3. Kirk's Steakburgers

I searched on Palo Alto's best burger and was referred to Kirk's. IT WAS AWFUL! I thought I was in another country. The facility was filthy. The condiment bottles were so disgusting I didn't want to touch them. Someone was vacuuming with spanish language mtv blaring. I finally requested that it be turned down. The food was cheap, poorly cooked, a real let down. My advise - don't go there - head further north of the border.

I used to love eating at Kirk's - it was the best hamburger in Palo Alto for decades. It has abandoned its California Street location and is now at Town & Country Shopping Center. It has also abandoned any pretense of quality. The large steak burger was flat and tasteless - indeed it seemed like it had been sitting around too long (the old California Street ones were thick and succulent). The mushrooms were wet and devoid of flavor, and the onion strings stringy. I suggest that those who cherish their fond memories of the old Kirk's on California preserve them by staying away from the new cheap version which bears no resemblance to it.