This local mainstay is such a fixture of Chico eating that even the locals can't remember a time when the Burger Hut wasn't around. Originally geared to the college crowd, the company opened a second location near the Chico Mall a few years ago to accommodate Chico's fast-growing non-student population.
Burger Hut's gimmick is a build-your-own-burger theme. Patties are grilled over an open flame visible from the dining area. When your order is done, the cook starts tossing baskets of naked burgers on the counter as he shouts your name. This is the customer's cue to pick up their sammich and pile on the fixin's. Beside the usual lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, patrons can choose from dill or sweet pickles, jalepeno pepper, pepperocinis, and Burger Hut's locally famous barbecue flavored sauce. It looks a bit like 1000 Island dressing, but it tastes nothing like it. Great not only on burgers, us hard-core fans also dip our fries in it. Umm... try it!
Portion sizes are above average, especially the fry baskets. Everything is a la carte, so fries are ordered separately. Chasmo and I always share a medium fry basket; a small is way more than one person can usually eat alone. In the olden days, the fries came sprinkled with barbecue salt, but in these days of low-sodium diets, the salt now sits in an aluminum shaker on the pick-up counter. If you eat salt, I highly recommend that you toss some on your spuds.
Burgers run $3 to $5 each. Two people can have a great lunch or dinner for under $15.
To get to the Hut, take the Skyway Avenue exit off the freeway and head east to Notre Dame Boulevard. Turn left at the next stop light and turn left onto Forest Avenue. Burger Hut is 1 block down Forest on the right.
If you are in the campus area, you will find the Nord Avenue location more convenient. Take West Sacramento Avenue to Nord and go straight through the light at the intersection into the parking lot; Burger Hut is to your left. This property has the added feature of an outdoor patio that is a great place to eat in the summer, but it is also right next to the creek, and the mosquitoes can be brutal, so douse yourself with a little something before you venture out back.