On West Tennyson Road sits a vintage diner with outdoor seating and eating arrangements. Cecil’s Famous Burgers was known for its delicious burgers back in the 1980’s when it was founded, givingCecil’s the title of Best Burger in Hayward. However, does this standard still hold?
Recently, The Monarch Times Editorial Board ventured out to Cecil’s Famous Burgers. Cecil’s mostly sells burgers and fries along with onion rings, hot dogs, sandwiches, milkshakes, soft drinks, and ice cream desserts. Most of the meals are priced at $8-10 per item, and $10-15 per combination item as of this year. Any add-ons such as extra toppings or additional sauce will charge you around 50¢ to $1 more. The Editorial Board decided on the Grilled Chicken Burger at $7.50, the Spicy Chicken Burger at $11.00, Cecil’s 1/6 burger at $9.19, french fries at $3.50, and milkshakes each at $4.00.
Ordering is simple: walk up to the cashier’s window and say your order. You’ll then be given an electronic buzzer and asked to wait around the outdoor eating area. Once your buzzer alarms, pick up your food at the window adjacent from the cashier’s window. Wait time varies for orders. When ordering individually, the wait time is 7 to 10 minutes, but when ordering together, the wait is 10 to 15 minutes.
Starting off, the milkshakes were a hit all around. The Editorial Board ordered the chocolate, butterscotch, banana, vanilla and mango milkshakes. The milkshakes could be ordered hard (thick) or soft. Both are a must. The hard milkshakes are perfectly thick and packed with that perfect malted consistency. Each milkshake had “the perfect amount of sweetness,” said Editor-in-Chief Kaylyn Nguyen. The banana and mango milkshakes had chunks of the real fruit within, making them extra tasty. The milkshakes were an agreeable 10!
Meanwhile, the burgers left us wanting more. Each burger was much slimmer than the picture made them out to be, which is expected at any fast food-like restaurant. The filling to bun ratio leans more towards the bun, which creates an aftertaste of more dough than flavor. The spicy chicken and grilled chicken burgers had an enjoyable savory flavor. The “lettuce and tomato are fresh,” said Catherine Escoto. However, some found the burgers lacking. “[The] chicken is crispy,” but “[it] could use more spice,” said Elisandra Hampton. The group agreed that the prices did not truly echo the value of the burgers.
The fries were excellently fried and crispy with a soft inside. However, they “lack salt,” Sofia Cordoba mentioned when she took her first bite of the crispy fries. “It’s perfect with ketchup,” Cordoba continued.
The outdoor seating was undesirable and dirty. The food would get cold easily depending on the season. Overall, Cecil’s is definitely more of a pick-up and take-home type of restaurant than a dine-in one.
Having “Famous” in the name left the Editorial Board wondering: do they still deserve this title? Cecil’s was founded in 1981 and was known as one of the few stellar burger joints until recently. The decrease in the quality of food could be attributed to the pandemic, which has plagued businesses in the Bay Area and worldwide.
All in all, Cecil’s Famous Burgers is worth trying once for some solid milkshakes, average burgers, and crispy fries. The meal was tasty, but not a memorable meal for The Monarch Times.
