Sam’s

C’est un minuscule endroit rempli d’histoire. Nous avons pris des hot-​dogs et une rondelle d’oignon, c’était très bon. Le monsieur qui nous a servi était courtois et rapide. Les refills sont constants lorsqu’on est assis au comptoir. J’ai trouvé que 4,75 $ pour un hot-​dog c’était cher, mais ils sont très gros, alors ça rempli bien. :) Bonne découverte ;)

If you live here or visit here and do not eat here, you are wasting your existence. I literally come here every time I am in the city. It’s a no frills, down home and damn good cheeseburger and French fries. Don’t get crazy and try to get a table or order pizza or shrimp. Just sit at the bar, order a cheeseburger and fries and enjoy the bliss. There is something about that smokey charred burger that just taste so good. I would say it’s my favorite burger I’ve ever had. Again, it’s not trying to be gourmet or inventive, it’s just a damn good burger with fresh veggies and big soft bun. Add the plate of fries in because let me tell you, they are always hot and always crispy. The guy that runs it is always there and he’s super nice and makes sure you won’t be disappointed. Bring cash.

This place is awesome. Very small not much too it but the food is great, the price is goods, the beer is cold and cheapest around. Come see Fatty!

This place has to have been here forever. Get a double cheeseburger and you certainly won’t regret it. Recommended by Anthony Bourdain also !

Went here with a few friends and got a hot dog and a Snapple. Food was alright, not amazing. Guy was semi rude and gruff with us, he seemed unhappy when we ordered more food. It seemed like more of a chore for him to make food for his paying customers. Will probably go somewhere else for food next time.

this is what makes San Francisco!
cheap, greasy burgers, late nights, hole in the wall.
burgers cooked to order served on the paper plates.
the taste is pretty good, not really good but the ambiance and the experience is what makes it better than good.
their french fries is amazing!

I like this spot. It’s small and cozy and feels like an old school experience. I went with some friends and I’m vegetarian and they made me a grilled cheese, which was not on the menu. If you’re in the area late night looking for food, this could be your spot!

I blindly stumbled into this little hole in the wall after having my senses knocked out at the spacious Raven. My bf and I ordered a cheeseburger w onions rings and it was awwwesomeeee. I immediately felt safe after the first bite and forgot about the horrible nightmare that I had just crawled out from.
The cook and server was super friendly and attentive to everyone. Food came out quick and he even swung by to drop off some free fries. Definitely adding Sam’s to my list of late night eats. Tears. A bit pricey tho: $ 8 for a hamburger (no cheese) :D

Saw this place on a show on tv! We had to check it out while being in SF. This is the place to get a burger after a night out! Not a lot of space to sit. Very casual place but great food! We will go again!

Went here 2 nights ago, heard about this through anthony bordains show, we always stay in china town and walked by this place all the time and never gave it a second look because the sign is run down and looks shady, it was around 11pm when we got there, there was only 4 other people in there which was surprising,
I guess we got there before the rush which usually starts around 130am when the bars close, dont expect too much as far as décor, its rough looking inside, but the burgers are tasty, french fries really good, not sure about the other stuff, but stick to a burger you cant go wrong. If you just need some quick, non fancy grub after goin out

A group of us went here to find some late night food. We ordered pizza and sat down at the end table. Immediately after we finished our food, the guy behind the counter tells us he needs our chairs. We don’t really understand what’s going on, but we agree to move to another table anyway. Of course, when he sees us sitting down again, he tells us we have to leave now.
No idea what happened, but I will not be coming back.

lmao at this place. I was expecting the burger of my dreams with all the Bourdain recommendations so you know, I got the bourdain special.
Really not great and certainly not the «best burger you’ll ever have» BUT the service here is mad upbeat and friendly so I will probably shamelessly come back if I crave something into the wee hours of the night since it opens super late.

Bed burger ever? Hardly. Best burger ever late night? Probably. Great ambience and good solid food. Fries right out of the oil bath and right onto your plate. Burger cooked to order. Hot to your plate. No heating lamps. This is the perfect place to eat after boozing it up. The proprietor is amazing. No nonsense service. Fast. He forgot to charge me for the bacon I ordered for my burger and he insisted that I not pay for it. I wasn’t going to argue with someone so awesome so I left the bacon cost on top of my tip. I snuck out before he noticed I gave him the bacon money because who knows what might have happened after.
Terrific place, I get why Bourdain loved it. You will too.

Having seen the episode of my man Anthony Boudain’s The Layover in which he comes here and says Sam’s is one of the best hamburgers in the world… and then having come here myself, I thought «Oh I get it! Bourdain was really, really drunk!»
Sam’s might not be the best hamburger in the *world*, but they do make some prime drinking food here! All on the cheap, no less. $ 4 Stella + $ 4 delicious grilled hotdog with fresh tomato and lettuce. It’s a really cool experience to sit at the counter and order from the same guy who walks over to the window and grills up your burger or dog.
If you need an intermission in between bars to get food in North Beach, Sam’s is maybe the best decision you’ll make.

Good burgers for that early morning munchie mode! Popular spot for locals and tourists alike looking for a burger fix!

The fact that Bourdain came here caused us to stop by while in the neighborhood at 1 am. The things he said about the burger calls into question his palate and makes obvious the fact that he was definitely drunk when he ate here. The burger in question was OK at best. By ok I mean if u want to taste this burger you don’t need to trek down here, you can find the EXACT SAME ballpark style hamburger in any Denny’s across the country. Combine that with frozen fries and a crappy bun and you have a meal that only a drunk person who just spent the last 2 hours staring at strippers would call epic.
It’s mediocre on its greatest day and not even worth mentioning the rest.
Oh yeah service and atmosphere were great. Too bad the food doesn’t match.

After arriving to San Francisco on a late flight, I knew that the first place I had to grab food from was Sam’s. It’s a very small (but cozy) place, with most of the seating at a long bar in the front. The owner is such a friendly guy, and the burgers were simply perfect. I’m so glad I came to Sam’s as soon as I arrived, because it kick-​started my trip on a positive note.

Oh Sam’s.
You’ve drawn me & my peeps to your counter more than a few times. It’s always at two in the morning, but nonetheless…
There are other options, even at two in the morning.
Like Yuet Lee (Chinese) or My Canh (Vietnamese), which are also on Broadway. And on weekend nights, there’s North Beach Pizza, Taqueria El Zorro, Golden Boy, & Buster’s. (They’re not open that late every night)
See? There are plenty of 2 AM options in North Beach.
But your down home, old school, greasy (in a good way) burgers are sometimes just what this girl needs in life. No frills. Just grub.
And your eclectic clientele can be rather entertaining. And scary. But mostly entertaining.
Sam’s, you’ve been a beacon of late night eats for probably every North Beach resident…
at least once.
That grill of yours has been bringing in professional chefs after they get off work, hipsters, partiers, & late night dwellers for decades.
Way, way, WAY before Anthony Bourdain ever walked in.
I think that’s WHY he walked in, right?
I was 21 the first time one of my friends dragged me in here, & I can honestly say that you haven’t changed a bit in all these years.
Well, except your prices.
Back in the day, it was practically a requirement for anyone new in the neighborhood to visit you at 2 AM.
If they wanted to be a real North Beacher, anyway.
You are a North Beach institution. For straight up grub, you can’t be beat.
Thanks Sam’s.
4 stars.

Well not sure about the burger being the 3^rd in the world but it was definitely good. Don’t expect that it will be complicated. Simple double cheese with onions and sauce. That’s about it. However just a good place to stop i f you re hungry. Not sure I will travel to go there but if you re around, it will fill you up.

We were actually on the way to get a bowl of noodle soup. Since it was just Peter L and I, I dragged him to Sam’s instead. I know Anthony Bourdain featured this place on his show, so I’ve always wanted to check them out.
*Sam’s hamburger: ¼ lb ($ 6), Cheese (+$ 0.50) — Decent burger, but really, nothing special.
*Pizza slice: Pepperoni ($ 3.75) — Awful! Stay away from their pizza. It was served room temp, so the cheese wasn’t melty at all.
*Beer domestic ($ 4) — I wanted to keep drinking so we just ordered a couple of Bud lights.
I don’t know how drunk Anthony Bourdain was when he ate here. But one of the best burgers he’s ever had?! Sounds like he had major alcohol goggles on.
Average burgers, but horrible pizza!

Any late night food spot in the city is a plus in my book. Was it one of the top three burgers i’ve had in THE WORLD? Probably not, but it was pretty good after a night out bar hopping in North Beach. My friends and I actually tried to end the night early so we wouldn’t have to fight for a spot at the bar or wait super long for our food, but when we came in, there were about 2 – 3 people eating in there and we were asked to ‘come back in 20 minutes.’ No questions asked, we left and had a drink up at Sip Lounge a block away. After about 30 minutes, we came back and the line was out the door lol. It’s cool though, we didn’t mind just hanging out for a little longer. There were no more seats or tables to sit at inside so we took the burgers to go and ate in the car.
I would recommend Sam’s to those looking for a late night eat if you’re out in the North Beach, Broadway, Financial District, or Polk St. areas. It’s also pretty cool that their burgers were blessed by none other than Anthony Bourdain.

Super Burger (besonders der Double Cheesburger) zu sehr humanen Preisen. Perfekt nach oder während einer Bar-​Tour durch Chinatown!