Dad’s On J

Good food– fresh and well made. Excessively loud music when the boss is out of the building takes three stars from this review. I’m sure the staff wants to be sure they can hear it over their customers. But loud thrash metal does not make for a relaxing, enjoyable lunch.

Convenient location for the downtown lunch rush hour. Seating is limited inside the restaurant, so be sure to plan ahead during busy hours or when going in with big groups. I found that ordering my food in advance on the phone also helps, since the line can be all the way to the door at times.
The burgers here are satisfying and the fries are steak style. There are other items beside burger like sandwiches and my personal favorite when I am not in the mood for a burger would be the fish n chips. The tartar sauce that it comes with isn’t as flavorful as other places, so if your like me and love dipping sauces its a bit of a let down. On the other hand My go to burger is the Pastrami, which come with a nice layer of pastrami and melted swiss on top. Usually I am not a fan of swiss but it goes so well with the Pastrami burger.

Had the bbq chicken sandwich. The food is quality and the ingredients were fresh. Service was great.

Not sure what all the hype is about, it was a pretty standard burger to me. Not worth the 15 minute wait but I was starving so it served its purpose.

Best Sandwich shop in Sac! Burgers and Steak fries, hot and cold sandwiches. Favorites are Lockdown and Hot Blonde, and the pastrami burger.

Came in for a bbq bacon burger and was given a bbq bacon sandwich. not sure if using sandwich bread is the norm, but thought I’d getting it on burger. buns maybe they ran out. Still good though. :)

Holy burgers Batman!!! This was was great. Its looks are deceiving from the outside, but when you get in and look at the menu you recognize that this is a good place for lunch. The place was packed, but I was able to share a table with someone else. Food was fast and delicious. The staff was friendly and accommodating. I will go back.

Meeeh, its just a burger joint convenient to downtown state workers. I wasn’t impressed much at all. I have to say the most impressing thing about this place is not the food but the fact that when you call in a To-​Go order they actually make it before you get there. I have been here before it was «DADS» and all calling your order ahead of time was insure that when you got there, your order ticket was placed in front of the others. So kudos to this place for that, you can actually have you heart attack waiting for you in a bag when you go there to pay.
I ordered the classic hamburger, sub’d onion rings for fries, and then ordered a side of their steak cut fries.

I was not feeling motivated enough to wander too far from my hotel for food. Thankfully this place was right across the street. This place is simple. Inside it is like a divey diner. You order at the counter and then they bring out your food. It is a narrow place, but it is fairly deep.
I ordered a cheeseburger without tomato and pickles. They use American cheese on their cheeseburger. It also comes topped with thousand island dressing. The burger was tasty. The dressing makes it even better. The burger comes with a side of fries. The fries were crispy and big, steak style.
You get a good amount of food for your money here. It is simple and quick. The only issue I found was that they close at 6pm, so you got to go for lunch or a very early dinner.

Lunch time in Sacramento! The Zoo was amazing and we were hungry. Unfamiliar with the area but wanting something delicious, I of course took to Unilocal!We parked about a half block away, unsure about parking and it’s a good thing we did because parking was scarce. Park where you can! But the walk will be worth it!
This sandwich shop is the epitome of California sandwich shops… Chicken, avocado, sourdough grilled to perfection… plus many more options! Many sandwiches had two things in common, which is what in my opinion, sets them apart from other places… Garlic spread + Pepper plant sauce… Which I totally didn’t have to Google… ok so I did! And now I want to buy a bottle!
I ordered the ‘Hot Blonde’ — Grilled Chicken, Tomato, Avocado, Grilled Onions, Spinach, Pepper Plant Sauce and Garlic Spread on Sourdough. The hubby ordered the Western BBQ Burger on Sourdough. And the little got a Grilled cheese!
It’s a small little front yet we were able to snag a booth! The food arrived fast and in no time we were guzzling it down, tired from walking three times around the Zoo, maybe more. All of us sharing for optimal menu tasting coverage.
The food was perfect! The burgers BBQ sauce was smokey but had a good ‘Zing’ to it! The burger was very flavorful and the sourdough made it. The hot blonde was literally amazing. The sauces together are what made this sandwich fly off the charts on the flavor spectrum. The freshness of the huge chunks of avocado with the grilled chicken and onions, crisp spinach and garlicky-​peppery sauce… Wow. The littles grilled cheese was HUGE and cheesy! All said and done, I WISH I lived closer so I could regularly eat at Dad’s on J.

I’ve heard great reviews about Dads, and decided today would be the day to try it out. I ordered the hot blonde sand which and a side of fries. The food was nicely prepared and the fries where crispy and hot. I would definitely come back. Kinda reminds me of a diner.

Totally more than you would expect from the glass wall entrance. If you need a sandwich and possibly a coma afternoon go to Dad’s. The portions are large enough to qualify for sedation!
On the fun side for a lunch place, brisk service, some smiles and your off to your table.

Dad’s on J is reminiscent of an old school lunch counter squeezed into a small storefront on a rather deserted portion of J Street in Downtown Sacramento. The restaurant is narrow, but long, and gets very crowded during lunch. It is counter service with waiter delivery, and often take out is a superior option.
The menu is mainly burgers and hot sandwiches. Dad’s puts a gourmet touch on their food, and it shows. On my trip, I had the Pastrami Mami which was a wonderful combination of grilled pastrami, cheese, and pickles on a toasted roll. My companion had the western burger served in the classic style. Burgers come with fries, but my sandwich was all alone.
I have been here many times and am only disappointed when the line is long. I am much closer to Dad’s Kitchen in Land Park, so I usually go there instead. Nevertheless, Dad’s on J is a great lunch option for those working downtown.

Came here with my younger bro. He was hungry so he ordered a mushroom and swiss burger while I ordered up the Blue Collar sandwich. Place is quaint but comfy enough for the lunch time. Good pricing and very good sandwiches. We will be back. 4 out of 5 for Dad’s.

This place serves up sandwiches for a deal!
This isn’t specialty sandwiches, unlike Ike’s in SF.
These are just regular loaf sandwiches were can be hot pressed into a hot meal.
I tried the Angry Road Man while my friend got the Hot Blonde. Both excellent choices. This location is also pretty small so come early before the lunch rush to grab a seat!
Nothing too special about this. It was good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Da das Frühstück in unserem Hotel eine linde Katastrophe war, sind wir hier gelandet.
Der Dekor des Restos ist 70ger Jahre und ist wohl seit dem auch nicht mehr renoviert worden. Der Service ist minimalist, die Hygiene ebenfalls.
Das typische amerikanische Frühstück, als Sandwich präsentiert, war allerdings doch sehr lecker. Das einzige Negative war, wie in allen amerikanischen Restaurants, die unverschämte Menge, die sich auf dem Teller befand. Ich hatte Mühe, mein Sandwich zu vertilgen, meine Frau ließ die Hälfte im Teller.

On August 14^th, 2015, roamed around the Downtown area, I was heading down to this place located at J Street near the Cesar Chavez Plaza park called, Dad’s On J. Dad’s on J is an American burger restaurant where you can get the fresh and tastiest burgers right here. As I entered there, the atmosphere is quite busy during the lunch hour where Downtown employees, residents and tourists dine and come by. It’s very small inside, and there’s some good table spots available if you’re dining in with 2+ people, or solo dining.
The employees are very friendly and approachable as I welcomed there. No problems or concerns at all!
For the food ordering process, I ordered the mushroom swiss burger with steak-​cut fries. So far, it tasted very good and yummy! The burger patty cooked very well as the flavor juices it up through my mouth. The mushroom and swiss cheese also tasted good too! Such a great meal!
The parking can be harder to park in the Downtown area. You can park at the surface street parking including the Cesar Chavez Plaza parking and the parking garages available. Otherwise, you can walk, ride a bike, or riding a transit easier without the hassles.
Overall, Dad’s on J is a great local burger restaurant that Sacramento residents will enjoy and satisfied the burger goodness! Highly recommend!

Went to lunch here and it was hard to choose one thing from their menu. It was busy and the tables get taken fast because its a small place, but the wait time for the food wasn’t bad. The staff is friendly and its mostly state and government customers in there. I was waiting outside to meet someone and had to come in because of the homeless population that kept bothering me, but that’s downtown Sac. They had a large menu of breakfast, sandwiches, salad, burgers and more. I tried their torta and an order of steak fries. The torta had really soft bread and a lot of avocado, but not that much meat. Overall it was a yummy sandwich and so were the fries. I will be back to try out more.

It’s an 8 $ sandwich, a very delicious sandwich but it’s nothing huge so come looking for satisfaction in flavor over price or quantity. These are not California-​fresh sandwiches, more like southern lovin’ sandwiches.
PROs: good sandwich
CONs: greasy? Very busy

It’s a Monday night and I didn’t feel like cooking, so I called up Dads on J street to order take out. I ordered the chicken strips meal (~$ 10) which wasn’t too bad considering the amount they gave me was more than plenty. The meal itself tasted homemade. The chicken strips were tender on the inside and crunchy on the out. They seemed to be hand dipped in batter and served with a side of steak cut fries. Included in the meal was a fountain drink of my choice.
Customer service was great! Very friendly staff. They are good on timing and had my meal ready when they said it would be. I came in picked it up and left within a matter of 2 minutes.
The store look well kept up and clean. Has the typical American type burger joint vibe to it. The layout of the store is long and narrow and probably not the best place to go with a big group.

Went here for lunch today! I read all the great Unilocal reviews and I couldn’t wait to try this place! Its a small burger, sandwich, and salad pad that is a popular spot downtown Sacramento.
We entered and it was pretty busy but we got to order right away. I ordered the Swiss Mushroom Burger and my lady ordered the Blue Collar Sandwich. We both made it into a meal so with a side of steak fries and a soft drink.
My burger was pretty tasty with the nice sauteed mushrooms and the melted Swiss Cheese. I would order it again… the steak fries were pretty good as well (reminded me of the Red Robin Fries). I wouldn’t say this burger was out of the ordinary amazing… But it was good… My lady thought her sandwich was okay… she wasn’t crazy about the bread but the tri tip, Monterey Jack Cheese and the Garlic spread stood out.
They have a variety of hot sandwiches as well as cold sandwiches. They 7 burgers to choose from… from the classic, to the Western Bacon, to the Bacon Cheddar.
They also have house made fish and chips and the chicken strips. They have 4 salads to choose from but I do not go to a place like this for salads!
The atmosphere is fun and lively… open kitchen with employees yelling out your name when the order is ready… not the biggest place and it can get crowded during lunch rush hour.
I will give this place another try and probably order something new!