Classic Burgers, but Better
One of a growing number of chain restaurants that capitalizes on nostalgia, Taxi's serves drive-in burgers the way they ought to have been, but weren't. The restaurants are very casual: order at the counter and your dinner will be delivered in a basket. Booths have individual jukeboxes offering greatest hits back to the 1950s. The car-themed decor is subdued, as these things go; the TV is often tuned to CNN; and it's a good place for grown-ups to grab dinner. The burgers are huge, cooked to the desired doneness, and topped to order. While the fries are merely ordinary, the onion rings may be the best in Silicon Valley. The menu also includes malts in many flavors. Although I'm ordinarily the person who goes looking for little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, Taxi's is my standby dinner choice when working in Santa Clara. As retro malt shops goes, it's the best I've eaten at. The food is reliably better than average, the staff are very nice, and the location is convenient to Mission College and to the handful of office parks that remain tenanted.
Recommended: Burger with bacon
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 8