Joe’s Hamburger Place

Enjoyed the burgers, conversation with the cook Ray, and hearing stories about the history of the place from customers who’ve been eating there for 60 years!

What a great spot! Small counter service, burgers & ice cold soda, make this hole in the wall a cute treasure. Burger was juicy, flavorful & filling! Throughly enjoyed the other patrons & the man behind the magic! We will certainly be back again.

They only take cash, so when I’m traveling that’s a problem. I didn’t have cash on me, so I could not try the burger. I hear it’s pretty good. Next time I’ll know better!

Hadn’t been here in a long time. It didn’t disappoint. I had a small burger with all the works. Burger is made right in front of you. It’s stepping back in time. I would recommend.

They should call this place the «Big Juicy». As soon as you bite into this burger you will know why the paper towels are sitting on the counter.
This is a simple burger without frills. Hamburger is rolled into a ball, placed on the grill, flattened out, and turned once. You are asked if you want cheese, mustard, mayo, and tomato. Bun is toasted on the grill.
Sides for the burger are few. Basically, you can get a bag of chips and a drink.
Prices are cheap regardless of size. Sizes include small, medium, large, and the Mailman. Bun size stays the same, but meat gets bigger and bigger.
I really enjoyed talking to the chef. He shared the history of the business going back to when Joe came over from Germany.
We will return. Next time, I’m trying the Mailman

Not a fan. Stopped by with a friend. I ordered a small my friend got a large. If you ask me it was THE SAME SIZE PATTIE yet different prices. No French fries what so ever. And the man working was actually unprofessional making flirty remarks. Not cool. Will never go back. BEWARE

Good hole in the wall and economical and we’ll worth the stop. The hours Are till 7p during the week and till 5p on Saturdays

It’s always those places that a person least expects that’s one of the best. I was invited by a friend and ordered the cheeseburger and it was one of the best cheeseburgers. Just because Joes is old doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go there to eat. I’m graving a Joe’s cheeseburger right now! mmmm-​mmmmmmmm good

This place is so small and easy to miss, but absolutely amazing. Good quality beef, simple ingredients, and a secret sauce to die for.
This is definitely my new favorite place to come for a simple burger with a great flavor. Authentic San Antonio flavor.
You don’t know what you’re missing.

We finally tried this place today after reading all the great reviews. It is a hole in the was for sure! The burgers were good. My husband got his «as it comes», with mustard, onions and secret sauce. He was not a fan of the sauce at all and we were very surprised when the tab came after reading on Unilocal how unbelievably inexpensive the place was. We got 2 large burgers (and I use the term «large» very loosely), 2 chips and 2 cans of coke. The bill was over $ 14! The guy working there explained that after Phyllis passed away, the owner had to do some renovations to bring the place up to code. If it is renovated now, I would have really hated to see it then. Anyway, they have to pay for the renovations somehow, so the prices went up… way up.

Good burger, not a great burger but worth trying once if your from here. With the history attach with it, as Americans we need to keep supporting old American burger joints.
Places like these are nearly extinct, and it’s important to have old burger joints still up and running. To keep a piece of American food culture alive.
The patties are never frozen like all the other burger chains.
Burgers ⁹⁄₁₀. History ¹⁰⁄₁₀.

Just went there for lunch, with the NEW owners and didn’t seem like before. Prices aren’t 2 dollars anymore, they double the prices and water down the mustard. Won’t go back

So good! I have found my local burger join for sa. Has the old hamburger joint atmosphere with all the taste. Everyone should go. If you like burgers this is the only place to go.

Phyliss is what made you want tocome back to Joe’s often… plus the tastiest and most inexpensive burgers in town, so sad to say but we wull never get to enjoy Phyliss’s company or her secret chili sauce. Phyliss has gobe to a better place and Joe’s will not be reopening. Please keep her and famly in prayer.

This is one review that I hate having to write. Part of me wanted to keep Joe’s a secret so I’d always get one of the 5 seats at the counter, but I couldn’t stop myself from evangelizing Phyllis to everyone that would listen. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do that anymore, as Phyllis passed away recently.
She really was a community gem, a cranky little curmudgeon that would shame you for asking for ketchup or grilled onions, then still crack a smile and order you to be careful when you left. She would tell you how paying for water was stupid, and that diet drinks are rat poison, but you could tell that she truly cared about her customers. She would always sit and tell me her opinions on everything from politics to dogs, not once caring if anyone disagreed with her, which we all knew better than to say if we did. It was Phyllis that made Joe’s Hamburger Place what it was. I didn’t go there to eat the burgers, but to listen to her.
The burgers were nothing special, just ground beef, slapped on to an antique cast iron griddle, smashed and squished until she felt the were appropriately cooked, seasoned with just salt once they came off, plopped onto a toasted bun with mustard, Miracle Whip (if you asked nicely), chopped white onions, cheese, and her secret sauce. If you want produce on your burger, you better bring it yourself. She would slice a tomato up for you, provided you brought it. The whole thing was wrapped up and plopped in front of you, to be eaten with copious amounts of paper towels, hot sauce, and if you were smart, a bag of Fritos and a Big Red. These are the burgers that your grandma would have made for you, except with a side of politics. You can’t mention the burgers without the prices. A medium (which I could barely finish) comes out to a whopping $ 1.15. When you’re ready to go, she takes out her pencil and does the math for your order on the counter top consulting an old tax table for the tax. You pay and she brings your change, leaving all of the cash on the counter, held in place under an empty soda can or a hot sauce bottle. No one ever disturbs any of her piles of money, and it’s just part of the experience. When you try to tip (which for these prices, you had BETTER!) she would rasp at you and tell you to «put that away. That’s too much. Put that up now.» so that you would have to sneak a few bucks down before you ran out.
A lunch at Joe’s really was an experience that everyone should have had. Phyllis will be truly missed.

Great experience! Somewhat difficult to find (the building looks abandoned, no sign). As some other Unilocalers have mentioned, this place has been around 70 years — and the griddle is from 1928 which is pretty neat. This place is untouched by the passing of time. Chatting with other patrons while we waited for our food was really fun, the guy sitting next to me said he has been coming there for thirty years.
The hamburgers are good and the price is ridiculously low. Phylis (the owner?) is a gem — a real character. My recommendation is to take the burger however (!!) she gives it to you (this is not a place for picky eaters, no special orders). Don’t ask for Diet Coke (she doesn’t carry it) or water (she did give me a glass from the tap).
Highly recommend if you are feeling adventurous and want a tasty, inexpensive meal.

How have I lived here for 8+ years and never heard of this place? I am beyond ashamed of myself.
I thought I had already tried every burger in San Antonio. Boy was I wrong! I missed nit only one if the best burgers but also one if the most unbelievable experiences in this city.
Phylis is the owner, cook, waitress, cashier and whatever else she may need to do, master of this little, REALLY little, burger joint. She is awesome!
We walked in, after driving by it 3 times, to find 5 barstools and a little counter. In the back was an old, OLD, grill along with a coke cooler that is probably the same age and Phylis was back there grilling away.
We ordered 2 large burgers and 2 Root Beers and sat there watching her work. Every now and then she’d turn and talk to us. It came up that I am from Michigan. She rolled her eyes and called me a yankee. I laughed and said I thought I had been here long enough to not be a yankee anymore. She smiled, called me a Damn Yankee and went back to grilling. A couple minutes later she turns around again and asks if I like ketchup. I said yes, she responded back with «Too bad. We don’t have any here» then back to building burgers.
She wasn’t lying about the ketchup either. When our burgers were dine she asked if we wanted everything on them. At this point I was a little scared of her so I told her to make it «however she wants to» Everything consisted of mustard, Miracle Whip (not mayo), onions and «secret sauce» (chili of some kind I think). The burger was delicious!
When Phylis got everything caught up she sat and chatted with us and the regulars that had also wandered in. This lady has stories!
We finished eating and she rook her trusty pencil and wrote on the table to figure the total. 2 burgers, 2 sodas came to a total of about $ 4. We doubled that fir her tip and headed on our way.
This place is a local gem, literally a diamond in the rough. Be sure to go early though. She is only open from 11:30 until she runs out of meat, could be 1 hour could be 4. You just don’t know so get there early you will nit regret it!

If I can give it a 10 stars, I would.
Warning: as one of the regular patron said, don’t pay too close attention on how the food was prepared.
Here is what I LOVE about the place:
–As few of the other reviewers mentioned, the place been around for 70 years, the griddle is from 1928. It is like eating a piece of history.
–The locals are fantastic, I had the best dinning experience ever chatting with everyone, kind feels like Cheers, and this is from a guy that ate Orku in Accra, Khachapuri in Tbilisi, so yeah, I have been around.
–The price is unbeatable, $ 2.9 for two medium burgers with everything and one Big Red. I left her a 5 and I was full when I’m done.
— She wrote the price of each item on the table and calculated the total ON the table. I don’t know why, but it is just SO fun to see her do that.
As other people have mentioned, it is hard to spot the place, there is no sign out side. Also since Phylis is the cook/​cashier/​waitress, it can take some time to get your food. Other places might cook your burger faster and have WiFi, but you just can’t find another place like this.

I found this place on Unilocal.I will admit, I live on Blanco and it took me a little while to find it because there are no signs and it looks like an abandoned building.
However, the locals love this place and I arrived early because word was mentioned up at the Gore Airport I was bringing my hubby a burger. Within twenty minutes I had 18 orders and the lady behind the counter cooked every burger!
I felt bad because the locals were having to wait but everyone was really cool and laid back. They were joking she was gonna run out of meat — and when she does, it’s closing time. So get there early! I will be back — some of the best burgers and hospitality around.
And it’s all true — she uses a pencil and an old tax chart to tally the total. Cash only. One lady, a counter, and some Rush Limbaugh in the background.

Pure nostalgia is found here. No menu, no sign, no staff, no bull. Just one lady taking orders, cooking, and discussing local politics. Burger (no double, triple, etc. only small, medium, large) is simple and great, just like the building. Chips and can soda (Big Red just seems right) is all you get with your burger (if you choose). No salads or grilled chicken either.
If you want your burger with lettuce or tomato, you’re out of luck. Onions, chili, cheese, sauce, ketchup, mustard, and mayo is about all there is.
It took me 40 years to find this place (was I wandering?), but I’ll be back!