Flippers Gourmet Burgers

by Anne O.

I've been to this place quite a few times, and it just seems to be worse the more I eat there.

by Silly G.

I agree, I am surprised that the reviews arn't better for this place! I have gone to flippers on several differnt occasions and have found each experience pleasant. You walk in throught the kitchen which is a bit weird but then again at least you can tell that its clean :) I like to sit outside, however the flies are a bit of a bother. But then again thats only to be expected when it comes to the river and food. I found the service to be fine. The girls have always been friendly...maybe a little slow when they are busy but still very attentive.  And well the food is awesome and a good price too. Oh and I go on sundays when you can get all you can drink mimosas for $8!

by Damon K.

I've been here twice now with my girlfriend for breakfast.  The first time we ate the food was decent and the service was pretty bad.  The second time the food was sub-par and the service was AWFUL.  We will not be going back.  Go to Haley's Diner instead. A bit pricier but everything is fresh and delicious.

by M The C ..

Wow. I'm surprised the reviews generally aren't better for this place. Larry and I stopped off at Flippers last night after work for a glass of wine and some appetizers. We found it acceptable. Two glasses of wine each, calamari, tiger-shrimp cocktail, buffalo wings, onion rings (we were hungry! OK?!) ... $65, before tip.,, $28 of which was for our wine. The wait staff were friendly, but short handed, so after we were seated on the patio, it took several minutes for the waitress to return, but when she did return for our order we received our drinks and hors d'oeuvres appropriately soon. The onion rings were those really thick ones, sprinkled with Parmesan. I personally love the super thin onion rings, but these were fine. All of the dishes were fine, but not exceptional ... not 'gourmet', but that's not what we came for anyhow. The only thing I would ask them to fix is the fly problem. Perhaps wiping down the chairs and tables with a mild citronella mix would be good. We had to cover our dishes with paper napkins so the flies wouldn't land on them. Yuck. Anyhow, our experience wasn't bad, and I'll definitely go back some day. I hope I don't have an experience like some of the other reviewers ...

by Kevin F.

Well I was not so sure about this place. I ate at their other location shortly after it first opened and I was not pleased at all. The food was over priced and it was nothing special. Deciding to give this location a shot as I was in the area to see a movie with a friend we took a gamble.You enter the kitchen/staging area which is pretty odd but at least you can see that it is a clean establishment. The actual dining are is very nicely decorated and the views of the river are very enjoyable. The service was a little slow but friendly certainly not a place to go if you are in a hurry. The menu had a good selection of burgers plus they had Pasta and even some breakfast items. We both ended up with the chili burgers. I was very happy with it. Cooked to my order perfectly. The meat tasted good and the chili was very good as well. Great fries (The nice thick kind) and it also came with a salad which was a nice touch as well. I recommend it. It is a little pricey but if you want a good burger and a nice view this might be the place for you.

by desiree n.

Meh indeed.This place was cool.  The kitchen is in the front, like you have to walk through it to get to the dining area...which is neat.  We sat outside cause it was a nice day and wanted to look at the river...and it was nice we even saw some canadian geese.It took me a few minutes to figure out what i wanted to eat cause they do have a lot of  differant choices.  I finally settled on the Granny Burger, which was eggplant in a garlic pesto sauce an cheese...swiss i think?  anyways...the plate came out and it was covered with food.  A decent sized burger, a huge, dense salad and french fries!Needless to say i was immensely disappointed with my food.  BLAND and OVERCOOKED are a couple of words that come to mind...the burger...ugh...i asked for medium, it was way past well done.  The meat was boring, and tasted like Safeway beef.  The eggplant pesto stuff on top was more flavorful, but i have to say that maybe the cheese was the best thing on this burger...and that wasn't even that good.  I don't know who they think they are calling these burgers "Gourmet"...is it because they put weird ass shit on them that makes them gourmet??  Gourmet is a gross overstatement.  The fries were ok, they seemed to have gotten cold really fast, or was that because i was waiting for my side of ranch forever?  The salad was great, but not because they were generous with the dressing, which they were not...but because there was a lot of mixed greens on my plate.I'd come here again only to try other menu items...def not coming here for the burgers, which seems silly seeing as this is a burger joint...really should have people coming for the beef...

by Sara S.

I don't understand why anyone would eat the frozen patties at Flipper's when you can pay the same price to have a FANTASTIC burger right across the parking lot at Dempsey's!  I do have to say that I like the fact that they do $8 bottomless mimosas.

by Jarett S.

This place is ok and high priced. The service for the 2 times i've been there has been horrible. wiating 15 minutes for drinks, silverware, and waiter to take our order. When the food arrived my burger was dry and pretty much flavorless. I havent been back since. I still compare every burger i eat to Mikes in Cotati. Still the best burger on earth IMO.

by Jessica C.

Breakfast and burgers only! Don't bother going here for dinner.  I had a salmon entree which was so bland and overcooked. Luckily it came with a salad and veggies that were just ok, but more edible than the fish. My date ordered a chicken pasta dish, which had no flavor, and they forgot most of the chicken. He sent it back.I had better luck going there for breakfast and lunch two other times, ordering pancakes at breakfast and a chicken wrap for lunch. The food tasted good and had flavor and nicely sized portions.  The waitress was friendly and attentive, though the service is always  somewhat slow every visit, even when there are very few customers to serve.After having a bad dinner there last time, we determined this place is only good for burgers and breakfast. Sadly, the waiter tended to agree with us.

by houston '.

Okay, so I should really only be rating a 4 star but I eat here often enough and think the other two reviewers are way off.  Not enough grease???...that isn't a good reason to give a bad review.So, I am local to Petaluma and if you know P-town at all you know there are a TON of restaurants in town and most of them are very good.  I don't give a good review just because I am a regular.  I am way to picky to become a regular unless a place earns my money.When I am craving a burger this is where I go!On to the review...The burgers are excellent.  They have a huge selection of very interesting combos (I like one that comes with beats and walnuts) and best of all you can choice what kind of patty you want.  Don't like beef?  ...well, then get the same burger with Chicken Breast, Tofu, Garden Patty or Ground Turkey.  You can't beat that kind of selection.  And if you want to make changes go ahead, they will accomodate.  My burger is the Copenhagen but I hate blue cheese so they substitute feta for me.I have had a few other sandwiches other than burgers and they were all good.And their house salad dressing???  unreal!!!!!   You get a fairly large salad with your burger and the house salad dressing is spectacular.  (it is some sort of oil/vinegarette.)  I have had breakfast there once and it was pretty good.  Not spectacular and nothing like Hallie's or Finbar's but for the price it was great.  During the week they have some sort of $3.99 special for breakfast.If you like chocolate cake try theirs.  I didn't bother to ask but it is probably from J.M. Rosen, who is known for good cakes.  I am a huge fan of ZERT!!!! and am still surprised that they have the best chocolate cake in town.The wait staff is very friendly and very helpful although on a busy day it will be a bit slow even though they can usually seat you right away.The outdoor seating is very nice.  It is shaded for the summer and is semi-enclosed and heated for the winter.  It also has seating out front but I find the seating along the river to be a bit nicer.  Oh ya, speaking of seating, LOL, grab a chair with arm rest instead of the ones without; you will thank me.  It is a bit strange that you walk through the kitchen to get to the restaurant but what the hell do I care as long as the food and service is good.Now, there might be better burgers in Petaluma (I have yet to try Julian's on the east side) but for the price (under $10 for a great burger and a huge and delicious side salad), selection and location they are the best.  Another place won "best burger" this year but don't pay any attention to that.  I am a regular customer there and they only won because they have a lot of regulars who all voted.  I know my burgers and on the west side I have yet to find a better burger.If you are downtown make your way to the river and walk across the small foot bridge.  Flipper's will be past Dempsey's on the other side of the small parking area up against the river.  Dempsey's outside seating is nicer and some of their fancier dishes are pretty darn good but if you want a better burger you will thank me for suggesting Flipper's.I haven't had dinner here yet but once I do I will modify my review.I am also getting ready to embark on a Best Burger of Petaluma project and will let you know how this place rates once I am done.  I am guessing that price, selection and side's alone will put it in the top 3 AND they taste great so who knows how high they will end up.Remember to tip your wait staff well if they give you good service and if you clog up their table hanging out and visiting with friends try to leave a bigger tip to make up for it.