The 1930s Gas Station That Transformed Into A Bougie Burger Hot Spot In San Francisco

There's a triangular patch of land at the corner of Russell Street and Claremont Avenue in South Berkeley where four lanes of traffic converge and a tiny restaurant somehow holds its ground. The building is small, crafted in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and surrounded by more activity than some might say it really has any right to accommodate. But, it does. Long lines form, food comes out fast, and people keep coming back. If you ever needed tips for making top-notch smashburgers, the Station would be the place to get them. It calls itself home to the best burgers in the Bay, and based on what customers are saying online, this might not be much of a stretch. 

What most people waiting in those lines probably don't know is that the building is over 90 years old. Architect J.L. Lingham designed it for Shell (yes, the oil company), and it spent nearly four decades as a functioning gas station before closing its pumps in 1969. After that, it changed hands and identities repeatedly over the years, going from a burger and frozen yogurt spot to Viva Taqueria and Cal Dog. Its current chapter started in 2023 when the name The Station stuck, and it gained traction considerably in 2025 when new owners took over.

Those new owners, East Bay restaurateurs Charlie Hallowell and Donna Insalaco, came to the place almost by accident. They brought in a refreshed menu, added a fire pit with covered patio seating, expanded the property's existing garden, and started moving food to customers in under eight minutes per ticket, even on slammed nights. Reviewers on Wanderlog describe the fare as hot, fast, and worth the line. One person even drove 45 miles one way specifically for the burgers.

The Station's current menu has its roots in a pandemic pop-up. Charlie Hallowell and Donna Insalaco were running Pizzaiolo, their longstanding Oakland pizza restaurant, when they set up a burger operation in the backyard during COVID. In their own words on The Station's website, "We fired up a makeshift flattop in our backyard and started flipping smashburgers. What began as a fun, temporary solution became a thing!" When Pizzaiolo fully reopened, the burger operation was shut down, and they immediately regretted it. "The message from our customers when we stopped was loud and clear: bring back the burgers!" 

The menu now has two non-vegetarian options: one smashburger made with beef and another with chicken. The Original Back Alley Burger and the Saigon Smash, a fusion take with free-range chicken, pickled daikon and carrot, jalapeño, cilantro, and Sriracha mayo on a Martin's potato bun, have become the go-to orders. Smashburger patties are thin, which is part of their appeal. But if you want more protein, The Station also offers double smashburgers. Some reviewers also mention a triple smashburger. It's not on the menu, but you can always ask if there's a deal going on. 

One Wanderlog reviewer said of the restaurant's beef burger, "[It is] likely one of the best smashburgers I've ever had." Another raved about the Saigon Smash: "If you're in the Bay and like bánh mì, you'll absolutely love The Station Saigon Smash." The triple smash burger at $13 has been flagged repeatedly as an exceptional deal. One reviewer put it simply: "[It's] an incredible deal, let alone it was one of the better ones I've ever had." The Station is already looking for a second location. For a building that started pumping gas in 1932 and spent decades cycling through identities, that's not a bad place to land.