I have always been a huge fan of the small mom and pop type burger joints. One of the reasons why we started the Hamblogger was to highlight the lesser known and often overlooked independent burger stands and restaurants that are doing some yummy things with ground beef and buns. Sure, I like places like In-N-Out and Five Guys – what’s not to like? But, in the end, we decided to not review any big chain places. So, what about a place that used to be a chain? I was intrigued by Burger Pit in San Jose that used to be a fairly big chain with dozens of stores in and around San Jose – now there is only one.
Al Berger – what an appropriate name for a burger stand owner – opened up the first Burger Pit restaurant in 1956 and quickly expanded to multiple locations. The restaurants were more like coffee shops than a traditional burger stand and judging by how many there were, they must have had a loyal following. In 1986, all but two of the locations were to be sold to fast food giant Burger King – a deal that eventually fell through leaving only two locations. Shortly after that, one of the remaining stores was forced to close when the Valley Fair shopping mall decided to expand its parking lot. Al Berger died soon after the closure and his son Paul took over the lone remaining restaurant.
After shooting an assignment in San Jose, I convinced AP photographer Marcio Sanchez to come have a burger with me. Not knowing the south bay very well and thinking we were close to the restaurant, we ended up driving for about a half an hour to get to Burger Pit in the southern part of San Jose. The restaurant seemed to be stuck in a mid eighties time warp and had the appearance of a Carrows coffee shop. The large dining room was fairly empty with only a handful of elderly people filling the booths. Unlike a traditional coffee shop, you had to order your food from a window and then sit down at a table where a waiter picked up your receipt and took your order to the kitchen. I seem to remember Sizzler having a similar workflow.
Steerburgers were the highlight of their menu with your choice of a half or quarter pounder. The half pounder is served on a French roll, which I am not a fan of, so I went with the quarter pounder with cheese and bacon ($5.39 includes fries or baked potato) and got the baked potato. How often do you get a baked potato option with a burger? That sounded good. My pal Marcio went for the half pounder – I guess he had a much more manly appetite than I did.
Our burgers were delivered promptly by a friendly waitress and both were served open face. Two curled up strips of bacon sat on top of the cheese-covered patty with veggies on the side. The patty glistened with juice – a good sign. I assembled my burger using pickles, tomato, lettuce and some mustard. It wasn’t until the burger had been built that I noticed the nasty lettuce. There were black spots all over it – clearly not the freshest leaf from the head. Since lettuce doesn’t make or break a burger for me, I just took it off and dove in to the burger.
The burger was very juicy and had very nice beef flavor. Deliciously crisp bacon added to the overall taste but didn’t overpower the star of the show- the meat. The veggies that I left on were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. A well toasted bun kept everything together even though the meat remained juicy up to the last bite. I loved having a baked potato instead of fries –my attempt at a healthier option that probably ended up being more calories than the fries from all the butter and sour cream. Still, it was pretty damn tasty. I have no regrets.
Burger Pit has probably seen its heyday come and go, but still plugs along and continues to live by their motto of “good food at reasonable prices”. For the price, you can’t go wrong. You get a good amount of food that tastes fresh and leaves you satisfied. For my tastes, the restaurant could use a little bit of upgrading but it doesn’t seem to bother their loyal clientele. I don’t know when I will ever get down to the southern part of San Jose again, but if I do, I will be stopping at Burger Pit for another juicy burger.
RATING: 3.5 out of 5
Burger Pit
1349 Blossom Hill Road
San Jose, CA 95118
(408) 269-8062
www.theburgerpit.com
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11:00AM – 9:30PM
Friday – Saturday 11:00AM – 10:00PM
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t believe you didn’t have Clark’s in Mt View. I’m 64 and I don’t remember when Clark’s wasn’t there. They not only have burgers they have hot dogs, that are to die for. Great fries and they have the best breakfast’s. I think there use to be more of them.
Dude, you don’t know anything about burgers. Really, processed cheese? That thin patty looks like it was pre-formed from some factory. I always avoid that kind meat since processors cut it with ground entrails soaked in ammonia to kill the bacteria from the residual fecal matter. Never order that stuff medium rare! Try the Flames on near Ross and Hillsdale, across from the fire station. You can order that hamburger rare. Stanley’s at the Ice center does a good job too.
Rosario
Alamaden Valley
Thanks for the comment Rosario. I spoke with Paul Berger, the owner of the Burger Pit on the day I was there and he assured me that he gets meat from a local butcher shop that is brought fresh daily. The patty looks preformed because it was probably formed at the butcher shop in a patty making machine.
I fondly remember the Burger Pit in Los Gatos (Los Gatos Blvd to be precise)…in fact I recall going there with my folks in the early 70s. Sounds like it hasn’t changed much.
Try St. John’s Grill: 510 Lawrence Expy Ste 110 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 http://stjohnsgrill.com/
Hey Justin.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I’m the guy who sent you the email a while back tipping you off to the place.
Sorry to hear about the lettuce, but at least as you noted the burger was the star of the day.
Thanks for the memories Justin. We lived just down the street from the original Blossom Hill Burger Pit (not the current location you visited) and I feel like I grew up on their burgers. They were one of the first restaurants to have crayons and coloring pages for kids, and we so looked forward to that. While I don’t remember the food from my childhood days, I do remember the small waxy Burger Pit cups the crayons came in. Next time I am back home in South San Jose visiting the folks, we’ll have to make a trip out to the last Burger Pit for another go-round.
(Hello to Marcio!)
I can’t believe how many times I drove past that while at State and never stopped. I was pretty stuck in my ways back then. If it wasn’t La Victoria, I probably wasn’t eating there.
I agree Chris. i remeber driving by that place all the time. Wished I had made a stop.
Those are real, honest prices! Thank you Burger Pit!
Is anyone else fed up with the GREED we are seeing in San Francisco? Come on now…in SF we get $13 burgers — about the size of a hockey puck. Yes, Magnolia. I’m talking about y-o-u!
My grandmother used to take me to the Burger Pit in Los Gatos when I was a little kid in the 80’s, and I remember loving their burgers. The best part were the coloring sheets and crayons made available to pass the time while waiting for our burgers…many fond memories!
Good review. I live just up the street from that location, and I love their burgers. They will make them exactly how you want then and they are thick, juicy and delicious!! Love Burger Pit!
Great article. You should have had the half-pound Steerburger on a french roll. That is the signature sandwich. I worked at the Burger Pit all through high school and college and even managed one of the locations in the early 1980s. And I still visit this location at least once a month. Best burgers in town!
When we drove into Los Gatos in 1963 to look for a house to buy, we had our first lunch in town in the Burger Pit, which was on the Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in downtown Los Gatos. I never forgot the terrific hamburger I had and we ate there often. As my sons grew up, they both worked at that Burger Pit, and one of them met his future wife there. So, in a way, the Burger Pit is part of our family history.
When we drove into Los Gatos in 1963 to look for a house to buy, we had our first lunch in town in the Burger Pit, which was on the Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in downtown Los Gatos. I never forgot the terrific hamburger I had and we ate there often as a family. As my sons grew up, one of them worked at that Burger Pit, and one of them met his future wife there. So, in a way, the Burger Pit is part of our family history.
My dad took us weekly to this same Burger Pit from 1966 when we first moved to south San Jose till the early 70’s ( in those days you had to pick up the order yourself when your number was lit up on the board )…things happened in my life ( houses…marraige…kids ) ……….my parents took met up with me there again in 2000 and I was hooked by the excellent Steer Burger….tasty Coffee.and AWESOME service !!!!!!!!!.now I go there with different family members at LEAST once a week………there is no better tasting Burger or friendlier service anywhere for the price.
Went there with my wife one afternoon after the flea market. This was actually one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. The meat was flavorful, juicy and was cook to perfect rareness. A “5″ all the way. The fries were great and the strawberry shake was over the top.