TrueBurger

Located in the heart of Oakland's thriving "Burger District" (ya, I just made that up, so WHAT), True Burger has some stiff competition from the nearby Giant Burger, Ahn's Burger, and Kwik-way. In my opinion, this burger WINS based on the following categories:

QUALITY: The beef here is all fresh and local, and delivered daily. You can tell when you bite into your burger, that the patty was not compressed into a factory-style meat-circle, but rather was hand packed, and grilled in real-time. Relatively lean for ground beef, too! The lettuce is green, the tomatoes are red (not their watery, translucent counterparts that you usually get from other burger-joints). They know that burgers come with MAYO, and bacon/cheese/onions are your options. Simple, but quality. They don't have a menu as extensive as, say, Barney's Gourmet Burgers, but because of the simplicity, I find their burgers are FAR better, and they are ALWAYS hot and fresh! Even their chili is made wit their fresh ground beef!

PRICE: This burger is 6 dollars. That's a dollar more (or about the same price) as a fast food burger. Seriously, folks.

SWEET SPOT: This place also had milkshakes, that will KILL YOU. In a good way. Every day they have a special milkshake on top of their normal flavors. Yesterday it was peach, and I've definitely seen oreo before. I've only ever made it to a milkshake once, because the burgers are so filling! I promise it's worth it, even though it's a gut-buster on top of the burger!

So, you get a great burger with amazing ingredients at a more than fair price in about 5-10 minutes total--even with a line. Do it, and I promise you will be addicted.

I work and live near-ish to this place. Sometimes, when I want to be healthy, I stand outside and eat an apple and just SMELL the delicious meat. And then cry a little...

TMI...

So, an $18 burger meal sounds extreme BUTTTT baby when I tell you it was so worth it. The burger literally melted in my mouth I couldn't believe how good it was ! I also appreciated their buns didn't take away from the meat but complimented it! Fries were good and they gave a good amount for a side.

SO SO SO GOOD! Go ahead and get you a burger

Food: Got the True Deluxe - honestly one burger was probably enough for two people. It's HEAVY! I really enjoyed the fried mushroom-wish more burger shops offered something similar. The cheddar cheese was not flavorful and not fully melted in my burger which was disappointing. Fries had a sharp/raw garlic taste (beware of garlic breath after!). Strawberry lemonade was tasty. Overall, not the best burger I've had but glad I tried this spot!
Service: Quick and efficient.
Ambiance: Limited seating inside and outside. Great spot to eat alone or with a small group of friends.

Prepare your taste buds! These burgers are HUGE and greasy! Do not take them out of their wax paper safety shells or you will need A LOT of napkins!

These are real deal back yard BBQ style burgers that hit the spot in every way.

For Bay Area prices expect to pay $35-40ish for 2 burgers and 2 fries but I feel like they are still worth it even at this price point.

Your order will come out quickly, the menu is limited like In and Out/ Chic Fil A so expect your food in 10 minutes or less unless they are super busy!

Unless you are on a date you should try the garlic fries!

I have eaten here at least 6 times and am yet to have a disappointing burger!

PS- no surcharges or junk fees here!

Bare bones in terms of decor, spare in terms of ambiance yet they do turn out an above average burger as everything tasted freshly made. fries & burgers cooked to order and to one's specifications, which was a pleasant surprise and with a limited menu yet its for these reasons why this place succeeds and seems to be a hit with the locals (the TRUE locals). unlike the hipster-hyped smash burger joint around the corner, the folks here churn out a basic albeit tasty offering that doesn't need a bunch of suspiciously positive (5 stars for an 'amazing' burger! yet it's copiously slathered in mustard?!) reviews to cover up for a seriously MID iteration. there's a few beers on their menu, nothing fancy as they'll do. also... sparkling clean restrooms says they really do care about their customers. finally found my burger spot when I'm in town for a show at the Fox.

Pretty damn good burger and fries! I ordered the bacon cheesy TrueBurger. Bacon were thin and crispy, meat patty was smashed style and added extra flavor crispy bits to every bite.

I also order a side of garlic fries, they were done well and had a nice garlic sauce. It reminded me of Giants ballpark garlic fries but better!

Service was fast and friendly with plenty of tables and chairs for indoor dining, or you could grab your food to go and have it by the lake!

Go to place for their mushroom burger and their garlic fries! Nice people I'll come back for the food and the service for sure.

It's aight...


I was in town and craving for smash burger, did a quick search and true burger was top of the recommendation list. I've tried smashed burger in the past and didn't care for it, but though to give it another try somewhere else.

True burger has over 1.7k reviews at at high recommend rate, so wanted to stop by and give it a go.

First off, great customer service and easy to order. The brioche bun was soft and fluffy and really pairs well with the burger. The patty, I personally didn't love it, I expected it to be more smashed and crispy with more flavor, the patty lacked seasoning but was juicy. BUT the quality of the meat really did shine through, I'd have to give it a .5 Overall the burger was a 3.5 for me.

Got me side of garlic fries and also had to pay extra for ranch dipping on the side. 4 out of 5. Crispy, garlicky yummy.

Lastly the strawberry lemonade, it's good, a tad bit overly sweet imo, but refreshing.

Intimate setting, the restaurant probably only seats about dozen people.

Total of the meal came out to be $20.

Came here on a Tuesday early evening and service was pretty quick. I got a mushroom burger and although I wish the cheese inside the patty had more flavor, it was still solid. I don't think it was worth the cost though. I was a huge fan of the garlic aioli on the burger. I also tried some of my friend's cheese fries which had a bit of a kick and strawberry lemonade and both of those were delicious. The only thing I really disliked was that there were tons of flies inside the restaurant around the seating area which made it not super comfortable to sit and eat. Overall, I would maybe return for the fries and lemonade as a to go snack but probably not the burger.

I was shocked to see how empty this place was, as many people have raved about it (started packing up after I ordered). So I had to try these legendary burgers when I finally was in the area. Small seating area but glad we early.

I must have bad luck with cashiers because I did not get the same friendly service people were talking about. It kind of makes me not want to make another trek out there. Nonetheless service was straightforward and fast. Basically you can choose how you want your meat cooked (even rare, my personal favorite), and choice of onions/pickles.

We ordered the True Deluxe and cheese burger, garlic fries, and pumpkin shake. All were very good. Garlic fries were some of the best fries I've had in a while. The true deluxe is reminiscent of the Shake Shack's shroom burger, but bigger, juicer, and has garlic aioli. I'm glad I got the extra side of garlic aioli.

Decent burger and fries. The ingredients seem fresh and the flavor was good.

The portion sizes are standard and comparable to the price.

The strawberry lemonade is great! They use fresh strawberries, so watch out for the seeds.

The service is fast and the staff are kind. They do offer take out and delivery. They offer fast delivery, too.