Oakland's Hyphy Burger brings Bay Area flavor, culture to smash burger scene

OAKLAND, Calif. - A new smash burger spot in Oakland has brought the Hyphy movement from the streets to the grill.

Hyphy Burger recently opened on West Grand Avenue in West Oakland, and lines have been out the door with customers eager to taste the bold flavors.

‘Good and juicy’

What they're saying:

"I think this is one of the best burgers we have in Oakland," one customer said."You'll want to come back every day. It's so good and juicy."

So hyphy

What we know:

The burger joint is a nod to the Bay Area's Hyphy culture, with a menu featuring plays on Bay Area lingo like the Stunna Shakes and the Burnout Burger, complete with "You Feel Me Sauce."

In the restaurant's parking lot sits the "Hyphy Bus," courtesy of the Hyphy Unified School District.

Co-owner Darion Frazier, widely known on social media as Bay Area Foodz, said he and his team had no restaurant experience before opening Hyphy Burger. However, they were experts in good taste and Hyphy culture — bold, exciting, yet smooth.

"We wanted to create a dining experience for the Bay Area, by the Bay Area, and we wanted to do something simple and something that can resonate with the culture of the Bay Area," said the Oakland native.

Frazier had already gained notoriety around the Bay Area for his food reviews on social media, where he would visit mom-and-pop restaurants.

"I had no idea it was going to lead into a smash burger restaurant for the community," he said. "Being able to feed my community, the community that I was born and raised in, to have a restaurant there, it's just amazing."

The hype around Hyphy Burger is infectious, with vloggers, people just wanting a good old burger, Oaklanders, and musicians all stopping by to get their hands on the hottest new smash burger.

Frazier said that's not all customers are getting.

"We're giving them a great experience of the nostalgic moment of Hyphy," he said.