Amanda’s

Can’t believe this place closed– why? rents? stupid berkeley city policies? It’s not like there’s no retail space available there. Jeez.
Great burgers, great buns, sweet potato fries, cool sodas.

SMH.
The burgers are the size of my palm. They tasted average. Not bad but not noticeably really good. The sweet potato fries were too dry and plain for my taste. The french fries tasted better after I added their seasoning which had like salt, pepper and garlic powder. Their sodas are NOT good. I dont suggest the ginger or the lemon lime because the flavor was really strong to the point where it was difficult to drink.
The combo cheeseburger with seasoned fries and drink ended up being $ 8.23 SMH.

Gayle and I met in Downtown Berkeley yesterday prior to enjoying the intense performance of Compulsion at Berkeley Rep. She was a little hungry and Amanda’s was right at the place that I first saw her after she came off BART. So why not?
She very much enjoyed her picnic fresh Napa Salad, while I nibbled on some very tasty sweet potato fries. The made-​to-​order sodas (lemon-​lime for me and cola for her) were also very good. Seating was comfortable, the woody décor was pretty, and the prices were reasonable. We both agreed that this was a better version of healthy than Smart Alec’s on Telegraph and that the green emphasis was a nice extra touch.

So I’m in Berkeley for work, working at the olé HQ, and I’m looking to pick up a quick, healthy lunch for the man-​friend, who is stuck on a conference call. It’s not like it’s difficult to find healthy food in the bay area… you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an organic or vegan establishment.
I’ve eaten at Amanda’s before so I know they make a mean burger, and I call over right in the middle of the lunch rush. They answer and our conversation goes like this:
Guy: «Amanda’s! How can I help you?»
Me: «Yea, I’m walking that way right now and need man-​friendly burger meal to go… I can’t remember what’s on the menu, but can you just do like… the normal burger, but make it extra delicious… he’s not picky.»
Guy: «Cheese, onions, ba – «
Me (cutting him off,): «Just make it tasty.
Guy: «See you in a minute.»
I picked up the burger and fries moments later and he even threw in a free cookie!
Guy: «Here you are, man-​friendly meal.»
Me: «I’m going to Unilocal your face off!»
I have no idea what was on that burger, but the man-​friend approved.
I’d give it five stars, but the sweet potatoes fries are on the seriously greasy side… Meh — they only promised organic, not low-​fat, I suppose.

Being a very health-​conscious person, I tried Amanda’s for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it =D I ordered a Grilled Chicken burger and it was very good — tender chicken breast, fluffy wheat bun with robust whole grain flavor and fresh veggies. The homemade sodas were also a nice plus and the spicy ginger ale in particular was great. I can understand some of the low reviews given the cost-​to-​portion ratio and many folks being far more accustomed to the heavier, greasier, and saltier counterparts, but IMHO Amanda’s is totally worth the extra cost.

I used to go to school at Berkeley and every time I come back since I graduated in ’05 it seems there is a new restaurant or something gone. Stumbled upon Amanda’s bc frankly it was hot and I was too tired to walk any further. It was late … about 2pm and I was starving but didn’t want anything too heavy so this looked like a nice place to try out. I ordered the citrus grilled chicken salad that came with side of wheat bread.
Service: Meh. My food took about 20 – 30 minutes to be done. Honestly I was confused but I was sitting with my back to the kitchen and reading so didn’t notice too much until I started thinking — there is nobody else here and my food is all stuff they probably have pre-made…sooo…um. huh? Walked to the counter and the person that took my order smiled like nothing out of the ordinary here but I asked what’s up with my food? And unbeknown to her the kitchen staff didn’t realize an order had been put through. Gee. Thanks. So within 2 minutes my food was put together — they kindly brought it out to me with a little cookie to say sorry. Ok — I’m a sucker for sincerity and cookies. So that’s why service gets a Meh and not a What the hell, you suck!
Food: My salad was baby greens, jicama, white beans, a few orange slices, and scatterings of chicken. Poppy dressing was fine. The ½ slice of wheat bread was a bit dry and sparse. The little cookie was nice but hey it was free… overall, food tasted good, healthy (it’s nice they have the nutritional information available), but nothing special. I saw quite a few people pop in for the burger but it seemed rather small… maybe I should try that one of these days when I’m back. Altho me thinks I should save these rare returns to Berkeley for Cheeseboard pizza and the Asian ghetto… I can get salads any day in LA.

I absolutely love this Berkeley restaurant. They offer healthy fast food options affordably. I usually get the in house made veggie burger that has a similar feeling to a regular burger. They make it out of mushrooms and walnuts and it’s so tasty! The sweet potato fries are a great complement to the veggie burger, they also offer regular fries (all the fries are baked) or apple slices as an alternative.
They make all of their own sodas with fresh fruit, the raspberry soda is amazing and oh so refreshing. I’m really not into the salad dressing here, it’s very bland although it’s very low fat. They offer different varieties of toasted almonds for a snack and they keep them warm for when they are ordered.
I also like the bright atmosphere with huge community style dining tables and an outside covered dining patio.

Very yummy little burgers (I know, they’re supposed to be normal sized but… baby burgers really) and delicious sweet potato french fries.
Everything here is small sized! Honestly, 5 year old me could have demolished one combo order here.
The burger is pretty nice, but for the price ($ 4.00 in change) for a baby burger WITHOUT even counting the fries? I don’t think so.
Drinks are too tiny and so are the salads. Scaled down smart alec’s if you will.
Final verdict: tiny bites of yummyness but prices and portion sizes are shrink rayed. Not worth the moola.
Come on Berkeley. Let’s make ourselves a real burger joint with a decent sized burger for a reasonable price. Maybe I’m asking too much. Maybe the perfect burger place in Berkeley doesn’t exist… D:

We had the burger, baked fries, a salad with chicken and the chili. Everything was very fresh and tasty and I will definitely stop in again. Tintin had one of their homemade sodas which sounded fancier than the simple Italian sodas that they actually are. I think they make the syrup themselves so that’s interesting.
The food is good but watching the servers put my to go order together was kind of frustrating. I don’t know, I like to be efficient.

This is literally my favorite restaurant! I’m a chiropractor and I work with my fiancé, who is as into health and fitness as I am. Since food is literally the stuff our bodies are made of, I think the most important criteria about food is how healthy it is. Of course I want it to taste good, but I’m not willing to eat a yummy meal that is going to take years off my life.
When it comes to eating organic foods, eating organic meats is even more important than organic produce because the toxins accumulate each level up the food chain. If you’re eating non-​organic meat sometimes, you might as well just buy farming chemicals and pour them into your mouth.
When it comes to how beef is fed, 99% of the beef in this country is fed corn, which is NOT part of a cow’s diet. This would be the equivalent of trapping you in a box, and only feeding you Snickers bars. You’d become obese and sick to your stomach. And then the sick bastards who would eat you would become obese and sick to their stomachs.
My point? Amanda’s is one of the ONLY restaurants I’ve ever been to that serve GRASS-​FED beef. Sure, their burgers aren’t as cheap as McDonald’s, but you get what you pay for. If you’re eating at McDonald’s, you’re paying for a heart attack.
To me, Amanda’s burgers taste great. I get a little meat, some cheese, some bread, and lots of produce. I like the tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion and sauce, and think that it’s very flavorful.
Since sweet potatoes are MUCH lower glycemic index than plain potatoes (meaning that they don’t cause your blood sugar levels to spike as high) I have always gotten them instead of the regular fries. They will put on a special seasoning if you ask. It’s a mixture of salt, pepper and onion powder, and to me, the baked fries are perfect.
As everyone else has already said, their sodas are shockingly good. I’ve given up drinking sodas because of the refined sugar, but thanks to Amandas, I can get amazingly fantastic sodas that are sweetened with agave or stevia (natural, plant-​derived sweeteners). They have got to be tried to be believed.
Finally, I want to comment on their cookies. People have complained about their size, but complimented their taste. In case you hadn’t noticed, most people in America are overweight. We’ve stopping thinking of cookies as bite sized morsals, and started thinking of them as another serving in our meal. Sure, you can get a cookie bigger than your hand in any gas station, but that’s your lunch’s equivalent of calories right there. I absolutely LOVE that Amanda’s cookies are so small. That way, I can get a chocolate chip cookie, and a vanilla sugar cookie. And even though they are expensive, the price keeps me from eating too many.
Regarding portion size, I have to say that I mainly eat here after working out my gym (24-​Hour Fitness around the corner) when my appetite is at it’s biggest. A combo meal (burger, fries and soda) always fills me up. If I get a cookie, it’s just an extra treat.
To all those people who’ve said that they need to eat «two meals» at Amanda’s to get full, I pity what you’re doing to your digestive tracts. You should begin to manage your portion size before that early onset diabetes sets in.
Oh, one more thing: everything in this restaurant is compostable! The food is wrapped in paper and the «plastic» cups the sodas come in are made of corn. I love finishing my meal, and then putting everything on my tray right into the compost bins they provide. There is nothing going to the landfill, so I always leave feeling healthy, and with a clear conscience.

I want to like this place. I do. I like the concept of fresh food, compostable packaging, and a good location– but I wish the execution made the experience more than a constant disappointment. I have given this place 5 chances over the course of a year to make a tasty, filling meal, including trying a couple different items.
Things that haven’t changed: Everything comes off the grill at room temperature. Forget taking it somewhere else without a microwave. The buns are downright cold. Salads are interesting to try once or twice, but the dressing always seems off. Lemon-​lime soda is pretty tasty, and the service is OK but nothing to write home about. All in all, the place has potential that it hasn’t yet met.

Really good fresh and healthy food.
I had the Original Combo, which comes with the original burger, sweet potatoes fries (which are baked, not fried) and a house made soda. It was excellent! The burger seems small at first but when paired with the sweet potatoes, it’s just the right size meal.
I really liked that the sweet potatoes were baked and not fried. It really gave the meal a fresh and clean flavor.

WARNING: apples fries are not fries!!! They are not the deep fried goody goodness you are expecting. They are simply apple sticks.
ginger ale soda great as ever
The wait: BAD

With global warming, obesity, and unsustainable food being some of this generation’s greatest challenges, it’s logical to start seeing many attempts at solving these problems. Some are merely trying to cash in on the movement while others are really looking to turn a defunct system into a win-​win situation. So how does Amanda’s stack up?
I visited Amanda’s for their first year anniversary. Raffles and free food were to be had. I was surprised to hear pretty good prizes being given away such as day sailing trips and acupuncture. Unfortunately I didn’t win anything.
Another thing that surprised me was the interior design and branding. It feels really polished and well done. There are bright green and orange colors amongst metal and wood textures. It somewhat reminds me of contemporary frozen yogurt shops that are popping up in every city. They even have a projector playing a slideshow of why the food is good for you.
The menu is the main item that worries me. Amanda’s menu concept is organic, healthy, and tasty. These usually do not rack up. The most notable worry is «healthy». I’ve often had tasty organic food, but healthy? Shouldn’t that be a given? Taste and health typically do not mix well. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it usually isn’t (just like Asian fusion). This burger joint also sells salads on the same menu. The cookies are the size of half dollars.
I put Amanda’s up to the test and ordered a burger combo that includes soda, hamburger, and a choice of fries. The lady recommended the apple fries for free, so I obliged. But what’s apple fries? It came out to $ 6.04. I guess I didn’t get the apple fries for free.
They called out my name and I picked up my order. I brought it back to my table and just stared at it. Hrmph. The portions are small. So small that I immediately pulled out my camera to take a photo. Check out the photos. Mine is the one with the fist right next to the similar-​sized hamburger.
The hamburger is luke warm. It didn’t even seem like they cooked it. I wasn’t able to see them cook it and it felt like it came out of the microwave. My brain told me otherwise because of the grill. The meat is cooked to a brown medium. Oh well, let’s give it a shot. It’s alright. The ingredients go well together but it doesn’t have the same satisfying flair as an In-​N-​Out double burger. The major complaint would be the portions. Hamburger-​vitamins? No thank you. If it were bigger I would be fine.
The apple fries are a joke. If it’s not fried then don’t call it «fries». It’s merely half an apple sliced into fry-​like sticks. The apple fries come with a honey yogurt dip that actually tastes very good. The fries are incredibly sloppy to hold. Not at all appetizing. I would have preferred a whole apple to use with the great yogurt.
The raspberry soda is okay. If you’re looking for the same sugar kick from any store brand ice tea, lower your expectations. It’s decent but I wouldn’t order it again. Imagine Crystal Geyser fruit drinks. They also don’t strain out the raspberry seeds; hence, a lot of unneeded tiny bites. I would’ve rather gone with the iced tea.
After my meal I was still very hungry. I was craving some actual potato fries too. I bought a regular order of «fries». It turns out that these are baked. Ahhh man. Change the wording! These aren’t fries but more like baked potato wedges in the form of McDonald fries. These fries aren’t crisp. It’s more like a potato with a crunchy outside that ends with a stale bite. The taste is okay, but there’s not salt at all! No salt shakers either.
The eco-​friendly intentions don’t boil over well either. They give you trays but everything else is wrapping in specially branded paper or biodegradable corn plastics. Why not use washable dishes? I know that they’re trying to brand themselves as a healthy burger alternative but if you do so, go all the way. Don’t just change aesthetics. It feels like the concept is half-​boiled.
I’m also getting tired of places trying to be something that they’re not. If you cannot pull off satisfying food, let alone enviro-​healthy food, don’t try. I’d rather eat something that knew what it was rather than a false imitation. McDonald’s knows what it is. Fast unhealthy but tasty food, produced in ungodly ways intended for mass consumption. Amanda’s is healthy food imitating unhealthy constructs? Amanda’s sells burgers. Is that healthy or environmentally friendly? No. Is it tasty? No. Lose-​lose situation.
I looked over at a neighboring couple eating the salads. I expected to see a reversal of wow-​factor. But the quality and quantity stayed the same. Small tiny salad trays lay before them. I’d say eliminate the burger and focus on a kickass salad. But at least get the portions and taste right.
Service felt like it was everyone’s first day on the job.
_​_​_​_​
I’m ready for a place like Amanda’s to work. Their menu, wording, and food packaging need a major redesign before they start tackling the bigger issues.

(3.5)
My son and I went here for lunch and I had the Napa salad and sweet potato fries. I thought the salad was tasty, no complaint, especially since it was less then $ 7. The sweet potato fries were a little dry, but even so they were good. They have a unique taste different from regular fries that I enjoyed a lot. My boy had the grilled cheese and the sweet potato fries as well and he was happy. I spent less then $ 20 for the both of us which was great plus we got to sit outside, it was a nice lunch.
What I really love about this place is that fact that it is so green, it even has organic ketchup and they compost! I will be going back.

I always crave Amanda’s. I don’t think I’ve ever changed my order from my cheeseburger, fries, and diet cola. Amanda’s is great. It tastes fresh and amazing, and everything’s low in calories. What makes me happiest is their soda! I love that they make it themselves, and I love that it’s not super sugary like regular sodas. They’re cookies are amazing too! They basically melt your mouth :) :) :)
You know what makes me the happiest? The service at Amanda’s. It’s always a treat when you get served by Amanda’s herself :). I don’t think I’ve ever had a cashier NOT smile at me! The store is super cute, and everything goes along with the whole All-​natural theme.

I am happy that Amanda’s has come to town.
Seems like some Unilocalers dissed this place.
This review is based on one visit but I plan on coming back.
I stopped here on my way from BART to the bus in downtown Berkeley.
(late afternoon)
Parking was not an issue since I BARTed in but I nearly got mowed down twice by these effing bicyclists who were speeding across the sidewalks. This is one of my pet peeves about downtown Berkeley. If people want to ride their bikes on the sidewalks (even though there are signs everywhere declaring it illegal-​yeah right) they should not race at top speed! Hello I guarantee if anyone on a bike hits me I will get into kickbox mode and beat the crap out of them!
Oh yeah, but getting back to Amanda’s. I was happy to walk into a non-​wild atmosphere… no teams of screaming kids, teens, or middle aged gals like me.
There is a group/​community table that seats 10.
I LOVE LOVE the fact that the chairs and tables are all at normal heights.
I’m a non-​bar stool gal (i know, picky picky) but when you are short/​stumpy and have difficulty scaling chairs/​stools where my feet don’t touch the ground-​I love places where I «probably» won’t fall off the chair or stool…
I had the veggie burger which is a housemade burger made out of grains and nuts. It was on the dry, crunchy side which I love. I am not always found of veggie burgers that are too squishey and gooey (not to be confused with the characters Lenny and Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley)
I also had the regular air fries and a lemon/​lime soda. The fries were just right andthe soda was sublime… lots of flavor and fizz!
When I asked the manager if the veggie burger was vegan (for my hubby) he said the burger, bun and dressing were all vegan.
This place is spotless and so are the bathrooms!
Hallelujah a place with a bathroom (and a clean one at that) in downtown Berkeley (you do need to ask for the key). This is such a rarity that I can count on 2 fingers the places that are not sit down restaurants that have bathrooms!
They have regular burgers and salads too.

«Oh oh, looks who was back in the East Bay city where he has no such luck finding any good place to eat?»
I’m not knocking on the city of Berkeley because of the lack of good eats. I’m sure there are plenty of good food places in the city where Nobel Prize winners were established. Or I’m just too lazy to do the research.
Amanda’s, which is crawling distance away from the Downtown BART Station, serve food made freshest from organic ingredients. Should I dare say the restaurant is one step above the other fast food chains. But will the food’s taste be better and healthier? Let’s find out.
I ordered the Amanda’s Combo. My $ 6.75 combo has a grilled raised beef patty with lettuce, sliced tomatoes and vegan cheese ($.75 extra) in a grilled wheat bun, and I also got side of Baked Sweet Potato fries for another $.75 extra, and their signatured-​made refreshing Diet Cola. The taste was a bit different from any other burger joints, but the size could’ve been bigger instead of a size of a «Slider» burger. The Sweet Potato fries was a bit too overcooked and too crispy. If you thought those two were bad, the Diet Cola had a unusual taste too. «Blah!»
I’ve been wanted to come here for some times, but my anticipation of coming here was a somewhat failure.

I really like the concept of Amanda’s in offering menu options that are low in calories, fat and saturated fat. If the goal is to offer patrons a healthy option for burgers and fries then I think it works somewhat, but if you’ve read Luis C’s review or taken a look at the nutritional information offered by the restaurant you’ll notice that their burgers are indeed very high on sodium.
What really doesn’t work, in my opinion, is the portion size. Of course items will be lower in calories and fat if the portion size is that much smaller. Having eaten here a couple of times now I’ve noticed patrons tend to over-​order by getting two burgers instead of one. The burgers (
) are considerably small. In fact, the burgers are just slightly bigger than your average slider.
Taste has to account for something too, and while I don’t doubt that they use quality ingredients the overall taste of Amanda’s burgers is very average. Combined with the other ingredients, the tomato slice, the pickle chip, the shredded lettuce and onion (which reminds me way too much of McDonald’s) and Amanda’s sauce (low calorie thousand island dressing?) the taste of the 3 ounce burger patty really gets lost. In fact, on its own the burger patty is quite beefy and very flavorful but within the entire sandwich the only things I’ve tasted are vegetables and tart sauce on the organic wheat bun. It’s rather messy to eat with too much sauce and shredded lettuce falling everywhere.
The baked fries are nice. In fact, they’re quite good and they managed to cook these up crispy on the outside too. I’ve only tried the regular potato ones. Again, the portion size is quite small. Their freshly made sodas are unique; my cola had the distinct flavor of a root vegetable and even tasted healthy. The raspberry soda is preferred.
I appreciate Amanda’s honesty in suggesting that organic ingredients are used «when possible». Offering small tables or a large communal table the entire dining space is very well lit. All of the products used in the serving of your food is environmentally sustainable. The prices appear to be reasonable, but are fairly high when you consider how little food you’re actually getting.

Is the road to hell paved with good intentions… or is it that the road of good intentions is paved in hell? Hmmm, to-​mato, to-​moto. You certainly can’t fault Amanda’s for its good intentions where all their «dairy, beef, chicken, and ham-​is 100% natural, hormone– and antibiotic-​free». There’s no transfats or cornsyrup, and every menu item is less than five hundred calories. I say that deserves a standing ovation. But wait… do you hear just one hand clapping?
That may be because the taste is on the meh side, at least with Amanda’s Original Burger. While it looks like it could have come from In-​n-​Out with its tight paper wrapping, the taste of the meat was unsurprisingly on the bland side. What helped offset that were the fresh tomato slice, lettuce, pickle chips, onions and whatever the hell Amanda’s Sauce is. The fries were also a bit tasteless. I went for the baked sweet potato fries, which sounded promising but failed to deliver. They reminded me how much better the same concept on fries is executed at Ike’s Place in the city.
Oh, and they make their own soft drinks. Oh dear, you mean I can’t have a Diet Coke? Well, I did try their «Freshly Made» Ginger Ale for $ 1.75, and it was puckery sweet. However, the service is friendly enough if a bit scripted. The décor is certainly sunny enough, and the community table seems to encourage dining with strangers. Bonding is so important in this cold world, isn’t it… but don’t touch my tasteless fries, bud, or I’ll be salting your finger.
FOOD — 3 stars… healthy and bland, so what’s new?
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… certainly sunny and communal like a big Benetton commercial
SERVICE — 3 stars… friendly but perfunctory
TOTAL — 3 stars… Amanda has a fine idea here… it needs tweaking