Sam's Reviews

I haven’t been here in 20+ years. But it was the best burger joints In SF. My girlfriend lived around the corner and we would come all the time. A beast bacon cheeseburger with just onions and tomatoes. So good.

Cheeseburger & fries were just fine. Had to visit after viewing Roadrunner, the documentary about chef-traveler Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain visited Sam’s to cap an evening of eating and drinking in the City. This small burger joint is great for a midnight burger a la Bourdain. Travelers to San Francisco will enjoy the subtle vibe and remember. “Be a traveler, not a tourist!”

Found this place because it's near City Lights Bookstore - wonderful! Stools for 10, maybe 3 tables, and burgers that taste exactly like what a burger should taste like. I had mine with cheese, mustard, onions, and jalapenos. Even with all of that, the flavor of the meat came right through. We will be going back in the near future for another burger and to try the pizza!

This burger was phenomenal. The venue didn't look appealing but the food and price more than surpassed my expectations.

Not the kind of place we'd usually stop for a late-night dinner, but we headed there on the recommendation of a couple of locals. The diner is tiny and appears unchanged since the mid-90s. Seeing a quote from Anthony Bourdain on the wall ('One of the three best burgers in the world') certainly removed a lot of our apprehension. One bite into the burger removed the rest. My god, what an unexpected delight. Don't seek this out for a gourmet experience, but a few (or many) drinks into the night, this is perfection. Sit at the bar and chat with the server - he's both hilarious and lovely.

Normally I wouldn't eat at an old dive place like this, but it was featured in an Anthony Bourdain episode, and after midnight your food options are limited! And if you've been out drinking all night, Sam's double cheese burger and fries is your preemptive hangover cure! It's a tiny place with minimal atmosphere, and it feels a bit grimy, but clean enough. The cook was friendly and chill, probably a bit stoned too. Can't confirm, and can't blame him either. $21 Anthony Bourdain Special: A big, fatty, greasy, double cheeseburger loaded with a half pound of juicy beef between two white buns and lettuce, tomato, onion. The frozen fries aren't fresh, but they are deep fried to greasy perfection, excellent at absorbing that alcohol swirling in your belly. And it comes with a beer of choice...this combo saves you a whooping $1 rather than ordering separately.

After having a big and expensive sushi lunch, we wanted a simple dinner. An internet search in our hotel room led us to Sam's for a burger. This was a simple dive, with a counter and stools and a few tables. We were there at 6pm, so it was empty. They get really busy after the bars close. We had a simple burger, fries and onion rings, served on cheap paper plates, with drinks in red solo cups. It was a very good burger and I would go there again.

Every time we are in San Fran, this is one of our stops. Usually it is late. Don't let the small place deter you from trying it. The burgers are amazing. Forget all the other grub, just get a burger and fries and you will love it. The owners are extremely friendly. There is always some character to meet while here. Bring cash as it is cash only.

We went there as a couple, we went in it’s just that we had a good night. We had to call the gentleman behind the bar because he didn’t seem to be determined to take us. We were allowed two double cheeses or the cheese was barely placed on them. The waiter asked us to pay while we were eating, stayed on the other side of the counter, my spouse had to stop eating to get up and pay, as if we were going to escape. The burger is not worth more than the McDonald’s bigmac, so $12 just the burger with the kindness of the staff is not worth them at all. I don’t understand how anyone could ever say it was one of the three best burgers they’d ever eaten. I assure you, the ones you make at home are 1,000 times better. It’s a shame because our experience lasted 25min no longer in this place and it was really very disappointing

This place was across the street from our hotel. My husband hates any asian type food so we were lucky this place was close by. It is VERY small. It was clean and the cook/waiter was friendly. The burgers are really good.

I went here on 2 different occasions. Had the burger first time and the hot dog the second time. All I can say is that the burger is pretty damn great as far as burgers go. I did double up and I'm glad I did. Every bite had a mouthful of flavour and juicy burger meat. You could actually taste all the ingredients in the burger too. The hot dog was pretty good but no where as good as the burger. My tip here is if you like a burger and fries, this is one if not the best place in San Fran to eat one.

Went here today for the cheeseburger and fries. While the burger was good I preferred the fries more so here as they were better quality. It was a nice hole in the wall though.

The burgers and fries are amazing! Especially when coming out of the bar or club and have the munchies. Really old school and great place to get some great food. As much as I love In N Out. I will alway hit this place up atleast twice during my visit to San Francisco.

Excellent lunch, party of four. Usual order is for crab cocktails, filet of sole. Their French bread is the best. Understand it is made only for Sam's. Their Salisbury steak is also an excellent choice. This is a classic SF restaurant, and over the years, the quality is consistent. Fun place to have lunch, excellent wait staff. From the time you walk in the door, they treat you just fine. Looking forward to our next visit.

My colleague and I were in a bar and everyone said we MUST have a burger at Sam's place - the burger was fantastic and the service was genuine, warm and friendly. I loved the place, there's hardly any room to sit but its history is all over the walls!

I went a while ago back when I had a band trip at my school to San Fran, and I was lost with a few friends in Chinatown. We saw "Sam's" and it seemed like a small out of the way kind of place, and so we decided to venture in. Sam up front was doing everything by himself, but what really surprised me was his kindness and generosity. Thanks for a great experience. By far the best burger I've had in my life.

Saw that it was supposed to be the top 3 best burger in the world. Well, burger was ok, maybe we are used to cafe style burgers as a matter of course in Australia and comparing to them it was quite average, chips were fine, pizza was average. Good value and it'll feed you in a pinch.

Best burgers. You can't get better burgers than this. Additionally You are getting friendly atmosphere. But best thing is that it is open late at night. You can enjoy best burgers when returning from day full of attraction at bay area.

Wow. This is the San Francisco you should look for. This is old school, this is gritty, it’s good, it’s real, it’s fun. This is what you look for when you search for burger on trip advisor.

5 of us turned up quite late and rather drunk enjoyed burgers fries and a last beer. My kind of place.

I am an Anthony Bourdain fan, so I will try going to the places he visited in his shows, and Sam’s is one of them in SF. Outside the small 15-seat shop, the banner says “Top three in the world - Anthony Bourdain”. I had the Anthony Bourdain Special – for $15.99 you get a double cheeseburger, fries and a beer. The burger and the fries were cooked to order – burgers were juicy with lots of toppings; the fries was crispy outside and mushy inside, just the way I like it; and the beer was, well, just a beer. In my opinion, the burger and fries were damn good, much much better than most places. Is it top three in the world? I have not eaten enough burgers around the world yet to agree to that but definitely my top three burger joint.

One of the best burgers I've ever had. It was so simple yet it tasted so good! The bun was nicely toasted, the veggies were fresh and the meat was cooked perfect. The fries were great too! The staff was very friendly. We also tried the sausage sandwich which was wonderful. Still craving their hamburgers!

Saw this little hamburger joint on Anthony Bourdain's THE LAYOVER and figured with THAT recommendation it MUST be good. And it certainly was !!! Most flavourful home-made (and they are) burgers I can remember. And any place where I can double up and have a COLD beer with it is terrific. Just a small counter and a few tables so I can understand huge wait times at night. But it's open 'til 4 a.am. anyway ...so LOTS of time!!!

This place is a joke - $10 for a burger that should more realistically be $1.99 (max). It’s really zero exaggeration to say McDonalds makes better burgers (and I think McDonalds is garbage!). Some TV chef claimed this place made good burgers like a decade ago - it’s just not true - spend your money elsewhere - it’s truly mind-blowing my awful.

Im a pescatarian. Decided to make one exception based on an episode of Anthony Boroudain I saw. First cheese burger in 20 years. Worth it.

entry experience 4 out of 5, ,Location 4 out of 5, ,Music 4 out of 5, ,Ambience 4 out of 5, ,Food 4 out of 5, ,Drinks 4 out of 5, ,service 4 out of 5, ,People around 4 out of 5, Tip good place to hang around

Actually you can come after 11pm but you will be waiting in line for quite some time. The reason is this is a great burger joint with an extremely friendly owner. Double cheeseburger is great!!! Again if you want "Bougie" skip this place, but if you want a great basic burger, this is your place. Counter is limited but I went around 12:30pm and got right in. Burgers are freshly prepared,juicy and filling. Mayo, mustard, onions lettuce and tomatoe. American cheese and crispy freshly prepared fries. Can't beat that! Two things that really added to my experience were when owner asked me if I wanted more soda I said I was taking a cab, he replied "I have lids" also he said his Pizza was "ok" and actually recommended two better places in the area. You don't find that kind of service and honesty In too many places today. A "must go" when in San Francisco!

We filled ourselves with drinks in dive bars and then made our way to Sam's at around midnight. The burger was awesome and the owner arrived and spoke with my wife and I at length. It really was a great end to our night.

Best burgers hands down! Quite the lineup! Loved the food. Ate here two times during my 4 days in SF.

Walking through Chinatown on an empty stomach. Nothing seemed to be jumping out at me. Then, out of nowhere there's a small hole-in-the-wall "greasy spoon" burger place. Old school. With counter seating inside. Burger, fries and coke special for $8.99 seemed okay so I went in. It was maybe 4-5pm so needless to say the place was empty. I'm sure at lunch time it's packed. The guy working there took my order and got cookin'. He tossed me a few fries to hold me over which was cool. I don't know if that's just cause I was 1 of 3 customers or if this is a regular occurrence. They were good. I think he used garlic salt on them for the rase, which was interesting. Never thought of that. The burger was very good. I noticed on the wall Anthony Bourdain had rated it Top 3 in the world. I'm not sure I'd go that far but it was good.

Fantastic burger in a quirky little place. The owner is really friendly and the place is open late. Has so much personality! Would definitely recommend.

If you just want some greasy friend food, this place is it. Super authentic and not pretentious at all. You might be better off walking further up Broadway and eating at any of the Chinese places. Be adventurous, if you are the only white people in the place, it will be excellent.

It was as an authentic time travel back into the 70's! The diner has been left in its original style; only the autographs of famous visitors on the walls have been updated in the time - there are Giant players who come there, and the restaurant has become famous since it has been in the television show of Anthony Bourdain! We came two times for lunch there and were lucky to get to know Sam! He was so friendly and we really liked his diner and his Burgers!

Service is great. The burgers are good. Nothing special. CASH ONLY HERE so be aware of that. Small seating. Anthony bourdain put this place on the map. But I’m guessing he didn’t eat many burgers.

Best burger EVER! Hands down, I wish I lived in San Francisco so I could get this burger every day. They have other things on the menu, like pizza, but the burger is really the way to go. It's one of the few places open really late at night, making it the perfect spot to got after a night on the town.

Late night on Saturday we were hungry and we were kicked out of the delicatessen in just around the block saying they were already closed. Almost back to the hotel across the street we stopped in and sat down to a burger on a paper plate and some fries and a beer. The best food? No. The best ambiance and history of San Fran? Yes. The guy behind the counter was so cool and nice even when we ordered a slice and he said "no pizza tonight. We have cheeseburgers" It was a majikal experience. It felt like the right place to be on a Saturday night in San Francisco.

I saw this place on a Tony Bourdain show so had to try it. I ordered the Tony Bourdain special which consisted of a double cheeseburger, fries and a beer for $13.95. The burger was as good as Tony stated and was large and good tasting. It must be pointed out that this is a dive bar and not a restaurant.

My wife and I chance upon this small deli while walking back to our hotel one late night. She wanted diet coke, I wanted a burger - but not the fast food kind. We hesitated going in as there were only two customers and only one staff serving them. We took the chance and never regretted it. I ordered cheese burger and my wife got the plain burger - for take-away. We did not want to dine in as the place looks old and dated. While waiting, I chance upon some of the pictures and Anthony Bourdain was in one of them, with the owner. A couple of minutes in the wait and customers started to come in. By the time we got our order 10 minutes later, the place was standing room only. When we ate our take outs at our hotel room, we just can't stop smiling. The burgers were fantastic. You can never really judge the book by its cover. I'll go back there anytime

This place is great! A hidden gem. The food is great so are the Pasteries. The staff are very nice and help full. A very friendly warm welcome as you enter the door.. The prices are reasonable too.

The burgers were big!! and plenty! We enjoyed our meal there.. I would have to said a great burger place and Sid a cool guy. He made the patty right in front of us.. and proceeded to cook it just right!

I’d like to give an honest review of Sam’s Pizza and Burgers in North Beach, San Francisco. In 2012 Anthony Bourdain visited this place on his show The Layover and supposedly said “That is a good ***** Burger! Top 3 in the World. When you watch that show he doesn’t say that, so we don’t really know if he said that, maybe, maybe not? Now it’s 2025, and these people who run this place are still stuck in 2012. They don’t even have pizza anymore on the menu but they still haven’t updated their sign outside! As for the actual food that exists there now in 2025. When you walk by, you no longer smell the burning meat and don’t see the smoke anymore. Something has changed for the worst. Now for their so called famous burger….the quality has gone way, way, way down. Now they are serving the cheapest lowest quality meat patties and buns. The meat patty tastes like the lowest quality patties from Costco or McDonalds. In 2012, the cost for a ¼ pound burger was five bucks at high quality, now it is 10 bucks and the lowest quality. We ordered 3 double patty burgers and two fries. It was around 65 bucks for that small amount of food and that’ not counting the tip! The burgers had no char flavor on them at all like they used to have, because the meat patties are no longer fatty so they don’t grill up with any charbroil on them….tastes like a nothing burger. The fries were possibly the worst fries in the entire world….the oil was so dark and black it seems like they haven’t changed the frying oil since 2012 when Anthony Bourdain was there. The fries came out a dark dirty color like they were rolled around in the mud, they did not have the beautiful golden color and crispiness and thickness that you see in the Bourdain episode. They came out in bits and pieces and smelled very bad like super rancid oil burned 10000 times and the taste was just nasty. We threw away both baskets of fries because they were inedible. The entire establishment was filthy and dirty like its never cleaned and so old and the condiment bottles so dirty you don’t even want to touch them. I went up to the cashier and voiced my complaints and concerns about the quality of the food and the digusting fries and oil and the low quality of the burger. He laughed at me and said he didn’t care and I asked for a manager or supervisor and he said he was not a manager and then ignored that request. I told him I was then going to do an honest review of the poor quality food and his bad service and he said he didn’t care! So I took some pictures and video of the oil quality and the cooking area and went my way disgusted. I highly recommend you don’t eat at this place at all unless you want to feel sick from their rancid oily food. You can find better burger places all over the Bay Area, just go online to youtube and watch the many reviews of really good burgers in the SF Bay Area.

We happened to walk right by it when we realized it was the same spot Anthony Bourdain had recommended for burgers. He was totally right.The burgers were really good! The place is really small but I think it just adds to the charm.

Based on the nice ratings on Tripadvisor we have visited Sam's. It's a nice and convenied restaurant and the food was ok but not extraordinary. In terms of price it was ok but it couldn't meet our expectations.

Sam's is fantastic, the type of place a tourist would miss. Very welcoming and best burger i've had. Thanks.

We went because Tripadvisor recommendation but we would never return. Firstly, the person who prepared our hamburguer, took off his gloves, took money from another client and then prepared our meal without gloves!! The place is dirty, when I was eating my hamburguer I saw bugs in walls. My soda had a little piece of onion and the fries had a lot of oil. Obviously we did’t finish our dinner. When we arrived to hotel, I felt stomach pain and diarrhea. Definitely, it was a bad experience. I don’t recommend the place.

We had dinner at Sam's around 7pm.. Very historic place, clean kitchen, very good hamburger, average service.. If you are looking for a place to try the real American burger, Sam's is for you..

Anybody expressing disappointment in Anthony Bourdain's "Top Three Burgers in the World" review doesn't understand why he'd describe Sam's as such. Yes, the burger is flavorful and made-to-order. The fries are fresh. But, it's the context in which Sam's exists that makes it so good. The diner exists as a drunk food outpost trapped in amber. The decor remains unchanged alongside the recipes. If you're looking for a hamburger covered in different types of cheese, bacon, etc., this is not the place for you. I've you've been drinking on Broadway for hours and stumble into this place, you'll be in heaven. The staff is very friendly. I wish I could remember the name of the server, but he was very nice and kind to us. As he served our food, he said "Bon appetit" and my girlfriend, who speaks French, responded in kind. He was surprised and carried on a conversation with her for a few minutes. We then noticed a wooden cutout of Algeria on the wall and my girlfriend, also fluent in Arabic, spoke in Arabic to him. His eyes lit up and he immediately launched into praise in English, peppered with Arabic, and hospitality. He begged us to come back the next day so that he could give us gifts from North Africa, but our schedule had us out of town before Sam's opened at 5 pm. For friendly service, an unchanging, nuclear fallout-approved atmosphere and hearty food to sop up your drunken mistakes, Sam's is your best bet.

I wrote Sams, I was Wrong, The Diner I meant was MELS Drive in on Mission. I apologise for the mis leading statement but Im sure Sams in very good too Its just that we were at MELS Drive IN.We went there often.

The no frills exterior of Sam's leaves no illusion about the state of the interior, which looks like it hasn't been changed since the doors first opened in the previous century, but that is the charm of it. No pretense, just good friendly service, well into the early hours of the morning. You can order a pizza and a few other things off the board over the counter. But why? They are renown for their homemade burgers. And boy are they really good! Four of us agreed, it had to be one of if not the best burger we ever enjoyed. The burgers are huge! The double patty burger with fries could easily be split between two people. Good bargains are difficult to come by in San Francisco. Sam's is a great deal for the quality of the food and is a pleasant budget pleaser.

Absolutely the best burger I've eaten! Just a small place with few tables but that feeling of this place is so cool. You must see this place and meet the owner! He is such a cool person!