These Oregon Burger Joints Still Use Their Original 1950s Recipes
Oregon has always been a place where old-school flavors stick around, and nowhere is that more obvious than at these burger spots.
Some restaurants chase trends, but these seven joints have kept their grills hot and their recipes unchanged since the Eisenhower era. Every patty still gets cooked the same way it did when jukeboxes cost a nickel and carhops wore roller skates.
If you want a taste of mid-century America without a time machine, grab your appetite and head to one of these classics.
1. Hal’s Hamburgers in Pendleton
Pull up to the tiny blue building on Court Avenue and you can smell the decade that started it all: thin patties on a hot flat-top, crisp lettuce, a house sauce that doesn’t try to be clever.
Hal and Mary opened in 1952, and the menu still reads like a mid-century diary: burgers, tots, onion rings, and thick shakes.
Local families have kept this place alive by never letting the recipe wander. If you want Oregon in 1952, this is the bite that delivers every single time without apology.
2. Sno Cap Drive-In in Sisters
On Cascade Avenue, the neon hums, the grill sizzles, and the routine hasn’t changed since 1954. Owners here will tell you some things haven’t changed since opening day, and you can taste it in the pan-fried burgers and old-fashioned shakes.
Summer dust mixes with huckleberry ice cream, and time politely steps aside. I stopped here once after a long hike and felt like I’d walked into my grandparents’ photo album. The place still tastes like nostalgia served on wax paper.
3. Tastee Treet in Prineville
Slide onto a counter stool and you’re back in 1957: beef searing on a seasoned grill, hand-cut fries, and shakes poured like the jukebox never stopped.
Locals treat it like a community heirloom, and regional guides still point travelers here for the straight-up, mid-century burger.
The patties are simple, the toppings minimal, and the experience pure. Nothing fancy happens here, and that’s exactly why people keep coming back decade after decade without hesitation or complaint.
4. Twin Peaks Drive-In in Hood River
A rustic shack off Tucker Road has been hand-rolling patties and serving them the same way since the 1950s: fresh, never frozen, topped simply, eaten on a patio with Mt. Hood winking in the distance. Car-hop America never really left this spot.
The gorge tradition tastes like summer road trips and simpler times. Every bite reminds you why some recipes don’t need updates or modern twists.
Just good beef, good buns, and a view that makes everything taste better than it already does.
5. Dea’s In and Out in Gresham
The Longburger Dea Sparks introduced in 1953 is still the calling card: griddled beef shaped to a hoagie roll, dressed simply, just like mid-century East County remembers. Nothing about the preparation has changed, and regulars wouldn’t have it any other way.
I tried one last summer and couldn’t believe how much flavor came from such basic ingredients. The secret is consistency and respect for the original method.
This place proves you don’t need gourmet toppings when your foundation is rock-solid and delicious.
6. Scottie’s Drive-In in Forest Grove
A curbside time capsule: soft buns, flat-top patties, thick shakes, and a menu that reads like it did when Ike was president. The same local family has kept it intentionally classic for decades, refusing to chase food fads or modernize the formula.
Every order feels like a trip back to simpler meals and slower afternoons. The burger is straightforward, the service friendly, and the vibe authentically retro.
Forest Grove locals have been lining up here since 1956, and nothing suggests that tradition will ever stop.
7. Hasty Freez in Albany
Born as a fifties walk-up and still slinging straightforward burgers and shakes to generations of locals, the neon glow and no-frills prep haven’t changed much since the Eisenhower era.
This place has watched Albany grow up around it while staying stubbornly the same.
The patties are simple, the shakes are thick, and the experience is pure Americana. Families bring their kids here to show them what fast food used to mean before chains took over.
Hasty Freez is proof that some recipes age perfectly.