Normally we rely on readers to judge food places, but we just have to comment on Flipper’s Gourmet Hamburgers.  It sits in a can’t-miss location (map), which lures you with their pricey burgers and beer.

Most of the time, I tend to go down-market for burgers and hit In-N-Out near the Oakland Airport, Wendy’s on Broadway, or even Nation’s Giant Burger in Orinda.  All these hot spots fulfill carnivorous cravings beyond Mickey D’s and Burger King.

Yesterday, I decided to take my out-of-town guest for a real hamburger and gave Flipper’s another shot.  Even though I pass by countless times while running errands in the Village, I hadn’t eaten there in a long time.  It was a pleasant surprise that puts it in big-burger leagues with Barney’s (Yelp).

Of course, you can get all kinds of hamburger variants at Flipper’s.  The burgers use Niman Ranch beef, which means better underpinnings than in years gone by.  The veggie sandwiches and other options are pretty darn tasty too, and we had a tomato, mozza, eggplant and pesto combo that worked well.

As expected, Flipper’s serves huge portions.  There’s nothing quaint about your plate filled with a big greasy main item, toppings, fries and a little side salad mix.  I think about Flipper’s as a local diner, a sibling and alternative to the Montclair Egg Shop (Yelp) if you want to feed yourself plus your kids.

The Yelp reviews for Flipper’s are pretty mixed but that hasn’t been my experience, at least recently.  Full disclosure is that I have no friends here or conflicts of interest.  Like other Montclarions, I often ignored the place and now realize those big-burger and big-breakfast urges can be satiated right here.

Do you agree?  Are you thumbs up, sideways or down?