Bob’s Giant Burgers
By Chris Murphy
Besides rock ‘n’ roll, nothing goes better with cruising than burgers, fries and shakes. It’s even better when you have a “giant” burger, loaded with your favorite trimmings. What’s even better than that? Getting your giant burger from a classic car guy who really cares about great classic burgers with tradition, along with his classic cars.
Bob’s Giant Burger needs to be one of your key Graffiti Summer burger stops. Not only can you get burgers, cooked the same way since 1962, you can also get a fresh ice cream milk shake and some crinkle cut fries, and you can hang out and check out the wall of photos of local car people and their cars. Yes, this place takes classic cars and burgers seriously and when you walk inside, you find yourself in a clean classic diner with counter seats, booths, cool tunes and chrome.
Before we get into the food, you need to know that Juan Chavez’ family is a Ford family. Of course, they welcome cars of all varieties to Bob’s Giant Burger and feature them on the Wall of Fame. Juan grew up wrenching the family cars and has experience restoring the classics. Juan’s current favorite is his ’91 Mustang and more of their Ford collection includes a 1953 F150 stepside, ’67 F100 and a ’72 F250, just to name a few.
Juan Garza had the opportunity to purchase Bob’s from Sue Booke, daughter of the founders, Bob and Theresa Foster in 2019. Bob started Bob’s Giant Burger in Freemont in 1962 and over the years opened in Pleasanton in 1974 and then Modesto in 2017. Sadly, the Freemont location closed due to redevelopment. Juan opened a new location in Modesto at the Vintage Faire mall, at the entrance to the food court so more people can enjoy these great tastes. The original Bob’s sign from Freemont is on the wall at downtown location.
First off, the classic Giant Burger is made with ¼ lb. patties, from the same supplier since the 60s. Grill cooked, loads of cheese and the trimmings. We went all in and ordered a double along with crinkle cut fries. One of the newest hits has been the Garlic Beast. Wow, this is tasty with jalapenos, bacon, garlic, avocado, pickles and more. Another hall of fame is their Cheesesteak sandwich, chopped fine, mixed with peppers and onions and more. Wow. If you have ever left a concert and crave one of those bacon wrapped hot dogs; then look no further. Bob’s makes a great one. There are so many other choices like chili cheese, veggie, turkey burgers and grilled chicken.
Let’s talk about sides. One of the ViewCrew’s favorites are crinkle-cut fries. These have the perfect blend of crisp and the crinkles grab the ketchup and there is something magic about this cut, crispy, fresh and tasty. The onion rings are the perfect thickness, and bit clean through and should not be skipped.
No one should leave Bob’s without a hand-made ice cream shake. The traditionals are there, and my fave, the fresh banana is on deck too. You can even get some fun party shakes with some special toppings or even a malt, float or a freezer.
There is so much to enjoy at Bob’s Giant Burger, and since it is Graffiti Summer, you really need to check it out. If you bring your classic car by, you can get on their wall and when they take your picture, you will get 1 free burger, fries and soda. How good is that? For the family orders, they have a great family box with 4 burgers and a box of fries and it’s a great value. You can also enjoy a special lunch special menu too.
One thing that is true today, if Juan were not doing Bob’s Burgers, he would be wrenching on classic cars, so if you want an amazing classic burger, at a place owned by a car guy, Bob’s is your place. You can eat in, or order togo, and pick it up by calling in or on their website. You can also use Doordash and Grubhub but it’s always more fun and better for the business to go in. Don’t forget to order a shake and enjoy this Graffiti Summer.
Bob’s Giant Burger
1801 H St, Suite B5 Modesto
209-596-4678
3401 Dale Rd Suite 451
Modesto
209-859-470
10am – 9pm
Get your order in at
bobsgiant-burgermodest.com/
Instagram at @bobsgiantburgersss
Facebook @BobsGiantBurgers
