give less ... Don't try to charge $$$ more.. People aren't dumb. And the Habit and Farmers is just down the street.... I see you've brought back the French fries and ranch dressings ... But that's not going to be enough. Your cuts everywhere else need to roll back too ... And get some cooks that love to serve people.. Nasty cooks make nasty...