If you check out Flaming Grill’s website before visiting the cafe itself, you will probably be as surprised I was to see how teeny—and funky—the Grill actually is. Sophisticated website or not, a lot of people seem to know about this place; it’s said the burgers are some of the best in Sacramento. I would have to agree: Not only is the burger selection first-rate, the meat is thick and oozingly juicy, the lettuce is fresh, the sliced tomatoes are —shock!—actually ripe, and the sesame-dotted buns are tender and excellent. The service also happens to be genuinely friendly and attentive, which makes me like the cafe even more. Burger selections range from the irresistible bacon and cheddar sirloin burger to more esoteric variations, like the pastrami sirloin burger and the jalapeño and jack cheese burger. The cafe is very proud of its ostrich and buffalo burgers, and there’s even a veggie version for non-meat-eaters. But it doesn’t stop with burgers. Try the kitchen’s chicken sandwich, topped with slices of ham and smoky-soft grilled tomatoes on ciabatta bread; or the seared ahi tuna sandwich with cilantro-lime sauce. The Flaming Grill also offers five breakfast items, including the curious “Elvis Special,” a peanut butter and banana white bread sandwich, dipped in pancake batter and grilled. The cafe is incredibly small; it only has two tables inside, However, it has a number of tables outside, surrounded by a makeshift trellis “wall” and spruced up with several blaring televisions. Plastic tables are wobbly, cars on El Camino Avenue flash by, and the atmosphere, punctuated by bell-clanging from St. Philomene church across the street and the whine of a pneumatic drill from the Car Czar next door, is decidedly gritty. But, who cares, when you’re grasping a fabulous burger in one hand, and a fistful of crispy-sweet, delicious onion strings (another Flaming Grill specialty) in the other hand? Not me. — Kira O'Donnell

Insider tip: All Flaming Grill sirloin burgers (and draft beers) are half-priced from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Payment methods: AmEx, Diners’ Club, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa

Alcohol: Beer only

Hours: Monday–Saturday 9 a.m.– 9 p.m.
Closed Sunday