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    Mad River Burger Bar

    3.5 (38 reviews)
    ModerateBurgers
    Open 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Mad River Burger Bar Photos

    MAD RIVER BURGER BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Mad River Burger Bar

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    Food

    My friends and I camp at their land during the summer and absolutely love the burger bar. You would never really know how great the food is by seeing it is in a trailer. Couldn't recommend higher. Besides waiting/eating on the benches outside, they will call down to the bar at the other end of the parking to let you know it is ready and can eat it there as well. Great food and nice people also.

    a sign for mad river
    Amanda C.

    We randomly decided to take highway 36 westbound toward Fortuna instead of taking highway 299. What a fun drive! We started getting pretty hungry and saw this little food trailer in Mad River and stopped. The people were incredibly friendly and patient. For such a small little place, there's a decent selection on the menu. If you love milkshakes, I highly recommend you to stop here. I tried the Pineapple milkshake and it was the best pineapple milkshake that I have ever had! The fries were mediocre, but filling because I was hungry. The veggie sandwich was alright. My boyfriend had the fish burger and he really liked it. Not bad for a little place in the middle of no where. If you need to go to the bathroom, they have some here. Keep in mind that they are little portable bathrooms, so nothing classy here! You dine outside in a picnic like fashion and the garbage is for the Burger Bar trash only. They have signs posted that you'll have to pay a dollar if you throw personal trash away.

    two men standing outside
    Ann S.

    Best burgers! Try their new Butterfinger or Oreo shakes! If you are grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean, there's a $10 charge. I had the Mad River with bacon and cheese! YUM!!!!

    Street view. Note the picnic tables for dining!
    Geoff B.

    Great burgers in an unlikely location. Would have blown right past the place if not for Yelp. Outdoor dining only, so when it's hot, it's hot and when it's cold, it's cold. Locals eat there--lots of carry-out--so if you're in a hurry, call ahead. Funky, old-school, and rural, but most of all, not to be missed!

    Whoa!
    Sean C.

    I drove almost 2 hours to come here. It got recommended to me by a CHP officer so I decided to give it a go. The drive was nearly two hours of building up something that is good but not the best I've ever had. I came from eureka. Good thing my GPS worked because I would've driven right past it. A little thrown off by the camper trailer converted into an eating establishment. Dirty, grungy, and somewhat confusing at first glance. The menu is pretty confusing. At first it was just me with a few random cars parked nearby. I ordered my burger and my sons and a large fry. It took about twenty-thirty minutes. I sat there while other people got their order before me( possibly call a heads). Burgers came and they were ok. The meat was a bit dry for the price and the kids burger is just a frozen Costco patty. A good helping of lettuce,bacon, pickles, mustard, mayo, cheese etc. Fries were good. Overcooked but really crunchy. They have a few dips including FRY SAUCE! Overall I wouldn't go back unless I was driving by. Not worth an out of the way trip for this. If you are in the area by all means stop! Don't expect speedy service. And the burgers are a bit on the pricey side.

    Cowboy burger w/bacon & cheese!

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    2 months ago

    the wait is real, but i promise you its worth it. this a great stop on 36, outdoor seating, and nice people.

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    Ask the Community - Mad River Burger Bar

    Review Highlights - Mad River Burger Bar

    Yes, the place is a converted trailer; yes you get to sit under the trees on picnic tables; yes you swat flies with one hand.

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    The Peg House - Blackberry Sundae 4.6344 stars

    The Peg House

    4.6(310 reviews)
    41.3 mi
    $$

    We've driven by so many times but never had time to stop. This time we camped right across at…read moreStandish Hickey State Park (don't recommend this campground if you have a large rig or mobility issues as the river is down a steep trail). The Peg House has a cute gift shop, general store with booze and basics (famous brownies and ginormous cookies!) and next door is the outdoor restaurant. It has a great vibe, owner took out orders and you KNOW by the taste and food service how much love and thought goes into this place! We had: Grilled Chicken w/brie Bigfoot Burger Classic Cheeseburger All came with coleslaw and that was great too! We plan on making this a pitstop from now on. Everything was delicious and there was live music on stage. **if you're camping get wood here too-it's a great price for the large bundle. Thanks Peg House!

    After 50 miles of thru hiking I was ready for a burger! There is nothing like post hike hunger…read more Understanding that you are pretty out there in location and ingredients are better quality but... this place is expensive. And they do not have fries. I ordered the lost coast burger and with tax it was $20. It came with a small portion of broccoli coleslaw that I really liked- and thankfully my two companions did not so I got a triple portion. The burger was fine. Not the greasy smash burger experience I was craving, but it tasted fresh. Served on a ciabatta roll... from Costco? Unconfirmed, but that's what it tasted like. I would have preferred brioche or something more fluffy. I ate every crumb because post hike hunger. I wouldn't come again though. The service was good and everyone was nice- just overpriced for the product, IMO. The outdoor seating was nice and it looks like sometimes there is live music. The bathrooms were gross. Smelled horrible and dirty. There is a campground or some sort of rv park right behind that may also be sharing the restrooms.

    Photos
    The Peg House
    The Peg House - Burgers

    Burgers

    The Peg House

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    The Chimney Tree Grill - Bigfoot Burger w/ Cheese

    The Chimney Tree Grill

    4.2(100 reviews)
    22.6 mi
    $

    Awesome! We loved…read morethe food, service was friendly. Bathrooms were clean. and a good place the recharge. We had a burger, BLT, and fired zucchini. It was so good. We recommend this place.

    It was lunchtime during our drive on the Avenue of the Giants scenic road, so decided to stop at…read morethe Chimney Tree Grill as our ninth stop (11:07) on day five of our Northern California road trip. My wife, her mom, and I, all like burgers so figured this would be a good place to stop. Our cellular service did not work here, so had to use the info I had downloaded in Google maps to know where to stop. It ended up being pretty good. Hours are daily 11:00 - 20:00, so we arrived just after it opened and were the first ones. There is two areas for outdoor dining: a large set of picnic tables near the chimney tree as well as a patio at the restaurant itself. We soon realized that a cat was roaming the patio, looking for food, so we decided to eat inside, instead. It's a one man operation, with the owner fulfilling multiple roles. After we orders and paid, we got a pager to notify us once the order was ready. Everything is prepared fresh, so it took a bit of time. But because it was served hot, everything tasted good. I love a lot of toppings on my burger, so the self-serve topping bar was great...was able to put as much lettuce and pickles as I wanted. The 1/3 hamburger ($12.99) came with good fries . My wife got her plain cheeseburger 1/4 cheeseburger ($9.99) and enjoyed it. Her mom got chicken strips basket ($13.99), and upgraded her fries to be curly. We all shared each others fries, and the curly fries were really good. Drinks are cans. I didn't want to risk having a milk shake, but from all indications, it sounded good. We ate our meal at the counter. Afterwards, the owner suggested we walk across the parking lot to visit the Living Chimney Tree. It's free to enter, and is hollow enough for a person or two fit in. There are openings on both sides, so easy to take some nice pictures.

    Photos
    The Chimney Tree Grill - 8/27/24 FYI. Inside the tree

    8/27/24 FYI. Inside the tree

    The Chimney Tree Grill - 8/27/24 FYI. 1/2 of my ribeye sandwich

    8/27/24 FYI. 1/2 of my ribeye sandwich

    The Chimney Tree Grill - Picnic area

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    Picnic area

    Mad River Burger Bar - burgers - Updated July 2026

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