Just another burger stand or something iconic? Gott’s Roadside has been written about from Palm Beach magazine to the Wall Street Journal. It was voted as having one of the best burgers in the country by Food & Wine magazine, and it won a James Beard Foundation award in 2006 for its classic style and food. Iconic is an adjective oft used in describing Gott’s.
The local Gott’s opened in late September in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village, and has been busy ever since. But are its burgers appreciably better than the competition’s? To paraphrase a cliche, burgers are in the eye (or stomach) of the beholder. The Counter, In-N-Out, Bierhaus, Umami and others have their loyalists.
Gott’s burgers feature Niman Ranch vegetarian-fed Angus beef, Diestel Family Turkey Ranch turkey patties, veggie burgers, even an ahi tuna burger. Beyond the bun, Gott’s offers tacos, salads, chicken dishes, all kinds of fries, soups and thick shakes.
The company’s signature design is sleek industrial panache, featuring open-beam ceiling and concrete floor, bare table tops and utilitarian chairs. The inside seats 120, with an additional 160 seats on outdoor picnic benches and under covered walkways and patio umbrellas.
Joel and Duncan Gott officially started in 1999, but the predecessor drive-in dates to 1949, in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley. It was originally known as Taylor’s Refresher. When the brothers took over the St. Helena location and decided to expand out of the Napa Valley, the Taylor family sued, claiming ownership of the name. The proceedings became complicated and expensive, so the Gotts decided it was easier to change the name.
The Taylor’s Refresher sign still stands adjacent to Highway 29 in St. Helena, but the drive-in building says “Gott’s Roadside.” Apparently, a compromise was reached.
The other locations — Oxbow Marketplace in Napa, the Ferry Building in San Francisco and Town & Country Village — are 100 percent Gott’s.
At Gott’s, all burgers are one-third-pound patties, plump and filling, especially when paired with stellar toppings. The delightfully piquant green-chile cheeseburger ($8.99) was layered with jack cheese, avocado, salsa, lettuce, mayonnaise and pickled jalapenos on a toasted egg bun. Coupled with sweet potato fries ($3.99), which were dusted in chili powder and served with a cooling ranch, it made a delectable meal.
There were other tempting burger options. The Wisconsin sourdough ($10.99) was loaded with grilled mushrooms, bacon, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce. The Western bacon blue ring burger ($10.99) was topped with an onion ring, Point Reyes blue cheese, bacon, pickles, red onion and barbecue sauce. All primo.
I did not applaud the ahi tuna burger, though ($14.99). The five ounces of sushi-grade ahi tuna, barely seared, came on an toasted egg bun with ginger wasabi mayonnaise and Asian slaw. The tuna was gristly in the middle and the egg bun disintegrated on contact. It was a mess, and I had to fetch a fork to finish it. For 15 dollars, I expected more.
I also had a slight price issue with the fish tacos ($12.99 for two). While the tacos were fat with Mexican slaw, salsa and jalapeno cilantro sour cream, there wasn’t much mahi-mahi. It took several bites before I found the fish nesting at the bottom of the soft corn tortilla. Good flavors, though, and the visual presentation was mouth watering.
Gott’s house-made chili ($4.49 cup, $7.99 bowl) was thick with beef and beans. With loads of flavor and made with Anchor Steam beer, the chili was topped with shredded cheddar cheese and green onions. We were in the midst of that cold spell when I had the chili. It tasted like a million bucks that day.
Onion rings ($3.99) deserve mentioning. They were thick and piping hot, beer-battered and lightly salted. The kind of onion rings I think about when I wake up in the middle of the night. Also of delicious note were the uber-thick milkshakes made with Double Rainbow ice cream ($5.99) in a half-dozen flavors.
Since Joel Gott is a winemaker, Gott’s Roadside offers a variety of California wines by the glass or bottle, as well as craft beers on tap and bottled brews.
There is a kids’ menu and, sometime in the new year, breakfast will be served.
Other than the problem with the ahi burger, which, I am sure, was exceptional, and my quibble about prices, the food was universally very good. Choice ingredients, well-prepared food, with nice presentation details, made the difference.
I applaud the use of trusted local artisans in this carefully crafted menu: Niman, Diestel, Double Rainbow, Point Reyes Cheese, Mary’s hormone-free chicken, local produce. Even the wine and beer selections highlight local labels.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one definition of iconic is “an object of uncritical devotion.” Do I consider Gott’s iconic? Not quite, but close.
Gott’s Roadside
Town & Country Village, 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
650-326-1000
Open daily: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Reservations: no
Website: gotts.com
Credit cards: yes
Parking: shopping center lot
Alcohol: beer and wine
Corkage: $5
Children: yes
Outdoor dining: yes
Party and banquet facilities: no
Noise level: moderate
Bathroom cleanliness: excellent
The Palo Alto Gott’s is NOT like the SF or Napa versions.
The food at this location = mini-versions served at other locations. Not worth the prices.
And, I noticed that the cooks were using their bare hands (no spatulas, no rubber gloves) to cook/handle the meat at every stage in the preparation. Management didn’t think that was an issue, even in flu season.
I’ve been to the Napa and SF locations, they are better. Kirks a few doors from Gott’s serve’s a much better burger, at a much better price.
I was **so** excited that Gott’s was coming to town. I drove past the big red sign exclaiming “coming this summer” day after day after day… Thinking the place would actually open in say June or July, they made us wait until technically the last few days of summer to open…
I’m not sure if it was due to my high expectations, but, given the price point of their burgers and shakes, their food is absolutely not worth the cash you’ll end up spending.
For a couple of burgers, a thing of chili fries and 2 shakes, I spent $40+. When I sucked down my shake, it was far inferior to the PA Creamery which also gives you double the amount for a bit less in cost. The burgers were pricey ($10 w/ no fries), and I’d consider them more on the average side. The fries were not unlike what you’d get at In-N-Out.
The environment is great, though. And I have by no means tried everything on the menu. But, for burgers/fries/shakes, one experience is all I needed…and for those I won’t be going back.
I agree with the other comments. I’ve never been to the SF location but compared to the original in St Helena which I’ve been to several times the Palo Alto location is disappointing. The food just doesn’t taste as good and the portions seem a bit smaller. The yelp reviews tell it all, 4 stars for St Helena, 2.5 for Palo Alto.
Not familiar with the other versions, but as a stand-alone, the food is not high quality or tastes very good.
Tried it once to never go back.
Unfortunately, I was equally unimpressed by Sam’s Chowder house, and the Palo Alto Grill on University.
What are these new restaurants thinking?
I thought Gott’s was ok, but hardly great. The review is pretty gushing, while the actual experience and food is really quite average. There are plenty of burger places in the area. This one is over priced. The ambience is also pretty average. ‘Sleek industrial panache’ also seems like a huge overstatement. Non descript is a better moniker. I might go back, but won’t rush.
The food was not as good as the review implied. I was also disappointed that everything is disposable. Not very environmentally friendly.
I just went to Gott’s Road Kill for the first time today.
It was terrible. Food tasteless and sort of expensive.
No service, slow food.
Unattractive surroundings … this place reminded
me of that SNL skit where the SNL players go to
eat in a place called the Feedbag, where they fit
feedbags over people’s heads … it is so industrial
I felt like cattle, and the burgers tasted like they
had no relationship to cows.
This, Gott’s, was the high class place we lost
Hobee’s to? What a bad trade that was.
We went once shortly after it opened and haven’t been back.
Even though it was largely empty, we had a long wait for our meals and when they finally arrived they were lukewarm and not that tasty. We had to beg for extra ketchup.
I too am disappointed in Sam’s Chowder House and I’m crushed at the loss of Hunan Gardens, our old standby, which has become an Asian fusion place with prices rivaling Tamarine but not the quality.
We enjoy Gotts in the Ferry Building. Agree that the prices are a high, but we’re willing to pay extra for location (next to the Bay Bridge lights, Exploratorium, and Alcatraz Ferry). We’re not willing to pay those prices for a suburban strip mall location, though.
Meh meh meh meh and then more meh. Oh, did mention it was meh?
The basic Gott’s burger tastes an awful lot like an In-N-Out burger. Parking is a nightmare.
Gott’s you need to LISTEN to what ALL these reviews say…..How could everyone feel your food is so tasteless.
You need to address ALL these issues immediately. How could you not be cringing at the deplorable reviews, one after another. And quit handling the food with BARE hands. Disgusting!!!!!
How hard is it to make a good shake? Not hard at all if you’re not trying to CUT CORNERS!!!!!
Shape up or you’ll be shipping out as soon as word gets out.
Inexcusable…tasteless burgers????? C ‘mon!!!!!!!!!!
Guess there are others who feel as I do, did, about Gott’s.
What are we in Palo Alto doing that encourages so many
mediocre businesses that do not seem to care anything
for the public but how to rip us off?
I just felt this place was way beyond what I have seen before.
Chipotle is spartan, but they provide value, even after their
portions have shrunk and prices have risen.
Residents, we have to start voting more intelligently with
our spending. We get what we pay for, so let’s not pay for
poor service.
We gave Gott’s a couple tries and are never going back, for the same reasons listed above. Mediocre food that is not worth the price. If we crave burgers, we’ll head to Oasis or Jeffries. I am surprised Gott’s at this location is still around!