Ernie’s All American Burger Drive Thru

Casual atmosphere and great food! Very reasonable prices, we feel lucky to have found Ernie’s for lunch. Highly recommend!

I made the mistake today of ordering the Alfredo pasta. It was terrible. It was bland and had a weird flavor. The appearance of the chopped mushrooms sprinkled on didn’t really tickle my fancy either. Lol I have had their burgers before and they were pretty good, that’s why I gave 3 stars. The woman working the window was extremely friendly too so that’s another reason for the 3 stars.

We stopped in for our first trip tonight. I had the #1 on Texas toast with an added patty and fries, both were really good. My wife had a mushroom and swiss with an added patty and grilled onions on a bun with onion rings. She enjoyed both, but the bun got a little soggy and the onion rings were way over cooked, very dark. The staff wasn’t very friendly, but service was quick. Overall, a good experience, we will definitely give them another shot!

I don’t consider myself a burger snob but I do consider them to be one of my favorite foods… which makes me a bit more critical in my reviews.
A coworker told me that he had eaten here for years and it was delicious. They have everything from salads to pasta to burgers.
I looked online and there were no menu listings online. I called a bit before the listing said they opened and was delighted when someone answered. He said they don’t have a website but they could fax me a menu. I didn’t know my fax # so I had to go get it and call back.
I called back a short time later and the person remembered speaking to me on the phone. The menu was faxed over immediately and we decided what we wanted.
I called back a short time before we were ready to eat. We ordered two burger combos — 1 was a #1 on Texas Toast and the other was a mushroom swiss burger. Both with fries and fountain sodas.
We left a few minutes after hanging up the phone as I work only a mile or so down the road.
Parking is easy and the restaurant is wide open inside. Several booths and a few tables with simple décor and signage.
The order was ready as soon as we paid and we filled up our sodas and grabbed some ketchup.
I took the orders back to work and we dug in. My choice was the #1 on Texas Toast. The burger patty was thin which surprised me given the sheer volume of the bread and toppings. The lettuce was fresh and crispy and cold. I added bacon when I ordered and was surprised when the bacon was crumbled and not strips. I think having it crumbled masked a bit of the flavor — it took a few bites before I even realized they remembered to put it on. The thousand island dressing is a knock out. That paired with the pickle slices was superb. I wills ay though with a slightly larger burger patty this would be a 5 star burger. The burger got lost a bit in all the burger accompaniment though.
Now to the fries… I love fries. I also love fries that are double fried. It allows the inside to stay squishy but still be crispy on the outside. Downfall to that — you get a fair portion of burned fries. My bag had a large amount of fries but many of them were too burned to eat. The ones that weren’t burnt were delicious though. Crunchy and squishy all the same time with the perfect amount of salt. The ketchup was cold and perfect for dipping.
Fountain soda — well, it’s fountain soda. They had root beer though which scored points in my book.
I think for the price, the burger is ok but left me wanting something more. I definitely would not want the regular bun if I ordered a burger. The Texas Toast is really what makes this burger shine. Well, that and the thousand island dressing.
My coworker enjoyed his mushroom swiss burger but said without the generous swiss cheese and mushroom portions he would have been left wanting more burger patty in his burger.
I don’t know how soon I will return here. I might try a pasta dish or something else, but I don’t think it’s on my top list of places to rush back to.

Great burgers, lots of options, great prices, friendly service. Burgers are made to order so it takes time, call ahead. And it can be easy to miss the place.

Easily the best burger place in Reno/​Sparks.
I always order the Mushroom Swiss. It is always hot and fresh, the fries are fantastic and the prices are reasonable!
Love this place!

This place is great for burgers! Not expensive. But high quality. Great locally owned business in sparks.

The All American Burger
A gastro delight.
I had a special which was called the Monster.
I don’t remember everything that was on it, but there was EVERYTHING!
It was burger night. And, for once a month, it’s great to throw caution to the wind and enjoy a meal that isn’t the best for the old ticker. But, we have to have a few vices in life.
Ernie’s fits the bill.
My pops and I walked into this little corner of heaven at Barring and Vista (SW corner). It’s located on an at the gas station property. There is ample seating and they have partial table service.
I believe the owner came out to help us. This is the type of restaurant where you place your order at the counter and pick it up after it’s prepared hot and fresh.
My dad got a double patty burger with cheese and I ordered the Monster special.
The monster had the following piled high on two thick slices of grilled Texas toast.
Chili
3 ¼ pound patties
Several slices of cheese
Onions
I know there was more, but can’t remember it.
It was good but there was no way it was going to be eaten as a burger.
The Monster Combo was reasonably priced at $ 11.99.
The combo includes a soft drink and fries.
As an added bonus, it was delivered to our table!
When it comes to burgers, finding this gem is worth while. Service is friendly, fairly quick and the tables are cleaned regularly.
I wish other places were run like this. In fact, I’m surprised that another location hasn’t popped up!
With decent prices and good service, this place would be popular nearly anywhere in the Reno/​Sparks area!
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Bottom Line
Heck Ya
This is a place to get comfort food and good comfort food at that!
Served hot and fresh, it’s hard to beat.

We were excited to try out the burgers here since the reviews were pretty good. Unfortunately we were unpleasantly surprised with the results. First off the prices have doubled on everything compared to the menu pic posted, combos aren’t 3.99 they’re 6.99, extra patties aren’t .75 they’re 1.55, etc… Plus the patties were flat, small, and black — very similar to a Burger King patty, the sandwich was overall really greasy and the Texas toast was just that — toast (but large pieces of it that overshadowed the whole burger).
We went through drive thru and service was fast and friendly — so we are giving it two stars for that.
Bang for the buck wise — ur better off going to IN N OUT BURGER.
Btw — drive thru a bit confusing — if u go through the one with the missing sign — it’s not the right one, just take the next drive thru entrance on your right as u are facing the rear of the building — if ur there I’ll know what I mean.

The burgers are great at Ernie’s. Burgers are juicy. I had a regular cheeseburger with crinkle fries today. The American Melt is wonderful also. The gentleman at the counter is always nice and courteous. I always think I’ll try something new, but once I get there… burger!

Love Ernie’s burgers. It is my hidden hot spot in Sparks for a Great Burger. Always have the combo cheeseburger.
Staff is great, friendly and the place is Very Clean.
Maybe it is part of a gas station, but a must try!
Price is good to 7.00 for a combo, crinkle fries, burger, drink.

I was eager to try these place because of the ratings and Texas toast. The toast was NOT garlicky and NOT toasted and the meat was just pitiful!

I have to agree with the reviews about the cleanliness. The guy cooking the food wasn’t wearing gloves, was picking everything up with his bare hands and was alternating from taking cash, to digging through boxes for containers, to cooking. No hand washing in between.
The burgers looked ok, but I didn’t have one. Got the chicken nuggets for my toddler and they were insanely overcooked.
I made the mistake of getting the chicken Parmesan at a burger place, but I was hopeful when my cousin said their Alfredo is awesome. The concept was just kind of confusing. Spaghetti noodles topped with marinara sauce, with a huge scoop of Alfredo sauce down the middle, cut up chicken tenders on top, and then cut up beef patties on the sides. The garlic bread was two pieces of white toast that looked like it was topped with cheese, cooked for 20 minutes in a toaster over and then left on the counter all night.
I will say the guy working was really nice and the wait was not bad, maybe 15 minutes.

I don’t always eat ridiculously tasty foods with just the right amount of meat, cheese, grease and butter at good establishments with friendly employees and low prices.
But when I do, I eat at Ernie’s.
Ernie’s has a great menu of really good burgers. They have fries, cheese fries and chili cheese fries. I always get the Jalapeño Bacon Burger and, depending on the mood I will make the fries, cheesy ones. (GET THE TEXAS TOAST!)
The burgers have just the right amount of grease to:
1.) Enjoy once in awhile for lunch.
2.) Not care about the grease after a good night out.
Large portions and great pricing will keep you coming back.
Ernie’s makes everything fresh so expect a 10 minute wait for so after you place your order. Go inside and relax for a minute and say HI to the friendly owner!

In a word? Bummer.
I’d never heard of this burger joint but was tempted after seeing them pop up in my Unilocal feed. In fact, once I’d seen some of the photos and read a few reviews, I couldn’t stop thinking about wanting to try this place.
So, off we went on Sunday to grab an early dinner to wrap up our weekend. We arrived at 3:40p and noticed a sign on the door saying their Sunday hours had changed to closing at 4p. When I asked inside if we could still come in and order, I was told rather curtly only if we were going to take it to go. Bummer but not enough to discourage us from trying again a few nights later.
We’ve been twice now, and I’m sadly feeling rather underwhelmed by Ernie and his All-​American burger. Both times we visited, I ordered the #1 — a basic cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onions, and thousand island (which Ernie happily subbed for mayo at my request) on Texas Toast with bacon added, the hubby had the over-​the-​top special burger that seems to have been loaded with everything known to mankind, and the kiddo opted for the chicken nuggets meal.
What was good?
~The Texas Toast — what a delightfully simple and tasty way to change up the basic cheeseburger!
~Ernie serves his burgers with the tomatoes diced and the bacon crumbled. Again, a simple thing that I ended up rather enjoying — this little twist on the usual makes for a great bite with all the goodness in every bite.
~The chili! Hubby’s burger came smothered in chili, which I promptly produced a fry to dunk in and give it a try. Yum!
The not-​so-​good?
~Both times the fries were really over-​salted for my taste — the second time so much so that both myself and the boy ended up not eating any because the salt level was actually hurting our tongues.
~The chicken nuggets. I was glad to see that the nuggets served here aren’t the minced up chicken «yuck» that many places dish out to the kiddos. The problem is that they were seriously overcooked and VERY dry.
~The very worst of all — the burgers themselves. Sad, little tasteless patties of beef don’t do justice to the other pieces that are trying so very hard to make these burgers amazing.
When it comes to a burger joint, nothing else matters for me if you don’t wow me with your burger patty. I shouldn’t leave a burger joint desperately craving a burger and in search of another place to squash that craving.

Ernie’s would have earned 4 stars from me but since some jerk in a previous review said «minus one star for being in Sparks», I’m adding a star for being in Sparks.
I’ve had the pleasure of many phenomenal burgers in my life. Last year I had one that was a contender for best ever at Alamo Springs Café in Luckenbach, Texas. If for some reason you find yourself in that area, I highly recommend you check it out.
Ernie’s does not rank as one of the best, I’m afraid, but it’s damn solid. I was expecting a burger joint attached to a gas station to be pretty scummy but it was actually very clean inside. Service was fast and friendly. Only cost $ 14 and change for 2 meals.
It’s not a «huge» burger kind of place though I understand you can add on a patty and make it so. I really liked that it was not an enormous burger. The flavor of the meat was good, the other ingredients seemed fresh, and the Texas toast they use for buns were a nice touch.
When I first saw the fries I was worried. They look like Ore Ida’s, right out of the bag, but they were actually pretty decent.
I plan to put this place in my regular dining rotation. You should check it out.

Save your money and get a better burger at McDonalds. I went to Ernie’s with high hopes because of the Best of Reno wins.
I ordered a medium rare burger and was told by the clerk «We only use pre cooked patties so they just are what they are.»
I asked him to put the order through because the owner was cooking. He asked the owner out loud who answered «I only cook medium or higher.»
There is a sign on the door that says «We always cook your burger fresh the way you want it and cooked to order.»
Precooked patties medium or worse seem to me to make this claim ring hollow.
I’d rather have a Big Mac, at least they know what they are and don’t lie. One star, because you can’t go lower even though Ernie’s deserves less than zero.

After reading all the good reviews I was surprised no one was there when we got there.
Tried the #1 on their signature Texas toast. The cheeseburger was good, it was topped with chopped lettuce tomatoes and white onion. Came with a slice of real American cheddar.
The only reason it lost a star for me was the butter on the Texas toast. The burger would have been so much better without the greasyness of the toast.
Came with a side of crinkle cut fries that were pretty good.
Was happy they had Dr Pepper in their Pepsi machine.
The owner served us and was very nice and accommodating.

The food is ok. That is about all the praise I can give other than their huge portion sizes. The food is very greasy and literally takes an eternity.
Don’t use the drive thru unless you don’t mind sitting in your car for twenty minutes waiting. They say «best burgers in town» but I would sooner hit up McDonald’s than go here.

Holy hamburger that was delicious! Seriously the best worst decision (food wise) that I ever made.
I ordered the garlic mushroom swiss burger. To spice it up I added an extra patty. I was nursing a teensy bit of a hangover on Sunday. This cured it haha!
I went through the drive thru. In about 10 mins I had a excellently executed hamburger. My one complaint was that it was a little messy, but what good food isn’t?
I got the meal so it came with fries and a drink. Everything was super yummy. I would definitely come back and actually sit in the diner. The chicken sandwiches looked like it would be good.