Food -
Willie's appeal is their focus on traditional American hamburgers. You can get a variety of hamburger types with various toppings. Chili is probably the most famous of the toppings as they have a portion of their menu dedicated to it - and you can also get it on top of their hot dogs and fries as well. Being here in California, I had to go for the bacon and avocado version of their burger. Bacon and avocado are a great combination, and a favorite amongst Californians!
I put my order in along with a medium fry and waited for my meal to come up. When it arrived I was greeted with a nice portion of fries and a burger that had quite a small meat patty in it. The ratio of meat to the other ingredients was shockingly small. And biting into the burger just confirmed that notion as I did not get much of a meat taste out of it. It really made me say "Where's the beef?!?!?" I had read a few other reviews stating that the burger lacked flavor - and I can see why. The meat portion is just not enough. If you're going to go for a burger here, you should probably get one with multiple patties just to get the balance correct. As a single burger, the meat gets lost in the bun.
The french fries were a pretty big positive though! The medium size was an excellent portion and the fries came out nice and crisp. Willie's serves up a shoe string type of fry that is addictive to eat. I found myself really enjoying them.
Service/Atmosphere -
I came in at a time when there was hardly anyone in the restaurant so I expected service to be pretty quick. Unfortunately, I found myself standing waiting at the register for a good 2-3 minutes before someone came to take my order. After that the wait for the food felt like it was a bit too long as well. The customer service was pretty average as well as they weren't very friendly. They weren't unfriendly, but it was just a bland experience ordering here.
As for the atmosphere, I really like the decor and ambiance. In fact, that's the reason I was drawn to Willie's in the first place. The restaurant has an inviting look that matches perfectly with Old Sacramento. I only wished the food matched the actual vibe of the restaurant.
Price -
Being in Old Sacramento, you just have to expect the prices to be a bit higher than your standard place. For a small burger like what I got it was between 4-7 dollars. I added bacon and avocado so it was more. With medium fries and a drink the total was nearly fifteen bucks! It's not unheard of, but you're definitely not coming here if you want a cheap burger on a budget.
Special Tips and Recommendations -
Apparently, they give out free beignets when it is rainy. I went in and they didn't give me one with my order. Perhaps you have to actually ask for them before they give it to you. I really don't know. It's something I want to try to get the next time it is rainy.
Bottom Line -
Willie's appearance is higher than the taste of the food it serves up. It's also a pricy place to eat for the amount and quality of food you get. I really wanted to like Willie's a lot more than I actually did. I'd unfortunately recommend other stops in Old Sacramento over Willie's Hamburgers.
Letter Grade
C-
I was hoping for this to be really good.
The interior of Willie's is very nice!
These fries were excellent tasting.
Going in for a bite.
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