Camburger

I’m a big fan of Camber so I was excited when I saw they were working on Camburger in front of my building. I spontaneously ended up here last night, not knowing that they were already open even though it’s a soft open.
They have a great selection of beers and I got one of their beer specials. Anchor Lager on draft for $ 2.50!!! You really can’t beat that. They also had Blue Moon for $ 2.50 as well. They also have some beer flights, which I would be curious to check out at some point. For their happy hour menu, they have the Chicken Tikka Slider for $ 2 each, Spicy Slider for $ 2.50 each, and fries for $ 3. I figured that I had to order food and went with everything, but got one chicken and 2 spicy sliders. The sliders were very good. The Chicken Tikka didn’t really taste like Tikka, but it was still pretty good. I also liked the fries, but couldn’t finish them because I was already full on the sliders.
So now I have another lunch spot, and food spot while at Radio. I plan on trying their Juicy Lucy next!

Best fries in all of Oakland! Seasoned well, real potatoes, fresh, crispy, got some skins on, just perfect. Burgers and sliders are good too. And great beer and happy hour specials. Two big tv screens to watch the Warriors on. Nice wood interior, what more could you ask for? Service is friendly and fast. Not too crowded.

Great new place still in its «soft open» phase. I had the Juicy Lucy, a burger with the patty meat filled with cheese so the cheese oozes out. I haven’t seen one of these outside of Minnesota. The fries were good, though they only come in a basket which is a more of a size for two. They have a good bottled beer selection and beers on tap as well, though I just had a soft drink. Service was attentive. Would recommend this place to anyone.

Juicy Lucy is amazing! Quick service. Friendly staff! With the fries try asking for Saratcha and Ranch. Mix it up for a nice sauce for dipping.

Just came in for there soft opening. I tried the camburger with egg and chicken tikka sliders highly recommended with a egg on top! Delicious juicy burger will definitely be back. $ 1 off during there soft opening.

Granted, it’s a soft launch, but I don’t see them making substantial changes to their food with a week or so to go.
Camburger w/​cheese (cheddar):
— Juicy patty with a medium, loose grind, but unfortunately a little on the bland side.
— A tad on the small side.
— Produce was okay, especially for winter.
Fries:
— Overseasoned. Probably would have fared better with beer (which isn’t currently available, because soft launch)
— Could have used a bit more time in the fryer.
— Portion size was okay otherwise.
Other:
— I get that they don’t want people thinking they’d always be cash-​only (just a temporary thing because – again – soft launch), but a little sign or something on the counter would have been nice.
— Couldn’t hurt to list what sodas they have on the menu at this point, seeing how soda is the only beverage choice at the moment.

Made a pass thru during lunch, nice setup and the guy at the bar (don’t remember his name) was super nice. Anywho, soft launch will be thru the 1^st of the year. The bar will be open as soon as the liquor license comes in (bar: wine and beer) Cheers!

I tried the Juicy Lucy with egg during my first visit and it lived up to the hype. Extra cheesy medium cooked patty with great flavor and texture. The bun also held up well during the meal, it didn’t fall apart given the juiciness. –1 star for the fries… they’re nothing special, average at best.

The Juicy Lucy is beyond amazing! Love the staff, phenomenal service and delicious burgers. Great place to come after work for a beer and burger.

Time: 12:52pm/56°F clear
Purpose: Message came through last week about the opening. Rest of the day is now in my hands. Need to make a decision whether to wait or go. Not my day for eastbay only Fridays.
Ambiance: Camburger replaces El Señor with a complete make over from top to bottom. Place sits 40+ inside with couple of sidewalk high tables seating another dozen seater or so. Repurposed wood planks line the walls along with mirror panels. Two communal table with spinning valve design sits eight each. Rest of place being wall counter style seating. L-​shape bar counter sits eleven with slinky back rest 360° chairs. Massive cast iron chandelier hung high above ceiling with light fixtures mounted throughout the place. Natural light source was plenty during the afternoon. For entertainment theres two flatscreen tuned to EPSN sports. No menu board seen as items are listed on paper. Place is still working out its kinks. So, I’ll be patient.
Staff: One girl host/​waitress seems naïve not much going for her. Showing signs of inexperienced and uncertainty. She was making me nervous by pacing around the front door. When that happens, I became curious and more aware. Not sure if its a relationship problem or what. She may have done something prior to showing up at work. Not going in details, but thats something the business should’ve train more of. Other person was the bartender. He kept to himself and talks only to waitress. No problem there, as there are no alcoholic beverages being serve yet.
Cleanliness: Grade A, brand spanking new. No complaints of any kind. Fresh scent of painted lacquer table was telltale sign of still done recently. Place so new draft beer handles are not even install yet.
Eats/​Drinks: The Juicy Lucy $ 9 and side of fries $ 4. Got a cup of Peet’s coffee earlier. Didn’t have much choice other than fountain drinks, skip. Fries were listed fresh cut daily. I don’t think so. Fresh fries has that real potato taste. These were soggy and lukewarm with no russet potato taste. Not worth $ 4 IMO. Could’ve gotten a whole bag Ore-​Ida seasoned fries and be content with it. Now, on with the burger. From the moment it was brought over. I knew trouble was on the horizon. Cheddar cheese looks off and buns were your typical spray color coated sesame bun. The onion, lettuce, tomatoes still bear wetness from previous rinsing. On menu it listed cheedar FILLED patty. Burger came out with slice of melted cheddar on TOP of patty. Not quite what I had in mind with the word FILLED. Didn’t ask or say anything was too hangry at the time. Although, it had somewhat of a char burger taste, it lacks presentation and execution. The patty kept falling apart, the more I held on to it, the more messier it gets. Again, my thumb made indentation through bun. Just not a fan of out of package color spray bun. I like it lightly char with grill marks. I guess thats their version of medium-​well. Don’t get me wrong now. Patty was seasoned nicely being moist, but its just one of several things that was done right. The rest wasn’t. Not sure if sliders would be a better choice or not. I’ll let other Unilocalers get their thoughts in.
Main Features: The Juicy Lucy
Products/​Services: Soft opening menu picture posted. Add an egg $ 1.50 to any burger, fries cut daily, meat grounded daily, $ 1 off burgers during soft opening, beer/​wine (coming soon).
Punch Lines: Décor leaves something to desired, casual, hip bar, television, reasonable prices, limited soft opening menu, drool-​worthy, easy night out, wood paneling, light bites, occasional spotty service, nothing out of the ordinary, good and sloppy, outdoor seating, kept its standards, accessible by public transportation, downtown Oakland.
Tradeoffs: The Juicy Lucy burger is actually The Camburger. Just paying extra $.50 for a fancier name, you still get to choose your cheese Cheddar, jalapeño jack, or Swiss like The Camburger.
Final Thoughts: Its a decent place for downtown workers, but after 7pm or so. Broadway area is another city life. Probably return when they get their stuff together. Not the end of the road here you know. Just wish menu had more offerings. Next up beer and burger and possibly watch sports too. Come if you like hipster feel, a chance to hangout with your buddies have a few drinks here and there. That’s if you’ve little regards to the serve food here then you’ll be fine.

Two new restaurants in two days within a few hundred feet (Core across Broadway in City Center). Despite the fact that I knew this was probably going to be a traditional burger place with limited or no vegan options, I was still excited about this, as it’s the closest place to my work, and I had the chance to be the first customer.
Indeed, a workmate and I strolled in at 11.32, and they weren’t quite ready, but we placed our orders anyway. No surprise — only vegan option was fries, but duly ordered — workmate got a regular burger.
We left for a stroll so I could get some salad elsewhere, and when we came back it was all ready for us. Exciting to be the very first customers.
It’s cash only for now (there’s a Chase ATM on the opposite side of the block), and the décor is «neo hipster» in unfinished wood and iron fittings, and looks pretty good. The staff were excited, which I always like to see — people who care about what they are making is a big deal.
There’s no way I can give it 5 stars, since the vegan options are non-​existent, but I’m told they have a portobello vege burger coming — vegan status unknown. For this reason, I won’t be a regular, but I’ll be looking in most days, since it’s right there.
Welcome to downtown Oakland.