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Burger Barn, located in Pollock Pines, CA serves delicious, juicy "old school" hamburgers, cheeseburgers and lots more "comfort food," with all of your favorites. The atmosphere is both comfortable and rustic, and the owner, along with here staff, are welcoming and as friendly and hospitable as it gets. As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just past noon on Thursday, May 11, 2023, and it's time to enjoy an amazing lunch at the rustic Burger Barn restaurant, located in Pollock Pines, CA. The restaurant is located along the historic "Pony Express Trail," which is now a street, through town, and parallels U.S. Highway 50 for several miles, until the historic trail branches out from the highway. Burger Barn is located on the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range at about the 4000-foot level, and like the town of Pollock Pines, the restaurant is very personal and rustic.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice the small counter, with exactly five seats, and you'll be greeted by one of the friendly staff members. The decor is very rustic, and the walls, ceiling and nearly everything seem to be paneled in knotty pine or cedar, which grow locally in the area. The decor of the restaurant, and the atmosphere are very informal, so you simply sit at table, boor or chair that is open, and a friendly staff member will greet you, and present you with a menu. This is a full-service restaurant, or you can place your order at the counter, or the window outside on the patio if that's what works for you. This is friendly mountain dining atmosphere!
Photo: The dining room is small, rustic, comfortable, cozy and decorated in knotty pine. It offers mostly booth seating - not your big-city type seating - along with a couple of tables, and five seats at the counter. This fine restaurant has become a favorite of Pollock Pines locals who love great burgers, and "foodies" from all over the greater Sacramento area. Since Pollock Pines is located along U.S. Highway 50 - the gateway to the Lake Tahoe region - the restaurant sees many travelers, truckers and vacationers, who all share the same goal: Enjoy an amazing burger!
Photo: I was "meeted and greated" by friendly Bryanna, was providing hosting service to diners. She was welcoming, friendly and provided amazing service.
Photo: My friend and dining companion, Adrienne and I had the pleasure to meet Denise Davidson, who, along with her husband Geno, are the owners of Burger Barn since 2019. Denise welcomed us like royalty, and she and Adrienne hit it off very well. The restaurant has operated in the same location for over 40 years, under different owners.
Photo: The restaurant offers a walk-in order window on the patio, where to-go and patio orders are encouraged. We kind of ignored this as we told our hostess that we preferred to dine outside - it was a beautiful 70-degree day - and opted for full table service. No worries how you dine or order Burger Barn, as the restaurant is super friendly and flexible. Like many restaurants in May 2023, there are many to-go orders placed by phone. The restaurant doesn't have a web site as of this writing.
Photo: The weather was absolutely amazing, and made for perfect dining on the outdoor patio. If the weather is decent, and outdoor dining is available, we always choose to dine outdoors, as food always seems to taste better when enjoy in an outdoor setting. The patio at Burger Barn is dog friendly, so bring your favorite friend with you. These two friendly ladies, along with their companion, were enjoying the beautiful afternoon on the patio, and the amazing "Americana" cuisine that Burger Barn offers.
Photo: The menu is two pages, and offers burgers, fries, sandwiches, salads, drinks, appetizers and a whole lot more. This is "old school" diner cuisine, and it's delicious any way you look at it. This is only a small portion of the "burger" menu. Click on the menu image or THIS LINK to see all two pages of the menu, current as of May 11, 2023.
Photo: Adrienne places her order of a "Regular Cheese Burger" along with an order of "Chili French Fries" with our friendly hostess, Bryanna. I'm "old school," so as per protocol, my friend ordered first, and then I placed my order. The weather was perfect, so we dined outdoors on the patio deck that is part of the restaurant.
Photo: After we placed our orders, I had time to explore the restaurant and take a peek into the kitchen, where the talented chef, Chessy was busy making her magic happen. This lady is a talented chef!
Photo: Hello Bryanna and Chessy, as the chef has just completed a burger, placed it on the counter for Bryanna to deliver to a diner. Like all the staff at Burger Barn, Bryanna and Chessy were both friendly and talented.
Photo: Meet Steviee C., who is a regular customer, and is a nice person, and is as friendly of a person as it gets. She's a Pollock Pines local, and dines at the restaurant almost every day. She's as "regular" as it gets for a loyal customer!
Photo: From the "Sandwich Menu," here's a "BLT" sandwich of bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, on buttered, grilled, sourdough bread. The owner of the restaurant, Denise was enjoying her sandwich as I snapped the photo. Color me "bad..."
Photo: Meet Bryanna, our amazingly friendly hostess, who brought our order to us with a smile. Like the owner of the restaurant, Denise, Bryanna treated us like "rock stars." Burger Barn is a cook-to-order restaurant, as opposed to "fast food," but our complete order arrived about fifteen minutes after we placed it. Such fast and friendly service!!
Photo: My "foodie" friend Adrienne and I get ready to enjoy our burgers, our chili cheese fries, along with Corona Mexican beers. Thanks to our hostess, Bryanna for taking our photo, as we dine on the patio.
Photo: Our appetizer... a shared plate of "Chili French Fries" which made for a perfect side dish to our lunch, but could have been a complete meal for the two of us. Upon request, we added Cheddar cheese for the added enjoyment. This side dish... or should I say... meal? ... started with an ample helping of thick-cut fries, perfectly seasoned and lightly salted, with the potato skins left on. There are different opinions to the "fence" when it comes to fries, mainly about whether to "skin" or "not skin," but in our case, we prefer the fiies to have skins. Each fry was cut on the thick side, deep fried to a perfect golden brown on the outside, and a tender white inside. The fries were topped with savory chili, lots of melted Cheddar cheese and sliced white onion. How can you beat this? The combination of perfectly fried potato, chili, onion slices and cheese all worked together well! This was an amazing "appetizer" or "side," or whatever you want to call it, and it worked well with our burgers. Photo: Adrienne shows off her "Regular Cheese Burger," with the fresh sesame seed bun, grilled beef patty and condiments. Her cheeseburger was exactly like mine - we share identical tastes - except it was about a quarter the size of mine, but just as delicious! Scroll down a couple of pages and I'll describe the burger sensation I enjoyed today at Burger Barn, located in Pollock Pines, CA.
Photo: Adrienne shows the proper way to enjoy a "Chili French Fry." Like me, she's a "foodie" and loves everything when it comes to food. I guess that's one reason why we've been friends for over 10 years.
Photo: My "Mega Cheese Burger," our appetizer plate of "Chili French Fries" along with cups of "Ranch" and "1000 Island" dressing, to dress up the burger and the fries. Actually, neither the burger or the fries needed anything, as they were "standalone delicious" but the cups of dressing made for a great dip, to enhance the fries and add to the amazing lunch we enjoyed.
Photo: I went with a "Cheese Burger," and went for the "Mega" size. Of should it be listed as "magnum?" This is one HUGE burger! Of course I ordered all of the toppings... The menu states, "All burgers are made to order and served on a toasted bun with mayo, ketchup, lettuce and onion. Tomato and pickle upon request." The menu also offers many add-on's for a small additional fee. The "Mega," with the added pickle and tomato, worked for me! You can "mix and match" toppings to your liking, as Burger Barn makes burgers your way. Neither Adrienne or I like ketchup on our burgers, so we both requested "1000 Island" dressing on our burgers, in addition to the mayonnaise, as our tastes are identical. Done! Yes, I was hungry so I went for the "Mega" size burger - the menu offers for sizes for each burger - which included FOUR patties of fresh - never frozen - ground beef - which most likely added up to a pound or so of beef. The meat was lightly seasoned and grilled medium, which was perfect. We didn't ask our hostess how we wanted our burgers grilled, but I assume if medium wasn't to your taste, the chef would cheerfully grill the meat to your taste. All four patties of beef were placed on a fresh, sesame seed bun, and topped with FOUR slices of perfectly melted Cheddar cheese. Why skimp? Just GO FOR IT!!! The buns were drizzled with mayonnaise and lightly toasted on the griddle. The bottom bun was drizzled with mayonnaise and "1000 Island" dressing, and the fresh tomato slices, shredded lettuce, white onion slices along with dill pickle were placed on the bun. Then, the four beef patties, with perfectly melted cheese were piled on top of the bun, topped with a little more mayonnaise, and then the top bun crowned the amazing cheeseburger. A knife speared the heart of the burger which kept it all together, as it made it's journey from the kitchen to our table. The "Popeye" cartoon character, "Wimpy," the burger affectionado would have been proud of this cheeseburger, as it is definitely one of the best cheeseburgers in El Dorado County! One bite into this amazing burger and I was rewarded with an absolute "burger" taste sensation! Despite the four patties of meat my "Mega" had, the meat-to-bun-ratio was perfect, which is crucial to achieving a great burger. Unlike "anybody's burger," I could TASTE and ENJOY the cheese, which added a "shangri-la" taste sensation to the burger. Factor in the fresh sliced tomato, white onion slices, shredded lettuce, dill pickle slices, along with mayonnaise and "1000 Island" dressing, and this cheeseburger was simply delicious. It was messy to eat - that makes for a great burger - and I needed lots of napkins to keep the juiciness under control. This amazing burger was "old school" in every way, and reminded me of the burgers that I used to enjoy as a kid, at local diners and drive-in restaurants. For "Winpy" and all who enjoy an amazing cheeseburger, Burger Barn has you covered!
Photo: My "Mega Cheese Burger" is cut in half to show all the layers of goodness this delicious burger has to offer. Thanks to the "Chili French Fries" plate we ordered, I couldn't eat all of the burger - all one pound of it - so I cut it in half, ate half of it, and brought the rest home for dinner. This "Cheese Burger" was simply amazing, and it proved to be one of the most delicious burgers that I've enjoyed in a long time.
Photo: I take a bite into my "Mega Cheese Burger." Yes, I could actually wrap my mouth around this delicious cheeseburger. I confess that I took half of it home with me to enjoy for dinner, as the "Chili French Fries" we ordered for a side was both delicious and filling. I cut my burger in half to make it easier to eat. This is a "10-napkin" kind of burger!
Photo: After taking one bite... this is one half of my "Mega Cheese Burger" and all of the juicy goodness. The red tinge to the photo is thanks to the red umbrella that I was sitting under.
Photo: During the winter/spring of 2023, the western side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range enjoyed record snowfall of 240% of normal, and Pollock Pines wasn't an exception. Despite the low elevation of only around 4000 feet, the town, along with Burger Barn, was buried in FEET of snow. Thanks to Denise Davidson for allowing me to use the photo she took just after another snow storm in late March of this year. When you're on your way to "recreate" in the Lake Tahoe area, I HIGHLY recommend a stop at Burger Barn, located in Pollock Pines, CA, about an hour east of downtown Sacramento, along U.S. Highway 50. The burgers are some of the best in El Dorado County, and the friendly staff will treat you like family. For an amazing burger experience, enjoy the fine cuisine at Burger Barn, located in Pollock Pines. Burger Barn Copyright(c) 2023 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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