We had a delicious lunch here today. My rotisserie chicken with a romaine side salad was delicious and the perfect lunch portion. Best rotisserie chicken I've had in years - crispy skin, yum! My companion had the bourbon burger with no bun and a side of outlaw fries. Big burger, no complaints. Service was good and our friendly server's recommendations were spot on. We got an unexpected phone call that sent us out the door in a hurry and she sent very kind 'hope things go well' wishes our way, I'll definitely hit this place up again when I'm in Hollister next. read more

Good pizzas and other non-burger options. Wood fired half-chicken was great and only $15. Pizza starts at $8 and are very good. Reasonable beer list. read more

Running Rooster - Half a chicken, wood fired - American Near Me - Hollister, California

Wonderful attentive host & waitress. Clean and up to date interior. They didn't have root beer floats on the menu but let me know I can order rootbeer and a shake and make one! Awesome! Yummy! read more

Running Rooster - American Near Me - Hollister, California

Lauren was are bartender / wait person and was not only very pleasant was a wealth of knowledge regarding the menu, the beers and the general state of affairs in town... we had a great time eating and sampling... the onion rings are amazing ... nice place to eat and try some different beers from all over....thanks again... read more

Running Rooster - American Near Me - Hollister, California

I am here on business and always look for good places to eat while out of town. I have to say, I was highly impressed eating here. 2 seperate servers quickly asked what I would like to drink. Once I ordered, my food came not too long after. I got their half chicken with the side of vegetable and mashed potatoes. Everything was perfect. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, the potatoes were simply awesome having the right texture and were very flavorful, and the brocolli was great--flavorful and cooked just right to there the lol ueves were soft but not mushy. Soon after I got my food, I was approached about a minute later asking if everything was okay then again later by another waitress. I love this business approach with resteraunts where any server can approach any table. I hate when something is needed like a refill but if the server walking by isnt yours they just ignore you--this is NOT the case here. Bottom line, my food was great and so was my service. I even had the chocolate chip cookie with walnut and I enjoyed that as well! One last thing, the bathrooms were immaculate and smelled good--taking the time to ensure a clean bathroom shows how you treat the rest of the establishment!!! read more

Running Rooster - American Near Me - Hollister, California

We came here because the Hamburger Factory was closes. The hostess was not friendly and sat us at a dirty table so would waited at the table for someone to come and clean it. I asked if we can have the booth that was empty but she said it was for a couple walking in. Our waiter looked rather scared to talk to us but then opened up a little bit. We ordered the garlic fries which were very tasty and they were not shy with the garlic. The food overall was pretty good but the service needs a lot of help. From no sodas for the kids which came with the kids meal, no fries with a burger served and watered down coke. Maybe we just came on a bad day considering Saturday night is a good night to go eat Wow. read more

Running Rooster - Sure is a light looking poke when you drink it you can tell if it is watered down - American Near Me - Hollister, California

See all

Great menu with something for everyone! The waitstaff was very friendly and the food was tasty. The salad I had with grilled chicken, asparagus and mango was delicious and the ingredients were fresh. The fish tacos were also very good. The atmosphere is casual and comfortable. We went for lunch and the service was very fast. Highly recommend this family friendly restaurant! read more

I've only been here twice because we live an hour away but will stop on our way to Monterey for lunch. The food is always delicious and they have the cutest little area for kids to play. Definitely worth the stop. read more

We have been to Running Rooster for lunch so we thought we would try them for supper. Sadly to say it did not meet our expectations. I had a rib eye steak for $29.50. It came with baked potato and side salad. The steak was very poor quality. Very fatty with a lot of leaders. My daughter had a hamburger. They actually make good burgers but for some reason they brought it out to her on a plank. Yes, a piece of wood, with splinters.My wife had pizza, not bad but the crust was tasteless. My recommendation is skip the Running Rooster for dinner and go their only for lunch. read more

This place is not worth a second trip out. Food is pretty highly priced for the average quality of the food. Had a cheeseburger which was okay, but not great. The size of the cheeseburger was also unsatisfactory. The Fries were terrible. The service by the staff was pretty good. read more

The atmosphere was nice, but food and service were lacking. My plate and silverware were dingy and spotted and my chair wobbly. I ordered salmon salad, which was okay despite the slimy pieces of lettuce. My kids ordered pizza and said the sauce tasted canned. My husband loved his burger but fries were overseasoned. Our server was absent for nearly our entire visit. Sadly, not worth the big city prices. read more

Giving them 3 stars because we like their food and normally have a good experience. The other night not so much. The waitress was not friendly at all and wasn't very good at her job. There was a confusion on the appetizer order and she brought out the wrong ones and she wasn't very forgiving on letting me know that i was in the wrong. She then brought our food a couple minutes after we got our appetizers, not even spacing it out. That's basically the last interaction we had with her. . . .She also brought my dad a beer that she had poured that was 60% foam and set it down and walked away. my dad had to get up and take it to the bartender to have it properly poured. The waitress was there and witnessed the whole thing, but didn't apologize or anything. We will be back, but we will not have her as our server. read more

The food was sub par, appetizer had 6 small pieces of steak a bunch of cheese and 6 tortillas.... I ordered more steak but my dinner came out and the cheese was cold by the time the waiter brought the steak out. On to dinner I ordered the chicken dinner...... it was cold and looked like it was not fresh it actually was the driest chicken I have ever had. Waited for my bill and it never came I had to go stand at the register......... I did not see a manager so I could not complain but I do want my money back! read more

Not super horrible, but I'm not rushing back. I really like the idea of this place, and they just need a couple tweaks to make it great. Service needs to be really fast for lunch. Both times I ate there it took a strangely long time to get our food, like 1/2 an hour after ordering a burger and fries. read more

The three stars are because their hamburgers are the best in town. Great place for a burger although a bit expensive; most other items are over-priced for what you get. You used to get great friendly service. Since the remodel it's sketchy at best. This last visit I finally decided to write a review as they've had plenty of time to get this right and today was the worst so far. Instead of a long description of everything that went wrong, here's just some of it: very slow service when there was few people there. Took super long just to get water. My salad was missing most of the ingredients and it took a while for waitress to come back to tell her. She apologized and made it right, though. The prawns on the salad didn't have the wood oven taste I had expected. weren't wood grilled or wood anything from what I could taste. They've had some really great beers on tap but each that I've really liked haven't stuck around. At least this visit they weren't out of half the items we ordered. You pay a premium price for their yummy carrot cake but now the size is 1/3 what it was before the remodel and still the same price. I don't buy it each time we go now as it's a big splurge for such a dinky piece. The decor looks great when you walk in, but now that I've experienced it I realize they're not using the space very well to accommodate enough seating. The kiddie section is a liability suit waiting to happen (toys with wheels falling on the floor) and the train and shelf another waste of space. The wall magnets are a great idea though. Fun for the kids. I don't know why our small town needed another bar with yet more big screen t.v.'s distracting from what could have been a nice place to eat and converse with family and friends. How many people sit at that bar watching a game and are paying $30 for a rib eye? And it's pretty doubtful they're kicking back a lot of the $9 beers. It's like they couldn't decide which type of restaurant to be so are trying to do it all not so great. I hope they're able to work out the kinks and transition into the great place I know it can be. For now, we'll continue to try it again in a month or so since we really do love their burgers. read more

First of all, major kudos to our server, Sabrina! So nice and attentive. And just wow, to the buster, Adrian! Such a hard working young man! Secondly we had the lunch specials, chicken-avocado-BLT, Chicken pesto flat bread salad and split an order of fries. Took home half the sandwich and probably half the fries! The food was good, a bit too much dressing on the salad. White wine choice was limited to 3 choices, which were ok. Would be better if there were more but maybe there are more beer drinkers. Thirdly, I always appreciate clean and well cared for bathrooms in restaurants. This was great along with a way to text someone that it would need attention! read more

The first time I came here I made the mistake of ordering the Salmon burger. Dry, unimpressive, and overpriced ($10). I decided to give it another go only because of its close location and the fact that I didn't want fast food. I'm glad I did, because I ordered the Turkey/Jack/Apricot sandwich. The bread is amazing and all of the ingredients just blend well together. Then I decided to try the Bleu Apple Walnut salad with Salmon, which was all right, but still nothing great and bordering on the overpriced. Mistake #2 reared itself in the form of the Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwich, which was surprising given that this should have had DELICIOUS written all over it. I thought to myself, "I like BBQ. I like pork. I like sandwiches. This should be great!" Sadly, my sandwich tasted like a cigarette. I know they smoke their meats, but this was waaayy overdone, like if they had taken the pork and sat it in front of a car exhaust for 3 days. Also, the bread tasted old or was just of a poor quality--another unexpected revelation since the bread from here is usually great. If this restaurant were in any other location, I would have probably not gone back after the first disappointment that was the Salmon Burger. However, it's in Hollister, and if one is looking to eat out for lunch or dinner, there are, as they say, slim pickin's. read more

Running Rooster indeed has the best burger in town, if not the "best burger ever". Fancy it's not, but their food is truly a few notches above everything else in town. Staff is friendly, and fairly steady too. The restaurant is always clean, and there's more on the menu than you'd think for a burger joint. If you're a local, don't forget to download the "Perka" app for iPhone or Droid, etc, to get stamps toward your next meal...cuz you'll be back soon! read more

This place has the best burgers in town! I dare anyone to find a better burger place in Hollister. Trust me, it's worth the drive. You won't be disappointed. read more

Way too expensive but atleast it's usually good. Go here when you wanna treat and spend more.

Hmm... where to start? Management could use some direction and training in hospitality (one lady in particular should be sent to charm school) and logistics... try not to harass the staff on the floor and be sure to get it right if you do. Be professional and handle it at the back of the house... this is a small town, remember? People are watching and word gets around. The food is just OK... not horrible but certainly not the best in town - its just over priced for mediocre meals. The servers take your order, drop off the plates, and completely disappear. Don't count on them coming by unless you need your check. We shouldn't have to wave them down but the last time we were there, and that will be our final visit, we had no choice just to get our check.....forget about a drink refill. read more

Tried this place one more time and still not a winner. The food is just so-so,, lacking originality and flavor and quite frankly just bad. Once again witnessed crabby management harassing staff. No thank you, never ever again. read more

Review Edit- The real flat bread is back 5 stars now and I'm happy. My "Go to" spot for a good beer and great food. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because something changed with the flatbread. It's still good, just different like it is rolled through a machine instead of hand tossed. The flatbread is what always kept me coming back. Please don't change it!!! read more

Upon arrival we were seated within seconds. Our food took no more then 15mins; calamari was delicious, GARLIC FRIES WERE PERFECT made me miss nights at the AT&T park, my husband & I also shared the chicken & bbq pizza. Everything was very flavorful- thank you for the tasteful lunch - we will definitely visit again:) read more

Running Rooster is a difficult restaurant to classify. At lunch, you can order several types of delicious sandwhiches and salads. Every sandwhich I've had has been great. The pulled pork may be my favorite, but today, I had a turkey and jack with apricot spread - yum! At dinner, they start selling pre-made meals. Given that Hollister has become an exurb that is at least a 1.25 hr drive from downtown San Jose - probably closer to 2 hrs from the Palo Alto area - I think that this place caters to working parents who don't have the time or energy to cook, but want something relatively healthy. This place fills that need nicely. If you eat in, the atmosphere is very cozy, like eating in a friends dining room. Each table is unique, as if each were found at a different persons garage sale. read more

Sparkys and outlaw fries! I always enjoy my burger and love that they aren't under cooked or burnt to a crisp. when I have that craving for a juicy mouth watering beefy burger this is where I go! A little more on the pricey side but in my opinion its worth it for real food and fresh veggies. read more

1st time here no bueno at all!tri tip flat bread sandwich was gross!1st time here n last!

Ordered some burgers for dinner the other night and, as usual, they were great. The variety of burgers makes it easy for everyone in our family to pick something they will enjoy. Garlic fries are always a favorite The customer service is excellent. I would say that Dominic is the best manager eveeeeer read more

Decent lunch spot in a small town that doesn't offer all that many choices... Popped in for lunch here recently on the promise that this place served the "Best. Burgers. Ever." And although I would never go that far, the burger was decent; albeit pricey at $12 (with seasoned fries). I ordered the Ring of Fire burger, which was basically a cheeseburger with habanero relish. It had a kick, but I only blew my nose once while eating it. Got a free brownie for checking into this place on Foursquare, which was a nice surprise... The service here is very good. You order at the counter, are given a number, and the food is brought to your table. The number that you are given is unique, though. A billiards ball, in my case the lucky #13, that you place on a piece of pvc pipe. Nice touch... read more

I don't generally give 5 stars, however this is one of the best burgers we've had on the road. You walk in, pick up a menu, order your burger or whatever, go set down and when your order is ready, they bring it to you. The service is great. They not only have great burgers, they serve steaks, fish, pork etc. Also several differant salads and sandwiches, deserts and have a kids menu. The entire Resturant is really clean. Chely, who took our order both times we were here, was extremely courteous and went around to the tables a couple times to see if everything was ok. In most restaurants your lucky if they check on you just once. I highly recommend this place. read more

See all

Love going here for their fish tacos! My husband and I would come here just for that. Can't find any fish tacos better than that. We also like their big selection of beer on tap as well. read more

Maybe we got there on an off night. The food was not hot and the chicken was so dry it was difficult to eat. Service was good people were friendly, but the food does not make up for it. read more

The Dutch Dip (french dip) is great - nice and peppery thinly sliced and tender, and the pulled pork is good too I love their BBQ sauce. The Turkey and Jack with Apricot spread sanwich is a must try I can't even explain how well it all melds together in yummy messy goodness. The cookies are scrumptious and huge. On the downside service is realllllllly slow even when not busy, so slow that I try to call my order in, but half the time they don't answer the phone and just let the answering machine pick up which is annoying. Update 10-01-2009* - Still go in here regularly, and they are much faster. Last week I even called at 12:10 to place an order to go and they actually are answering the phone and taking orders even when it's busy. YEA! The food is still great, Love the pulled pork Moist and juicy, tender bits of porky goodness, and the Turkey Apricot Jack sandwich is THE BOMB. Just recently I have tried a foray into the burgers and they are out of this world, bring your appetite or a friend though because they are huge. Fresh off the grill, juicy and loaded with any of your favorite toppings. The lines are still out the door at lunchtime, so call it in, or be prepared to wait, because when food is good people flock to it, and flock here they do at lunch. read more

We always try to stop into the Running Rooster when we are near Hollister. Our first visit was a couple of years ago and they had much more BBQ choices on their menu. When we stopped in today their menu was primarily burgers and sandwiches. But we were not disappointed. The staff cooks the meat outdoors by the main entrance and its fun to chat a bit and thank him for the great food on the way out. Its a good place for groups and kids. Great milkshakes, too! read more

I really enjoy their burgers, which all I have ordered from them. The portions are large and the burger it made to your specifications, which includes cooking the meat and the topping to go with it. I would say they have the best burgers in town. read more

Was in Hollister for work and decided to check this place out based on a strong recommendation from a colleague. Ordered the Que burger and guacamole and chips for an appetizer. The appetizer was creatively prepared and tasted great!! The burger was huge but had too much going on for my liking, it was too sloppy to hand handle. The fries were great and not too greasy. All in all this place is good and their customer service is wonderful. read more

Great Customer Srevice. Great Food I believe if your in Hollister you must stop here at least once! :] The restraunt was packed(which is a sign of good food!!) The guy at the front was super nice Made great eye contact and the food,There was a lot of it. read more

Great food and a comfortable atmosphere. Good happy hour specials. Love to eat here.

So we decided to give this place another shot and surprisingly they have improved. I only give them 3 stars as there was a hair in my salad which is not good but they did not charge for it. The food is good that was never an issue and it seems like the service has improved. read more

Always my favorite "go to" spot! Salmon plank for dinner is my favorite ! Turkey burger is also delicious! Can't go wrong here.