Nation’s Giant Hamburgers & Great Pies

Awesome cheap breakfast! Can’t beat the price and portion of food! Great servers their fast and very friendly! Food was good their pies are tasty…

So, I always order by phone and I am always told ten minutes.
But everything I go the order is never ready and they don’t start my order until I get there.
What is the point of calling in ?
Nation’s I love the food, but increase the customer service in Berkeley :)

rude and inconsistent food. That about sums it up.

Hopeful Allison
Always comes for pumpkin pie.
Nation’s doesn’t have.

I was at Nations in Alameda just now to get some Pumpkin pie. I was told that Nations discontinued pumpkin pies! I couldn’t believe it so I asked two different people and they both said the same. I’m so sad. I thought it was one of Nations staple food but I guess I have to find a new place to satisfy my Pumpkin pie craving.

i always come to this nations before work. Wed-​sunday and the lasy named christine always helps me. and shes always so nice. definitely more pleasant than a few other nations ive been too. I recommend this one highly

I over eat when I’m here and it’s for good reason. Although all my encounters are well past 10PM, the food has always been great and flavorful. I’ve really nothing bad to say, I always find parking and the staff is friendly. Food is always hot and you see them make it right there. I just got a pie for pi day and it’s never disappointing, but I love pie so what do I really know. Look… I’ll leave you with this, if you need something reliable at all times, including dates, I mean why NOT nations?

«Attention everyone, attention everyone. I will be going to Nations in 26 minutes. Please call me on 2 West for any requests». I had finished the first part of my nursing training back in 1984 and had landed my first job. Graveyard shift at Superior Care Center, a now defunct primarily Medi-​Cal convalescent hospital in Richmond. I was given a huge amount of responsibility including administering medications to between 40 – 60 patients at least twice in the eight hour shift, doing all wound care once or twice a shift, doing all documentation every two hours, testing all blood sugars and giving insulin, etc. I was one of the three white LVN’s employed by SCC the other nurses were Filipina. In the night shift I was the sole non Filipina LVN. The feasts that they shared with me will never be forgotten but sometimes I craved a Nations hamburger and frys more than I could stand!!! All the certified nursing assistants were older black women who had worked at this facility for many years and we’re still probably at that time making minimum wage. They were so exhausted they would sleep in between their every 2 hour in continent rounds, moving like zombies wearing scrubs up and down the dimly lit hallways. Anyway, I wanted so much for these older women to like me. At 24, I was roughly between 40 and 50 years their junior, and I was put into the position of their supervisor, not to mention I was making three times as much money. Several of the women openly resented me. The Nations run was partially a way of me trying to win their friendship.
The Nations in Berkeley is in my neighborhood. The inner décor actually is quite cheerful. The artwork on the walls is done in muted, calming colors and the place is relatively clean and well lit. The counter staff are always pleasant. They are generous with the whipped cream and sizes of pie slices. The frys are fresh and hot, the hash browns crispy. Alas the cream is artificial I fear but hey no problem.

Figured I would give this place another shot. Christine was manning the register again and she was as rude as ever. I guess management doesn’t care about customer service enough to have a word with her.
Oh well, Christine is the black lady that works here. If she is at the register prepare to be treated like you wasting her time.

Burgers are filled with ingredients ans full of flavours that you just melt while eating.
The burgers are giant size, which corrects the name perfectly.
I had the traditional cheesecake which I believe gave me a sneak peak of heaven.
The place is clean and has a beatiful diner atmosphere.
Definetly will come again.

Fuimos 3 y pedimos: 2 hamburguesas, una cheeseburger y otra comun, con todos los inrgedientes, 1 desayuno con 2 huevos y la papa reemplazada por pancake y de carne, bacon (hay muchas opciones), una porción de papas fritas con chilly y queso, 1 milkshake con oreo y una gaseosa. Todo salio u$ 30.
Precio/​calidad se merece 5 estrellas. El precio es similar a hamburgueserias de cadena pero la cantidad y calidad de carne es mucho mejor, por lejos. La hamburguesa se ve gigante cuando está cruda en el momento de ponerlas en la plancha (¾ libra), pero luego quedan bastante reducidas, pero no chicas, el tamaño es ideal, no te quedas con hambre porque el sandwhich completo tiene un buen tamaño. Las papas fritas son normales, el chilly con queso cheddar está bueno. El desayuno es abundante.
El único punto negativo es que el servicio me pareció desordenado, llamaban por un número que no sabia que tenia, ya que el ticket con ese número estaba tapado por otras cosas en mi bandeja y la comida salió separada (esperabamos comer los 3 juntos) y tuve que pedir el milkshake porque se lo habian olvidado. Los baños hay que pedir una ficha (token) para usarlos y estaban muy desordenados (pero no sucio).
En definitiva, un sitio recomendable para comer hamburguesas ricas en Berkeley. La comida es 5 estrellas.

I was just threatened and assault was attempted on me. My car was also vandalized in the process by a black man and woman in the parking lot in full view of the front door. A customer came to my aid but the manager and employees said they were «too busy». Nations only has video cameras recording on the inside of the store to protect their money and employees. No video cameras in the parking lot to protect the customers. Apparently things like this are so routine here that the employees did not even tell the general manager who was there when this happened. They must be cozy with the Berkeley Police cause they tried their best to only list this as just a car vandalism. Businesses don’t want to be considered a public nuisance so they give free food to officers or donations to Police Activities Leagues to get special treatment. Safeway does this routinely. I was in the car at the time to keep the man from hitting me with a metal object.
I eat here 3 – 7 times per week. Not any more.

Where to start …
First off, we were starving ;-)
The service was slow. The burger was hot and juicy. I didn’t care for the bun. It’s was too doughy. The burger itself was flavorful. The fries were so so. Not sure that the meal was worth $ 10.00 for what tasted like fast food. It was good for a quickie.

Nations is, well, nations. Always good spot. Always consistent quality.
Nations is a place you can depend on to serve up a decent burger, fries, and breakfast – not to mention a killer piece of pie. This was my first stop to Nation’s in Berkeley. I’ve been to several other locations in the East Bay, however, and they all serve up very good quality food that is consistent wherever you go.
Got a Cheeseburger, fries, and onion rings. The onion rings were meh but the fries were good as always (though I did ask for extra crispy and didn’t seem to get it). Stop by if you wanna satisfy a quick craving for a burger or breakfast food.

Walking in here is a blast from the past that’s kind of similar to being in a Big Boy, minus the table service and quite the same level of kitsch. It’s the «great pies» part of their sign that led me in, though. And let me tell you, the pie case is a sight to behold, greeting you with its host of colors right when you walk in. They also sell their pies whole, or as «regular» and «small» slices to satisfy any appetite. I got the chocolate cream and was immensely happy with the choice, though simultaneously tempted by all the other offerings. Burgers smelled delish, too. Will aim to return during my 24 hours here.

I was in the east bay and suddenly had a major hankering for a burger. I have heard ads for Nation’s over the years on A’s games but had never been to one so this was my chance. I ordered the giant burger and a side of fries. It took about five minutes or so for it to come but it was worth the wait. I was presented with what looked like an IN OUT burger on steroids. You really have to open your mouth WIDE to get it in. Good burger with fresh lettuce, tomato and onions with a healthy slathering of mayo. If you want ketchup you need to put it on yourself. Fries, which are probably frozen, are OK. The burger is the star. This location in Berkeley is a little sketchy as you need a token for the bathroom.

There was a Nation’s in my hometown growing up, but I rarely went. I’ve rediscovered it while living in Berkeley. It’s a great place to go late at night when you have a craving for a slice of pie and/​or a burger. The breakfast platters are good for the price that you pay; the pies/​cheesecakes are ok; but the burgers are surprisingly quite good, and what I most highly recommend ordering if you go here.

First time here.
Put in your order. Wait for your number to be called. Sit down and eat.
Kind of like In and Out burger, but with pies and pancakes.

Nation’s is quite the East Bay burger institution with over eight different locations in Alameda County alone and three in Contra Costa County. Supposedly named because they claim to serve the nation’s greatest hamburgers. Though I disagree with their statement, they do serve a decent burger.
My now-​former co-​worker treated me to a meal here on my last day. I asked for bacon cheeseburger and strawberry cheesecake and was able to share her order of fries.
— Nation’s claim to fame are their «giant» burgers, with their hamburger supposedly ¾lb but a lot of that is due to the vegetables. Still the burger patty is a bit thick compared to a standard quarter pounder or In-​N-​Out hamburger. Veggies were fresh. The cheese looked like it was just placed in the burger and not cooked with the patty.
— Fries were somewhat on the soggy side with a few crisp pieces.
— Cheesecake was a big piece and had a good amount of strawberry and glaze. It contained my sweet tooth enough for the long road ahead.
They also serve sandwiches, breakfasts and traditional pies. Should I be back in the area (*cough*kavabar*cough*), I would like to try their other options.

First time trying Nations and I wasn’t disappointed. Had a cheeseburger and it was huge. One thing I didn’t care for it was slathered in Mayo but overall the meat was good and the veggies were fresh.
Fries were good, my bf got a slice of Banana cream pie,(OMG) I’m not a big pie eater but damn it was good. Also my friend got a slice of cheesecake which was bomb. I’m not a big dessert person but worth trying.
Overall pretty legit burgers, ok pricing, 24hrs, and the breakfast seemed pretty good. I would try again.

This review is for the banana cream pie, and ONLY the banana cream pie. Anything else you get at Nation’s will be mediocre — not great but also not terrible. Even the other pies are not particularly great: I’ve tried pumpkin, pecan, and blueberry and always regret trying the other flavors when I could have just had an awesome banana cream pie.
The banana cream pie comes in giant quarter slices, so you can definitely share with a friend (or two, if you’re small and/​or eat like a bird). There’s a bit too much whipped cream, so I usually end up scraping most of it off. But the banana cream is fresh (even the bananas taste fresh!) and tasty, with a smooth, creamy finish. And it pairs perfectly with the crust, which is pretty fantastic: not too sweet and also not soggy.
Nation’s has great hours (open past midnight!) for the local college kids who are looking for a midnight dessert. It’s also really easy to access even if you don’t have a car, since the 51B bus stop is right there! This is the most dependable place to grab a delicious late night dessert near Berkeley campus.