Bongo Burger

Was craving for a good burger, and jeez it was such a disappointment! The burger patty is thin, doesn’t have much flavor, the burger bun is way too thick. Doesn’t help when they burned the patty and the bun bc they were rushing it. Good thing the place was clean and staffs were nice.

My boyfriend thinks they’ve got the best burger in Berkeley, especially when you consider the price! Personally I am a fan of the Persian burger (a beef and lamb blend), but everything is really fresh and delicious! They hand make their tabbouli every day, and serve it atop a generous Greek salad for the Bongo Salad (another favorite).
Bongo Burger is a Berkeley staple, great for students on a budget and really, everyone else!

I ordered the shish kabab plate. The meat was a little too salty, but (to be fair) tasty; it didn’t resemble any shish kabab I’ve ever had though. It looked like a meat-​product type thing – flat, and it came out of the kitchen in about a minute. The rest of the plate had crinkle fries and a tasteless salad. I expected something a little better for ten bucks. Oh, and the cashier/​server was surly. I won’t be back.

I got the Turkey burger with fries and it was very yummy. Wish they had more interesting sauces besides ketchup and mustard, but overall pretty good food.

I absolutely love this place. My Favorite is «The Bongo Persian Burger». The restaurant is small with friendly staff, fast service and quality is amazing.
I would give it a 5 start if it had a better parking & location. The park next door has many homeless folks just hanging around and my kids were not comfortable parking around that area since we were approached few times aggressively…
My wife & kids love this placel… it is our usual stop coming back from S. F to our home in San Ramon.
Highly Recommend!

Last week I ordered a mushroom burger and an all American burger. Both were cooked great. The burgers are quite big so I can’t complain about the prices being high. Staff are kind. The place is very clean and it doesn’t get overly full there.

I always get the persian burger. Just the burger alone is $ 8.71 :O get the combo with fries n drink for $ 10 something.
They use niman ranch beef, which means its good healthy beef for you!
The bread is always crunchy that it hurts the sides of your mouth lol
Parking around here is always hard.
Super tiny bathroom that when you try to sit on the toilet, the hand dryer turns on haha!
The woman at the register can be rude. Just be concise and fast.
Takes about 5 minutes for your order to get ready.

The Bongo Burger Breakfast Special is my fallback plan on a busy morning when I don’t have time to make anything at home. (My order: Two eggs, sunny side up [with sumac, please]; fried potatoes with onions and green bells [I add sriracha]; and two toast [buttered, no jelly.]!)
I also like this location better than the ones on Center or Euclid. Thanks, guys!

Got a quick breakfast here at this modest burger place: a cheese omelet, which comes with home fries and toast. Everything was delicious and inexpensive, but the absolute standout was the fresh-​squeezed orange juice. It was some of the best I’ve ever had. I’m always reluctant to order orange juice, because they usually give me some warm, from-​concentrate crap.
The restaurant itself is purely utilitarian, with cafeteria-​style trays. But it definitely served its purpose: quick and filling. And do yourself a favor: get the OJ.

I love bongo burger! Definitely my go to spot for burger cravings.
Don’t misinterpret it. Bongo doesn’t have fancy shmancy gourmet burgers. But it does have pretty damn tasty burgers and meals. I usually get the spicy chicken burger or the turkey burger. I tried the black bean burger once, not a fan at all. It was too salty and the patty was not well made. Not sure if it was just that one time or in general it is like that. But the spicy chicken or turkey is pretty good! their ingredients pretty up to par. The size of the burger is pretty decent. Usually I go and tell myself I can indulge this ONE time (except I end up doing it every time) and get the meal with the fries and drink. Definitely worth it, not super expensive, pretty tasty. I usually eat both my burger and fries with a mix of ranch and sriracha sauce. Highly recommend.
Before I used to go to the other locations, but this is the closest one to me. It has pretty decent seating. The location is whatever, just off to the side with lots of cars going by. Few tables, good for a group of about 4. It isn’t usually crowded when I go? Thus, I can almost always find a spot!
Not much staff interaction, thus hard to say the quality. but nothing bad! Usually quick and easy.
Highly recommended!

I love Bongo Burger. I’ll say it loud and say it proud. Their sandwiches are so on point. I have probably had everything on the menu at least once, but I always go back to the Persian Burger and the Bacon Burger.
Firstly, everything in this shop is delicious. And I mean everything — the bun on the Persian burger is flaky, crispy and delicious. The vegetable toppings are all fresh and crunchy. And the meat patties. Oh yes, the meat patties are wonderful and all sourced locally. The burger patties are definitely on the thin side, which may be disappointing for meat lovers, but I personally find that the ratio of bread to meat to vegetables is perfect. Their fries are also crispy perfection!
The real winning formula for this place is definitely their crack sauce. I think it is some kind of white sauce/​ranch/​something, but it is super addictive and delicious. It goes so well on the burgers and makes the fries completely addictive.
All in all I visit Bongo way too much. But it is just that good.

Despite the name, I would come here more for their plates rather than their burgers.
Burger patties are paper thin. And while the burger itself is good, it’s not worth the $ 10 price tag (combo deal). Honestly, even fast food places have thicker burger patties and I would deem the flavors of the two to be quite similar.
Their fries are also good — but not fresh. Granted it’s a casual burger place, it would still be appreciated to have a fresh batch.
They also have plates which come with a choice of meat (or falafel), salad, and tabouleh. I’ve ordered the chicken plate and the chicken was extremely juicy and tender.
While I would pick Bongo Burger over Smart Alec’s, I would consider this a second option whenever possible.

I have a horrible habit of comparing every burger place I try to In-​N-​Out, and I’m almost always disappointed. Bongo Burger was a disappointment.
I tried the Persian Burger, which was a lamb patty on a french roll, with the typical burger add-​ons (lettuce/​tomato/​onion). A couple of Unilocalers were raving about it so my expectations were sky high… aaaaaand it was a bit dull. Flavors were okay, the whole burger itself was thinner than I expected it to be (maybe I go to Ike’s way too often…), and the lamb was a little gamey for my taste.
The boyfriend ordered the «Chicken Plate» off the Mediterranean side of the menu. Along with a measly portion of fries, it came with two small pieces of charbroiled chicken and a DISPROPORTIONATE amount of pita slices. By the time we finished the chicken, we still had at least 5 pita slices to eat, AND we were still hungry. So we did what anyone else would do.
…we dipped them in ranch and ate them.
Please don’t judge me.
Maybe we ordered the wrong things and should’ve gone with a traditional burger. Either way, for 2 people we spent a little shy of $ 20 and weren’t completely satisfied.
tl;dr — Meh food, decent prices, would only come here if I had a hankering for a burger and was too lazy to drive to In-​N-​Out in Alameda.

Had the American burger and it was surprisingly really good! The fries were super crispy and on point as well. Totally exceeded my expectations. If you’re craving a nice delicious cheap burger and some super crispy fries, come here!
(In n out still had my heart though! But to satisfy an instant craving close by, this is the place!)

The turkey burger. omg! They give you a good sized burger for a really great price! yum!

I absolutely LOVE Bongo burger. This is the best for burgers!!! The fast food is quick but the quality is AMAZING!!! I love it so much! Pair the fries with ranch on the side. The size is perfect. I usually get a meal with fries, soda, and burger. This chain is quick, fast, and accurate. If you’re looking for a good burger that is decently priced, this is the place to go!

I used to like this place and my cousins still do, but I don’t think I could ever go back. I had a few pieces of wood in my double burger… First I thought it was a toothpick but it was straight up wood like a fence. So how did Niman ranch end up getting wood into their beef? If they switch to something organic and local, I may give it another try.
They gave me another burger with frys to make up but I had lost my appetite. Niman Ranch is trash, will never eat any beef from their ranch again.

This was my first stop in Berkeley after a long overseas trip, and I couldn’t have made a better choice. The restaurant is small, bright orange and yellow (a typical burger joint ambiance), with friendly staff and quick service.
You won’t want to eat quickly, though: these burgers are meant to be savored. I had a Number 1, the mushroom burger. The meat was grilled to my liking, and the taste of grilled mushroom mixed with the special burger sauce atop the crunchy iceberg lettuce sandwiched between a grilled bun… to be frank, it was fantastic.
(And thank you fellow Unilocaler for that tip about adding Sriracha to the ranch sauce – that made the crinkle cut fries worth eating!)

Nostalgia probably clouds my judgement of this place, but it’s a damn good charbroiled burger. Get the bacon cheeseburger, and savor the grilled onions and cheddar on the toasted sesame bun. The fries are excellent, and I love dipping them in a ranch-​ketchup combo (something I learned from an old buddy in college).
What most folks don’t know is that this place is a great breakfast joint too, with one of the most affordable breakfast meals in town (less than $ 4 for homefries, eggs, and toast!)
You’ll go bongo for bongo. Go here.

This is a review from last week sometime for the location on Dwight.
Slightly perplexed as to why the location is characterized as Elmwood; but hey, maybe that means I can claim to be Elmwood resident from now on. I live pretty much right down the street from here but have only made the trip once.
I came in to Bongo after a rather strong hankering for a Burger. I had heard good things from Unilocal,friends, and the Daily Californian alike. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed!
Food: I ordered a cheese burger and fries. The burger was decently priced and a large portion, which is a definite plus. But the meat was mediocre, at best. I love my burger medium rare and this came out standard medium cooked. The fries were also crinkle cut… which i really dont like, but they were okay nonetheless.
Overall, this place was no more than a meh for me. Will be back though as they have many other options, including breakfast, on the menu (or maybe even if I’m craving a burger and am too lazy to make it anywhere else).