Manhattan Roast & Grill

CLOSED.
Coming soon:
@poutinerie
Instagram: smokes_​poutinerie
Sadness.

Been here a few times. Never really had a good experience.
The last time I ordered a burger with blue cheese and everything on it with extra lettuce, I only got a a burger with blue cheese and no vegetables.
It was the worst burger I ever ate. It was so salty since there were no veggies to balance it out.
Avoid.

It’s not that far from Berkeley. The food is good and the price seems reasonable for the portion they give you.
It’s small and when it is raining outside it is cold in the restaurant. It is a nice stop for lunch.

I think that their only strong point is really being able to open a little bit later than most of the other burger and fries places that are located nearby. The food that they have is decent, but not the best. I’ve tried a few of their options on the menu, most recently the avocado burger special that they have. It was pretty basic, and nothing that was really special or anything, but it wasn’t bad. I do think that the fries they served were a little overcooked that night too.
I originally came with a friend of mine who had been wanting a milkshake, but they ran out of ingredients when we were there. While I do understand that places may run out of things occasionally, this was a rather big disappointment. They also have limited vegetarian options later on in the night as well. My other friend who is a vegetarian wasn’t able to buy anything from here because they didn’t want to/​were not able to make vegetarian options at night. I’m not sure why, but that’s just what happened.

I haven’t been impressed with most of the burger places I’ve been to in Berkeley. This place was a pleasant surprise though. The first time I went to Manhattan R&G, I had the jalapeño burger combo. The burger was very flavorful and juicy. In my opinion, they put too much salt on the burger, but that didn’t bother me too much. I like how they grilled the peppers and how the peppers were actually spicy. The burger had a nice kick to it. The other burgers that I’ve tried (avocado burger, cheese burger) have been really good too.
The sides are okay. The fries are average and the salad is nothing special. Depending on the combo, it’s usually around $ 7-​$ 8. If given the choice of Wendy’s or this place, I’d choose Wendy’s (while the burgers aren’t quite as good as at Manhattan, the fries are better, it’s cheaper, and you get your food faster). However, in Berkeley people are so anti-​chain that a place like this wins simply because there is no strong competition (Smart Alec’s, Burgermeister, and Phil’s Sliders are all sub par). I can understand supporting local businesses, but I’d be fine with a little competition if it led to better burgers.

I am honestly addicted to this place. I’m personally not a huge fan of burgers and I rarely crave them but walking past Manhattan Roast every day on my way home actually makes my mouth water. I love that they are open late because it’s one of those places you’d go for a late dinner or to meet up with a friend.
The burgers are fantastic and incredibly flavorful. Even their veggie burger is delicious and has a softer consistency than the kinds you get at Smart Alecs. The sides, however, are a whole other thing. I’ve tried probably every single side they’ve had and I strongly strongly recommend you stick with fries. Their mashed potatoes and coleslaw have a really odd aftertaste to them so I’d stay clear of those.
The price is a bit higher than I’d like to pay for a burger (more expensive than McDonalds but cheaper than Bongo Burger) but it’s filling and could probably last you 2 meals if you had the strength and willpower to only eat half of the serving.

I can’t believe it took me until now to come here. Café Durant has been my go-​to since freshman year when Bongo Burger is just too far and all I want is an extremely unhealthy burger, but this place might take that spot…
Combos are the best deal– pick any sandwich under $ 5.99 (most of their burgers, from what I noticed on the menu), any side, and a small drink (which you refill yourself, even better).
I got the mushroom burger combo and couldn’t even finish it although it was delicious. Unfortunately, I had to run off to class right after or else I would’ve tried to ask for a to-​go box to pack up the fourth of a burger and fries I had left. I would not come here every day, not if I don’t want cholesterol problems, but once every couple weeks sounds fine to me.
My one gripe is that the bun gets soggy way too fast, and then you’re left holding a very greasy burger patty, the toppings, the sauce, and mushy bread. Maybe lighten up on the grease and oil and sauce?

Pros:
These burgers are the best I know of and I was addicted to them my last summer in college. This is a place I must visit nearly every time I am around Berkeley.
Cons:
Can be a little pricey and food sometimes takes a while, but it is worth the wait.

Got some burger with avocado.
The patties are huge and don’t fit on the bun. This would be a plus if the patties tasted good. The bun got super soggy for me, and soon fell apart… and the bun itself wasn’t that great to begin with. The ingredients were all mediocre. Everything about the experience was very disappointing.
I haven’t tried their sandwiches, and I doubt I ever will.
I’d pick Bongo Burger or IB Hoagie’s over this in a heartbeat.

Food — 4
Service — 3.5
Atmosphere — 3.5
Overall — 4
If you’re looking for a quality burger place on southside, this is it. Everyone claims it to be Smart Alec’s but really, that’s for the light burgers. You want chorizo on your burger? Fried egg? Avocado? Come here. They’ll serve you up and you can watch them cook. It’s a heaping pile of meat topped with fresh ingredients. The only downside to their burgers is that because of all the fresh heat and the sheer amount of toppings, the bun on the bottom gets soggy very easily.
Order a 5.99 menu item and get the combo for 7.49. The fries are very crispy and beautifully salted. The mac n cheese is a good alternative too.
This is my go to burger place, and although they take slightly longer to wait for, you know it’s because a lot of prep goes into it.
Just keep your soda non-​flat and this place would be buzzing!

Manhattan roast and grill
Your cost and food quantity fits the bill
Your burgers are tasty as they are big
But if I eat too much, I may end up looking like a pig
Your patties are huge ½ lb actually
And so getting full is easy, know that 1^st hand factually
The one draw back is your fries are just ok
But heck, you can ask for everything at the end of the day
Place has amazing ½ lb burgers. I just tried the bear burger with bacon and fried egg and it was pretty devastating. They include their manhattan special sauce so no need for anything else. They serve a lot of other things but it’s a quality burger you’ll find here and it’s pretty impressive given the cost about $ 8 for a combo including a side and a drink. The only thing I’d fault them on is their fries,… They’re just ok. Need a lot of ketchup.

Good food, but this isn’t about that. It’s about the price.
They say that a combo meal costs $ 7.49 (any 5.99 item on the menu + side order + drink). So then why does the total for two combo meals come out to be 16.87? I am paying with cash, mind you, so it’s not the extra .49 from credit card.
So, let’s do the math:
$ 7.49×2 = $ 14.98.
I assume the tax is the same as for California… since it is in California, so that’s an extra 9%.
14.98 * 1.09 = 16.33
So where does the extra 54 cents come from? I asked the guy and he said it’s card, then I told him I paid with cash, and he rang up one meal with cash to be 8.70. It said on the receipt 7.83 for a meal + tax, so the meal combo thing is a lie.
I really don’t care about 50 cents that much but if you’re gonna lie about prices and then give me shitty attitude, I tend not to trust your place anymore. I’d rather the menu say it’s 50 cents more than they sneak it in there.
Am I doing my math right? Please correct me if I’m wrong.

If I was a food critic and had to choose the best places to eat or hang out around colleges between Stanford in Palo Alto and University of California, I would definitely choose Berkeley. Hopefully one day I would check out all the nearby restaurants near the universities nationwide.
As I was walking up on Durant Ave., I saw a banner with the lunch specials in this little plaza. Banner:
This small restaurant has a carving station as well as a grilling station to cook some mean burgers.
Indeed that is what I order. I ordered the «Manhattan» cheese bruger. The $ 5.49 burger has a thick beef patty, American Cheese, thick bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato and a spread of secret Manhattan sauce in a bun (whatever that Manhattan sauce is comprised of). For another $ 2.00 and as you saw from the banner, the burger comes with a large batch of fries and fountain soda. The burger was thick and greasy. The special sauce is tangy. The fries were thickly cut.
Here is a tip from an expert burger-​person: let the greasy dripping from the burger land on your fries as an extra sauce. My meal:
This meal is solid and the price is affordable too.

You know how you always have that one friend who thinks chicken fingers and tots are god’s gift to mankind? The same friend told me how great Manhattan Grill was and so I obviously never went. BOY WAS I WRONG.
My suggestions:
–The bear burger. Do you like fried eggs on things? There’s your answer for you.
— The Manhattan is clutch. avocados, chipotle sauce, steak… cue drool
— Eat the fries first because 30 min in they become little pieces of styrofoam I kid you not
Minus one star though because some guy stole my foursquare mayorship of this place :(

The Berkeley Campus has yearned for a burger joint. No to Kip’s (the go to place at nigh for beer), Smart Alex+ (fried on the flat top), and Pappy’s (dirty and discussing).
Manhattan serves up a char-​broiled (part flat top) that not bad for $ 5.99. The house Manhattan burger is served with bacon and avocado, plus all the fix’s. The Manhattan sauce similar to Jack-​in-​the-​Box. It’s a ½ lbs patty that’s plenty. Not a bad sandwich.
But I’m not going there again.
Lost three stars:
The guy was prepping rib-​eye steaks. He stops to take your order and handle cash. Then returns to the meat without washing his hands. Granted, in the back of the house at most restaurants would gross you out. However, he’s right there handing meat and money. Sick.

|| B A C K G R O U N D ||
Came here for late dinner on a Monday night after a mind-​blowing midterm. omg I wish I could talk about how I felt about the midterm (state of overconcentration is BAD), but you’d probably fall asleep before I even got to describing the food.
I wasn’t sure what to order here, as the Unilocal reviews weren’t unanimous in decision on one item. And for some strange reason, when my eyes connected with the word «meatloaf» on their signboard, I knew I had to have it. And I have no idea why. I haven’t eaten meatloaf in YEARS, probably because I don’t take a particularly fond liking to it. But there was something about that midterm that made me crave meatloaf!!! I don’t get it either.
You walk in to the counter, and to the left are wall seats on stools. People mill around the counter for take-​out orders, so don’t get lost in the wrong crowd. It took me 2 minutes to order, as I was waiting for the cashier to divvy out take-​out orders. And there was no one in front of me either. So…2 minutes seemed reaaallly long.
Food was served in 4 minutes over the counter, and the server said that if I wanted more gravy, I could ask. How nice!
|| F O O D ||
HOMEMADE MEATLOAF LUNCH/​DINNER PLATE: tomato sauce or gravy with choice of 2 side orders and a dinner roll [$ 6.99 | $ 7.60 with tax if paid in cash]
— Two slices of meatloaf drizzled in gravy! Gravy wasn’t too thick and added a delicate touch of mmm mmm good. The meatloaf was a bit dry but savory nonetheless. It looked a bit raw on the inside? At least it looked a bit pink. Then again, I’m not meatloaf expert. =3=
— Salad was normal romaine, nothing too healthy. Chunks of grated parmesan cheese on top with some delectably-​flavored croutons. Yup, that’s my serving of veggies for the week.
— Fries were good. Not salted, and a good chewy, slightly crunch texture.
— Dinner roll felt soft but did not taste soft.
|| C L O S U R E ||
Homemade meatloaf is meh, fries are good, decent portions for the price, food is out fast. It seems like they’re more famous for their roasted turkey sandwich and their burgers, so maybe I should stick the recommendations and not venture far from Unilocal next time. Learning my lesson the hard way: c
They charge an additional $ 0.49 if you pay with card, so bring cash!

Manhanttan offers ¼# burgers, oven roast sandwiches, grilled steaks & chicken sandwiches, salads, and side orders.
a few seats available for seating but it’s basically take out.
eats: special: choice of sandwich/​burger, side order & drink (6.99)
–manhattan club (6.99)
had lots of turkey, roast beef, ham, not much flavoring
swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and avocado also
sliced rye toasted great
added grey poupon later, tasted a lot better
–mashed potato with gravy
creamy, king of lumpy, watery, tasted pretty good.
leftovers
–sandwich didn’t have a lot of taste. good value though.
–maybe a burger next time. nope only ¼#.
–fast service, helpuful suggestions…

The sandwich I got here was delicious as were the fries. It’s really different from most of the sandwich shops you find around Berkeley. Definitely food that’s packed with flavor. I’m surprised that more people haven’t been here yet/​reviewed it.
The portions were also reallyyyy large. I saved half of it for dinner so it’s a great value.

Came here today at lunch because of the Touchdown Monday (30% off for the recent Cal win). Long line that awkwardly meanders out the door and blocks people from entering. The cashier is right on front of the door and there its little maneuvering room inside.
Ordered a roast turkey sandwich on a white roll with avocado. Did a combo with fries soda (usually $ 7.60 tx incl, now $ 5.55). Waited a short time, but phased that time by getting to-​go containers of ketchup and A1 steak sauce. You cash see the huge while roast turkey sitting under the roasting lamp with trays of the other hot sandwich filings.
Taking our food to-​go, I open the box and there is a very large sandwich spilt in two with a generous portion of thick cut fries. Splitting with my friend, I took the first bite… and was not impressed. I could not really taste the cranberry spread, the added avocado was limited, I forgot there was bacon til the end when I saw it sticking out, and even the gouda cheese was not as detectable despite there being two slices and it usually being a very bold cheese. Adding the A1 steak sauce added more flavor amd I liked it then. The turkey breast was very good, since out was thick carved and generous in amount, but perhaps that is why I couldnt taste the other ingredients. I really wanted the cranberry to shine out of the sandwich, but it didnt. Personally, I didnt even like the white sandwich roll; it had a chewy crust rather than a nice and crust and crispy crust like a baguette.
The fries were good, but I probably ate too many.
(Also had a bite of my friend’s manhattan steak sandwich and was also unimpressed. I would rather go get Brazil Café for steak.)
Very filling, decent price, but also decent taste. I will not return.

Their combo meal with side orders and drink is really good; only comes out to 7.50. I ordered the Manhattan burger, which is ½ lb, comes with avocado, bacon, and fries. The burger was cooked medium and not dry.
Service is relatively fast. The seating is kind of cramped and there are only high seats.
TL;DR; Give this place a try as it’s really cheap. ½ lb burger with drink and side for 7.50.