One word - AWESOME! American Burger is the perfect beach town place. Throw back decor, super reasonable prices, yummy food and friendly service. From the outside you can't tell what a gem this place is. Don't let the strip mall local deter you. read more

Awesome place, food is fresh and delicious, service is fast and efficient and the atmosphere is out of this world. Something you won't find easily in PG/Monterey. Love love love it! read more

Don't be fooled by the pretentious Monterey locals that give the anal-retentive reviews and expect every place they walk into to be 5-star restaurant... This place is a Classic Burger joint... a variety of delicious burgers, nothing fancy, but honestly, it's a burger joint. What part of burger should be fancy? Also super delicious sweet potato fries!! A great deal Monday-Friday 4-7! If you want someone to polish your toes and perm your hair while you eat maybe you should try a hoity-toity restaurant down in Carmel... otherwise, just enjoy a typical American ambiance and a good burger and beer like a normal American. Hence the name, American Burger. read more

How is this place getting such High reviews?! I would give zero stars if I could. 1) FROZEN PATTYS? Seriously it's a burger joint, they use dry frozen pattys that look like the lowest grade meat available for human consumption 2) Service BLOWS! We came in (3 adults, 3 kids) around 5:30 on a Tuesday. Only two other guys were seated finishing up their food. The "server" came and took drink orders and then didn't return for 10 minutes. We ordered 3 milkshakes (tasted like a powder mix) two beers and a soda. We also asked for water. He brought the drinks and only 3 waters - for SIX people. Hello? Kids drink water too... 3) when the food finally did come it was more than disappointing. Almost wanted to just get up and walk out. The "burger" was a cheap frozen hamburger patty on a burnt bun with cheap Kraft American cheese. The turkey burger was again a frozen patty (ok a lot of places use premade turkey burgers but this was the lowest grade cheapest available I'm sure) The salad was a good size portion but the grilled chicken ($2.50 extra) was also the frozen variety. I had to HUNT DOWN the server in the kitchen to ask for my dressing. Which when served was a cheap Wishbone type Italian dressing. The kids chicken nuggets were about half dollar size and also FROZEN! Come on guys! Don't call yourself a restaurant and then serve food I could get at 7/11. The cost for this disgusting experience? $69! I wanted to throw up after eating at this "restaurant" DO NOT EAT HERE read more

2.5 stars, rounded up. I wandered in on a weekday, about 11:45. No customers in the restaurant, and none arrived while I was there. Upon entering, I was greeted with a hearty "buenas dias!" from someone I took to be the proprietor. (This, I think, is a strange greeting to receive at someplace that calls itself *American* Burger. As it so happens, the owner (Jose) used to run a Mexican restaurant in this very space before changing format. But I digress.) I wanly said hi, and asked for a menu. After a brief perusal of options, I went for the classic burger, with fries, to go. It was an awful lot of money (eight bucks) for a burger and fries. Fortunately, they were both tasty. Not eight bucks tasty, but good. The fries did not need ketchup, and were nicely seasoned. The decor is forced Americana. Each table has its own theme; one of them seems to be "the owner's family." My favorite was "Old Timey Post Cards." The decor is not as forced as it is at, say, Applebee's or T.G.I. Friday's, but it still lacks that certain certain... je ne sais quoi. If I'm going to pay this much for a burger, I'll probably go to RG Burger instead. If you're in the neighborhood, though, you could do much worse than here. read more

Very warm welcome from the owner. He even played a song for us on his guitar. Had the bacon-avocado burger, no bun, lettuce wrapped and no fries. Get a free milkshake if you check in on Yelp. That was yummy too! Not low carb... but good! read more

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After reading a review in the paper and being in that part of town, me and the gf tried to eat at American Burger on a Saturday right at lunch time. There were two other couples eating at the table with one person trying to pay. We stood in the center of the restaurant waiting to be attended. And we waited. And waited. A child of about 10 (literally) was walking back and forth from the kitchen to attend to the customer trying to pay. I started counting and after already being in there for several minutes with no acknowledgment, we left. I wish I could say something about the food. With the absence of customer service, it's not likely they will remain in business very long. read more

The burger was very good and the Chocolate Shake was even better....exceptional! Rating should be 4.5 stars......better than 4 but not G.O.A.T. A definite better-than-good spot...you should go. We would certainly go back. read more

Messy chili cheese burger was super messy! But super good !! I normally never finish my meal, but I definitely did this time ! I would of put 5 stars but I feel like the service could of been a bit better, employees weren't as welcoming as you'd expect employees to be. But the environment was pretty cool. I liked all the decor! read more

Costco chicken star nuggets for $8!Frozen patty for a burger. Morningstar veggie burger. Pretty lame food for a burger place. Only takes a little more effort to serve fresh beef and non frozen items. Way over priced. Go to in and out and save your money. Only 3 blocks from my home but won't be going back read more

From the Midwest and wanted something familiar. Got takeout and ate outside. It was great. Very filling!

We drive by this place all the time and I've always wanted to stop by. I love a tasty burger and this place doesn't disappoint! Big, chargrilled patties of goodness with fresh toppings and crispy fries, and a list of inventive milkshakes, e.g., peanut butter and bacon or vanilla avocado) are ample reasons to return to American Burger. Family owned and operated for that 'mom and pop' feel. Also ask about their Ecuadorian specialties. Yum, yum, yum. this place a read more

Nothing fancy, just solid food at a fair price. Home made milkshakes, good sandwiches and burgers. Great for families, checkers on every table. I will definitely be back! read more

I've been waiting to try this place for quite some time as I spotted it while driving past it...numerous times. So, finally, I went in with my Son as we were both in need of a good burger! So, I love to find little places like this...slightly "divey" (in a good way, mind you...I really don't like the mass market chain restaurants clone interiors where everything was designed in a scientific manner to achieve maximum compliance from the customer in an effort to separate their money from their wallet. I'm sorry...but amazing "vintage" tchotchkes stapled all over the walls does nothing to improve the quality or taste of my food...but sure does add to the price) Anyway, American Burger is a nice clean joint with just the right amount of Mom and Pop to it. Now, if you've read some of my other reviews, you'll know that I do not give any burger joint high marks...simply because finding a decent hamburger is not difficult. Depending on your tastes...In-and-Out Burger, Carl's JR, 5 Guys, etc., etc., make decent burgers. And lets face it...even most Fast Food joints put out hamburgers that we all like just fine...admit it, you have some fast food burger joint that is part of your diet. It can't just be me! So, the server was very friendly...took our order, brought us our drinks...YAWN...and we waited. Nothing special going on with this place thus far...typical diner/cafe routine. However, the waiter soon brought us a checkers board and bottle caps so that we could play a game of checkers. According to the waiter, whoever won, would receive a free ice cream dessert. WHAT! WHY THAT'S AMAZING! Here was the hook that elevates this place above the rest! Uh...or not. OK, so I'm being facetious. Actually it was kinda cool that they offered that. For anyplace to do a bit of thinking outside the box, they should be applauded for it...and this was a clever way to help people pass the time. Which quickly began to worry me. Was this simply a gimmick to occupy the customer to avoid noticing a long wait? Fortunately not! Our burgers came out fairly quickly...so no kudos nor zings for that...it was about right. I had a burger with cheddar and bacon...and it came with fries, lettuce, tomato, and onions. Nothing particularly interesting...just average. However, the onions weren't grilled to golden, but had been obviously tossed on the grill just long enough to soften them a bit without coloring them. It was...well, being an onion lover in all it's forms...it was OK. I think those that enjoy the cold crisp zing of a crunch that onions can bring a burger might be disappointed. I would also venture to guess that those folks who love golden caramelized onions on their burgers would also be disappointed. My son, who was with me, had basically the same thing, except his was the BBQ version. So finally the verdict, now that I've melted your eyeballs and probably jarred your brains regarding my lack of grammatical skills...quoting Sam Jackson in the move Pulp Fiction..."Now that is a tasty burger!" The burgers were cooked correctly and the fries were nice and crisp. While American Burgers is not amazing...it not bottom of the barrel either. As I told my son, I do not believe I'd come across town to seek out a burger here...but, if I'm in this area...and I want a burger, I'll be back as it's more than good enough to bypass the fast food burger joints all around it! read more

This place is awesome great retro vibe. Bottle cap checkers right on all the tables. The chili cheese fries are amazing also they have a small karaoke area that works with chrome-cast. So yes it's small but very fun and family oriented I will be going back soon read more

American Burger - Beer bottle cap checkers - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

My husband eats burgers everywhere we go and enjoyed his burger (double double) here very much. I had a chicken sandwich, which was fine, but I wasn't expecting superb chicken at American BURGER. The decor inside is a bit much, if we were to do it again, we would probably just get it to go and enjoy the quality food on a scenic Monterey bench or something. We got a free milkshake thanks to Yelp and it was DELICIOUS! We would definitely eat here again! read more

American Burger - Chocolate shake. Thick and tasty! Yum :). - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

Was sorely disappointed by this place after reading some good reviews here. We went on a Monday around noon for lunch. Several other people eating when we arrived. I can tell they are trying to go for Americana with their decor, but it falls a bit short and feels forced. The bottle-cap checkers are a great way to pass the time. We both ordered the Uncle Sam burger, lettuce-wrapped. Both burgers came with a limp piece of lettuce sort of wrapped halfway around the burger. No way to pick it up and eat it. (Hint: if you're going to offer lettuce-wrap burgers, use iceberg lettuce, not green leaf.) Sadly, burgers were subpar. These were definitely frozen burger patties. No question about it. Pretty sure fries were frozen too. Food did not really taste like.....anything, actually. Service was okay. It's unfortunate, though, that this place does not invest a little time and effort into creating a really solid burger made from fresh ground beef. Could be a really great place. read more

Decent place to hang out. The fries were good. The patty seemed like it was frozen previously. Not to mention, not fresh in the least. Sure, it wasn't dry, but the place is called AMERICAN BURGER. Pay more attention to you patties. Fix the patties and the place will have long lines every day. Nice service and clean place. read more

I love eating here when I am in town....they have great burgers and I love the sweet potato fries! I like that they try to bring entertainment to the area with music and dancing... It's also a great place for a group gathering or party. read more

My wife went there for the first time, and we both of us had great burgers. The patties we big and tasty, and the bun held up well. It is a family run operation, and the two men running it while we were there were pleasant and very efficient. It is the best burger I have had in a long while. I would highly recommend this establishment. Prices were reasonable too. read more

Really good burgers ! I recommend the spicy burger and you could add avocado and it's delicious . Also there milkshakes are really delicious! I recommend this place if your in Monterey! read more

I was bored with the usual lunchtime offerings around my office, so my friend and I decided to go for a stroll down Lighthouse and see what grabbed us for lunch. Completely out of the blue, we walked past American Burger and for some reason, nearly in unison, we said "What about American Burger?" So we decided to hell with it, let's try it. I've always been a little skeptical of American Burger--the review from fellow Yelpers have been mixed--and had been putting off trying it. But I figured what the hell, I'd try it for myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they've updated their menu and now offered turkey burgers. Score! It's so rare to find turkey burgers in town, and those that do offer them (ahem, RG Burgers) have been underwhelming as of late. I was ready to try a new turkey burger. We started out with an order of calamari. The calamari was rings only, heavily breaded. It was crispy, and while it wasn't too greasy, the calamari was a little rubbery inside the breading. And I was a little surprised the calamari was served with ranch sauce, not the usual tartar sauce. Odd choice, but it didn't taste that bad. I ordered the turkey burger with Jack cheese, and added bacon and avocado. It arrived with sautéed onions, lettuce, pickle and tomato on the side, with a house sauce spread on the bun. The patty wasn't bad--a little salty, sure, but much better than I'd expected based on other reviews. The sautéed onions were a nice addition, and made up for the underwhelming bacon and avocado. (The bacon was a tad too crispy and the avocado a little bland.) The accompanying fries were cut a little thick for my tastes, but they tasted fine. My friend was likewise satisfied with her burger, even if it arrived more medium than medium-rare. Service was kind of lazy, honestly, maybe because we were the only table in the restaurant? (Sometimes an empty restaurant leaves servers with too much time on their hands.) For instance, the calamari arrived without any plates or silverware. When I asked for both, our server seemed a little surprised. I know burgers--and to some extent, calamari--are foods to eat with your hands, but I'd still like some semblance of civility with plates, napkins and cutlery before I dig into my burger. It's by no means a classy establishment--American Burger is deliberately going for a dive-y feel. The walls and tables are plastered with an eclectic blend of photos and posters. I do have to appreciate that our table included photos of Shakespeare alongside Lisbeth Salander. And let's face it, hearing Salt-N-Pepa's Push It made my day. (I'm a sucker for trashy 90's music.) It's a little rough around the edges, sure, but American Burger actually wasn't half bad. It's not gourmet by any means, but there's something charming about an old-fashioned hole-in-the-wall burger joint. read more

Good onion rings Nice and lightly crispy sweet potato fires Lovely seasoned curly fires The BarBeque sauce was nice and refreshing, a perfect dipping sauce for the rings. I uually hate to dip onion rings into anything, but I love this combo. Now onto the burger. Expertly seasoned patties and cooked to my requested medium rare. Very strange the owner switched from a taqueria to this, but it's still pretty good. Now if he'd just narrow the menu down and really focus on burgers.... read more

Nope nope nope. Never again. The only saving grace is that they took care of the bill since we did not like the food. Moments before our food was brought out I watched our server shine or dry silverware on his apron then promptly put the silverware (it was steak knives) on our plates and carry them out as I notice his gnarly food stained apron. So gross. The burger patty's are gritty and obviously frozen and reheated. Be warned they have a mayonnaise based sauce on all the burgers even though it's not on the description so if you don't like mayo your out of luck. Save your money. Especially on the insanely overpriced shakes that are made with market street ice cream. read more

We liked that it is family run business. The burgers were fine (I'd give it three stars) and it was fun watching Grease and playing checkers at the table (four stars). My kids wanted me to give it four stars, so I got outvoted. read more

Burgers don't get much better than this. The Swiss mushroom burger that I had at American Burger was right on par with Barney's hamburgers, the small local chain of gourmet hamburger restaurants up in the Berkeley area. You can tell that a burger joint has it right when the bun isn't just an afterthought used for holding the meat. The bun was soft, with a touch of sweetness and slightly chewy. It was perfect with the crispy smoky flavor of the beef patty. As an extra plus, the decor is a lot of fun in this place. I went there with my wife and we felt like two teenagers our on a date in some uniquely retro out of the way dining hall. I wish I lived closer to Monterey so I could go here more often. Great value for the quality of the food too. Oh, and the fries were really awesome too. They were done just right so that every fry was light and crunchy without being over fried. read more

What a great place to stumble across, we were in town on vacation and saw that there is an Islands restaurant by the highway and wanted a burger. As we were driving toward Islands from our hotel room, I looked over and saw American Burger and thought it would be cool to check out the local scene instead of a chain restaurant. When we walked in first thing I noticed was how cool the vibe was, if I see posters on the wall of John Lennon next to Bob Dylan (playing a P bass by the way) I know I'm in the right place. Next, I see a console hi-fi record player just like my grandmother used to have and it works! I played Tower of Power on vinyl, how cool is that. After we ordered, I notice and small stage with an acoustic guitar on a stand, I asked our waiter who's playing tonight and he said "you"! Ok, now I got to do a little impromptu acoustic set to the patrons and that was fun. The food: Burgers were great, hard to screw that up I think, but when you have a great burger set in this kind of vibe-y place, it really sets it apart. So, I recommend American Burger not only for the food but also for everything that goes with it. Nice owner (s), friendly patrons and set in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Enjoy! ED read more

Very trendy and well organized i really love the environment here and would definitely recommend. Also, great food quality and prices

My husband and I walked in around 4pmish on a Saturday... No one was in there. Just an employee watching tv. I was a excited to try this place out as I had read about it through Yelp... It was ok. Although my husband would tell you otherwise because his breakfast burger was pretty tasty. I get really turned off when restaurants serve their sodas as canned sodas and not fountain drinks.. Bummer such a cute spot. Their decor is awesome, their record player is a nice touch along with their checkers games at each table. My dish... rather underwhelming. I ordered clam chowder. Obviously there are tons of other spots to eat clam chowder at in Monterey, but this is all I really had a appetite for. The chowder was not bad, but I would not go back for it. The bread that came on the side had a weird taste to it. My husband loved it, the waiter was nice. Mention that you're a student, or show your school ID and they give you 10% off. So I guess we have to go back so I can try the burgers. read more

Yummy burgers for a good price! Came in there today (Sunday) and got a free show from seniors playing and singing folk songs - sounds like they were practicing. The decor is vibrant and the service is fine. There's a tic tac to/ checkers pad on all the tables to keep you occupied while you wait. I ordered the mushroom burger and bf had the messy chilli burger. I got halfway through the burger and I was stuffed! I appreciate the grilled onions on the side. Also tried their Oreo milkshake which was good. I prefer malt shakes but it did the job. I would come back here and you guys should check it out too! read more

Love this place..great burger, fries and milkshakes. Quiet. Not very busy. Play checkers at the table. read more

A sad place well past it's glory days. Not a soul in there when we went and we should of ran for the hills. We didn't and regretted it then and later that night. read more

Came in here one night with my boyfriend.I loved the posters on the wall,the vibe was chill and our waitor was really nice. I got the Hawaiian burger and.. YUMM! My boyfriend got the spicy burger and didn't end up eating it cause of the sauce used but said he would try something else cause the burger itself looked good. Classic American burgers & feel. read more

American Burger - Hawaiian Burger.. Yummy. - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

Great burgers, great service, cold frosty mugs for your beers, what more do you need? Plus they have salsa lessons and ukulele lessons!!

Great service great burgers and had to try the papusas there and glad I did, really good planning on stopping here again next time we r here. The live music was a plus the involved the kids and crowd made us feel so welcome. read more

American Burger - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

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Awesome, family-friendly joint in an otherwise overpriced and touristy area. The décor is great...chock full of American musical icons. Music is diverse and fun, and it's at the perfect volume! (Not overwhelmingly loud, very conducive to fun conversation.) The bottle caps and checkerboards make for an exciting wait, and the meal did not disappoint. Great burgers served hot, my husband loved the Elvis Presley with blue cheese. I loved the Classic American. My two boys loved their burgers, and the strawberry milkshake they enjoyed thanks to the check-in freebie was delicious! Clean, bright and nicely decorated inside, we really loved hanging out in here. Wishing much continued success to this great spot...thanks for a fun evening! read more

Over priced burgers for sure. Frozen not hand made, not there. My free milkshake good

Only been here several times, but each time we received great customer service and short wait times. Its a cozy spot with a simple menu and juicy burgers!My favorite is the tomato lovers with a choco/ banana milkshake read more

American Burger - Tomato lovers w/ choco-banana milkshake - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

I went here with some friends for early dinner. It was empty and when we came in here it smelled bad. This place has good burgers but not too many choices for vegetarian. We all got milkshakes, and it taste good. I got double cheese burger. The prices was pretty good about $13 for burger and shakes. The severances all great. read more

its ok, but, since I couldn't go to In-N-Out Burger yet, I gave this place a try. I only went there because I saw the ad saying $6.99 burger and fries, which was false. I would say that RG burger is better, but even then I'd be lying. read more

American Burger - Michael Jackson memorabilia - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California