My family moved to San Francisco in 1986 after spending my high school years in the East Bay. I got a job shortly after moving at a place called Sherman’s Diner. Sherman’s had just opened up in a huge space on Geary Blvd. and was run by a Chinese businessman who had always wanted to have a 1950’s style diner. Well, the food was awful and while it was busy for the first few months, then people started to realize how bad it actually was and the place eventually went out of business. Who cares, right? Well, a good thing came out of it. There was a cook at Sherman’s that turned me on to a good place for burgers down the street called Bill’s Place, the self proclaimed “Home of the Hamburger.”
Bill’s was about 3 blocks from my house and I would stop by once in a while for burger. Today was the first time I had been back to Bill’s in about 15 years and it was exactly the same as it was back in the day. The waiter that served me 15 years ago was still working there and the framed presidential China still hung on the wall. The tables looked like they might be new, but the row of old diner style seats at the counter were still the same. Seriously, nothing had changed. Talk about time warp. I took a seat at a table and a tough little elderly waitress – who has probably been there since it opened in 1959 – came over and grunted as she plopped down a menu and a glass of water.
The menu is filled with burgers that are named after local celebrities like Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Herb Caen and legendary SF stripper and silicone breast implant pioneer Carol Doda. The Doda burger is an open-faced burger with two patties topped with two pickle chips and olives to resemble boobs. Hey now. I thought this was a family restaurant. I went for my old favorite, the Paul Kantner ($8.27 plus tax, includes fries), named after the co-founder of Jefferson Airplane for you youngsters out there who have no idea who Kantner is. The specialty burger comes with Thousand Island, grilled onions, cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle. I passed on the grilled onions, didn’t want to be feeling ill the rest of the day.
The tough cookie waitress took my order and went to give it to the cook but he was in the back grinding meat. I could see him working the grinder in a little room next to the kitchen. He tossed a freshly made patty on the grill and went back to making more patties. He’d take the ground meat and make 8-ounce balls that he placed between two cutting boards and WHAM, he’d smash the patties. I guess that is one way to do it. Soon enough, Paul Kantner was headed to my table. A big heaping ladleful of pinkish Thousand Island topped the greasy cheese covered patty that filled the bun and then some. There was a little bit of mayo on it, which is a little redundant if you ask me, but whatever. The bun was mysteriously not toasted even though it sit on the grill for almost as long as the burger did. The burger, by the way, was cooked just as ordered, medium with a nice pink center.
Fresh beef blanketed with creamy cheese smothered with the sharp taste of Thousand Island were at the forefront of the first sampling. The sauce mixed with juice from the patty and dripped from the burger onto the plate – a perfect dip for the fresh hand cut fries. The pickles added a little bit of crunch and sour to the burger, very tasty. I tore off a chunk of the meat to enjoy it without the influence of condiments and I am glad I did. Yum, full-on beef flavor with just the right amount of crispiness and seasoning. Bill’s still knows how to make a good old-fashioned burger. There is a reason why they are the home of the hamburger.
There are some quirky things about Bill’s, but that is what makes it a cool place. I love that the waiter and waitress have been there forever and that the cook uses violent force to smash the patties. I don’t quite understand the collection of presidential China from past presidents, that’s a little strange. It’s an old shoe that is showing some wear, but still plugging along. I’m glad I went back to Bill’s after so many years and I am equally happy that it hasn’t changed.
RATING: 4
Bill’s Place
2315 Clement Street
San Francisco, California 94121
(415) 221-5262
www.billsplace.qpg.com
Hours: Sunday -Thursday 11:00AM – 10:00PM
Friday – Saturday 11:00AM – 11:00PM
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great write up and pictures. Love that they grind their own.
Dude,
I was just driving by Bill’s Place this morning, thinking, “I wonder if Bill’s Place is as good as it used to be 15-20 years ago when I used to drive across town just to get a burger there. I think Justin should do a review for me.”
Blam!
You post a review the very same day!
Weird.
Next time I’m out there, I’m going in.
Very glad I found this site from a link at SFGate, and doubly glad to find this recent review of Bill’s, which had been one of my favorite burger joints when I lived in the north part of SF. Good to know that it’s held up over the years; I will stop by when I’m in that area again. Also enjoyed the review of Manor Coffee Shop in West Portal, which I love. It may be heresy to say on a burger blog, but their BLTs are divine; try one!