Toni M.
Yelp
When I learned that Oh G Burger had opened on upper Solano I was excited, bookmarked it and made a lunch date for today w/ Nina. I parked in the Mechanics Bank lot and walked over, carrying my umbrella in case the rain returned. When I walked in to the restaurant I was surprised how wet and slick the floor was. I wasn't pleased, as it's dangerous but I was cautious, so no falls.
I had attended the YEE at Oh G's Montclair location and had been enthralled by the décor, the food, the overhead music, the service, everything. I had a smashburger there and decided the next time I was there I would have a bulgogi burger. I bought a Caesar salad to take home and really liked it. Well, the next time was today in Berkeley not Montclair. I ordered my bulgogi burger rare and another Caesar salad to take home. The young woman working behind the counter was lovely, warm and friendly. Nina had chosen a table and we took our seats. Nina had brought us waters. Soon we were brought our burgers, mine w/ a napkin and plastic fork, which I didn't use, Nina's was a California burger. She asked for a knife to cut it in half and the man delivering it said they had no knives but they would be happy to cut it in half for her, which they did.
When I bit into my burger, which is served on a sesame seed bun, I was very disappointed to discover it was well done, not remotely close to rare. It wasn't even medium. It was just overcooked and dry, not juicy, as the smashburger had been despite not being rare. I ate it, but not happily. Nina was happier w/ her burger. Maybe she will return, since she lives w/in walking distance if it's not raining. I may give them one more try in a few weeks. Otherwise I will go back to Montclair, since I had a better experience there. The ambiance in Berkeley isn't as appealing. It's much smaller, w/ no paintings of vintage cars on the walls, although I see in the photos that there is a cute mural on the wall that was behind me, significantly less seating, and a radio station playing overhead rather than the soundtrack of 50s/60s pop and rock tunes. Three stars is generous for my experience today. Were it not for the sweetness of the staff and the Caesar salad, which I liked, though it wasn't well drained, leaving the croutons soggy rather than crispy, it would be one or two stars. When the young woman behind the counter came to bus our table and cheerily asked if it had been good, I said no and gave her my honest assessment. She looked startled and said she would speak to the cook. She also said she would speak w/ management about the wet floor when I commented on it, and she cautioned that it's very slick when wet. It's easily remedied w/ mats. Looking at the menu photos II see there are far more options than just burgers.