The Smokehouse

Yup, this place still has the best burgers around. Been coming here off and on for years, even after moving away.
Pros: love the smoked charbroiled flavor. Prices are excellent, $ 3.30(ish) for the hamburger. Some suggest the double (a dollar more) since the bun is bigger than norm and the patty is on the thinner side. With the order of fries they are thicker than most places, which I like. You also get a nice sized serving of fries too.
Cons: confirm your order. I would slip the milk shake here, too sweet and artificial flavor tasting.
Better than In and Out, The Habit, Five Guys.

I had a cheeseburger with chili cheese fries OMG IT WAS BOMB!!! just amazed how good it was. Even tho its a ride its well worth it! Thanks for the good food and the fast service!!! I will definitely return!!!

Great Burger joint! Not at all expensive either! Chili fries are bomb. The burgers have lots going on which I loved! The hubbys only complaint was that there was relish on a burger which I found awesome. (He didn’t like relish on a burger) My daughter had the veggie burger which was also great! All in all this hole in the wall is definitely a good place to eat! I appreciated the indoor patio too, being from so cal I was cold.

I grew up coming to smokehouse with my dad every other Saturday & I still come by every once in awhile. The food is good, prices are great, and the customer service has always been excellent! I’ve never had a bad experience and I’ve been coming to eat here for years!

Consistently consistent since 90′ ish when I’d escape for lunch here, working at my moms office, summers!
Never leave!

Ah smokehouse, my old go to on the late night. Smokehouse is open until 1:30 and I thank them for that! I used to get off work late from SF and needed food. Working in downtown was a pain for late night food. Too many people and overpriced restaurants with mediocre food. If I was off after 11 no way would I be able to make it to Super Duper. Plus I was never dressed or in the mood to go out to a fancy place after. Thankfully once I traveled back across BART Smokehouse was still there for me! Also didn’t hurt that I stayed a ten minute walking distance from this place either. They have veggie burgers and cheese fries, as well as shakes. Take your pick. For non veg they do have burgers and I hear they have a great charred taste to them. One night my babe and I came here and he forgot his iPhone while paying. They called my cell once we were home and said we had left it there. Very honest people and I support small shops. Unfortunately I have not been in the area as much to indulge. Yet if another late night strikes in Berkeley I will be back!

This is not the first time I’ve rolled up to the Smokehouse minutes before closing and asked, somewhat ashamedly, for a sandwich. The staff here are some of the most friendly and totally unfazed I’ve ever come across at a 1am burger joint. The fact that this place is in Berkeley, the city that falls asleep immediately after dinner time, is just icing on the cake. I recommend the chicken patty sandwich and a hefty tip. The Smokehouse is a real and sadly rare gem of late night snacks (just barely) within the Berkeley city limits.

The double cheeseburger with everything was unique, if youre around the area id reccomend this place, really good food and friendly staff!

This place is super old school but consistently good! My dad has been coming here since the 70s and brings me here still today!
They do the basics well. The burgers are huge and filled with condiments. If you don’t like condiments– don’t come here. My burger today was on sesame bun– had ketchup, mustard, onions, tomato, relish, and tons of shredded lettuce. This is old school but totally yummy (toasted bun was extra brownie points!)
The small fries are PLENTY for two! Fresh and delicious.
I have also done their shakes which are fantastic. They have tons of crazy flavors to pick from!
Do not be appalled by the outside– yes it looks like a dive. But they are good at what they do!
Lastly– this is a late night stop! I mean– my dad bought us lunch here today. But this is most definitely a stop to make after a long night of drinking or an As game!

Been coming here since the 60s and this time — for the first time — I brought my granddaughter — hopefully she will bring hers and the burgers will be as good as always

So you can roll up at 11:45pm and get more french fries that you can comfortable handle for $ 3.12
Yes… I love this place.
The rest of the food is mediocre, it is food stand quality, but this place is a Telegraph Ave gem.

I remember stumbling to this place late after a house party. We walked to this place on our way back to my friend’s house because my friend was «like, SO HUNGRY!!!» (the words of a semi-​brilliant doctoral student in the cellular & molecular bio program).
The burger I got was damned good and even though it was kind of a questionable-​looking place and it was very late, I didn’t feel as though I was going to get shanked for my money and my burger. There were people from all walks of life there just enjoying the deliciousness of their respective burgers.
It was heaven on earth, I tells ya.

I have been eating at The Smokehouse for 25 years, but over the last couple of years (as the owners have transitioned the restaurant to new staff) the food AND service has continued to decline.
Today my order was difficult to place and even after double checking when I picked it up, it was still wrong. My French fries were soggy and my burger was cold with a soggy bun. Really, inedible.
Not to mention the prices have gone up and the meat portions have shrunk. The double cheeseburger is a joke.
It’s too bad. A lot of people have grown up eating at this place.

I enjoy going to this place !
I just wish that the ladies would use gloves to serve the food.
It’s nasty and not healthy to give food to the customers with ur hands while you are also touching the money and other stuff around the kitchen .
Everything else is good: D

I have ordered a double cheeseburger for ages. I prefer smokehouse’s burgers over Nations… perfect after hours! Calling in an order is hit & miss.

Nom, nom, nom!!! Everything is delicious.
Classic burger stand
Get fries, get a shake… everything will be alright, and the itus… say goodnight!
Yum. Go. You know you wanna.

What propels a burger into magic unicorn status, leaving all others to suffocate in it’s rainbow cloud? FLAME GRILLING kids.
Rare to find these day outside of a family backyard BBQ, but the Smokehouse does it right! I have been eating here since 1875 and not much has changed.
Go for the double patty burger as the patties are actually quite thin. It’s a nasty burger, with sauce, grease, and a good portion of lettuce, tomato, and onion.
The fries are really good too, just be sure to ask for them crispy.
Cheap as hell too. Lots of fat customers, a good sign. :)
And if you are concerned after your double patty and fries meal, there is a cholesterol screening center next door to reassure you!

If you’ve been to Nation’s, Red Onion, Big Al’s or anything like that in the East Bay, you know what you’re getting out of this place: A big derrty burger and some thick-​cut french fries. This is NOT Barney’s, Eureka, or another gourmet burger place.
I’ve been going here occasionally (3 – 4 times/​year) for the past 4 years as a student at UC Berkeley and I have to say, I haven’t had any problems or issues with this place. In general, they’re clean, quick with the food, and nice about serving you. They have a nice atmosphere, really casual, and during the day you see a lot of locals stopping by, something I care about.
Some nice things: As of February 2015, THEY TAKE CARD! Their fries portions are huge: nice and thick-​cut — and lightly salted. They’re also open late; until around 1AM on most days.
I am usually here for lunch, and I usually get a hamburger of some sort (I’m lactose intolerant): Like I said earlier, they definitely satisfy your cravings. The bread is dense and heavy (my only complaint — also might upset some stomachs from friends’ experiences). The combination of meat, grilled onions, and all the fixings just works — I certainly enjoy them.
Wouldn’t recommend the shakes. YMMV.

First thing! cash only! that thing got me a few times.
For me it’s a take out place in the middle of the night, don’t rally like to have my food there. No restroom. But douring the day when it’s sunny there are some tadels outside, lovely!
Good portions of food and it taste yummy. i would say don’t hesitate to go in not bad at all

Came here on a friend’s recommendation. He know I love a great flame-​grilled burger and will travel out of the way for a good place.
Cool thing about The Smokehouse is you pay after you pickup your order. Nice touch in this day and age where you usually pre-​pay than get your food. Reminder this place is CASH ONLY. Please bring
you don’t loose face with you girl or friends. Unless you are cheap that is. Then bring your card and claim ignorance. But you might walk away hungry if you try to game you friends.
Another cool thing? The Smokehouse has nice outdoor seating as well as indoor tables. But trust me, if the weather is nice you will want to sit outside.
This trip I ordered the following.
Double Cheeseburger with everything including grilled onions.
Crispy cooked french fries.
Chocolate Shake.
Total for everything was $ 12.52.
The burger itself was a little lacking in the meat department. Next time it will be a triple. The meat itself was a little overcooked. But despite the problems the whole thing put together was quite tasty. The grilled onion put it over the top. You really need the grilled onions. I normally skip onions altogether but I am glad I opted for the everything burger tonight. So good I was licking the paper wrapper after the burger was gone!
The fries were ordered crispy on purpose. This was to compliment my expectations of a thick shake. The shake was delivered just as think as I expected it to be, The crispy fries quick made their way into the cup to scoop out the shake in bite-​sized bits of delicious heaven. Other tips for the fries. Be sure to use both salt and pepper to season the fries before dipping. In the end you will wind up with a salted chocolate flavor that has just a bit of heat from the black pepper. This ends up being a sweet and sour and slightly spicy tasty treat. After the fries are gone your shake still had that same tasty flavor all the way to the last slurp through the straw,
Service was quick.
The tables were kept clean.
The trash was kept emptied.
Transition from evening to night was nice with a well-​lighted place. A goodd thing sin The Smokehouse is open late night.
Overall i count The Smokehouse as a win I would visit again.
A few photo sphere images I took while here for you to enjoy:

chilli cheeese friesssssssssss!!!