When John Stankis first walked into Tony’s Burgers in Santa Maria, he had no idea the impact it would have on his life. He was just there to grab a quick bite to eat. He always tries new burger joints, Stankis told the Sun, for a very good reason.
Stankis grew up in Compton with his mother and brother. They didn’t have a lot of money and couldn’t afford to eat out. But once a month, their mother took them to a hamburger stand where they could each get a burger, fries, and a soda.
For years, he tried to find a similar burger. Nothing came close to the flavor of what he remembered as a child. Until the day he stepped into Tony’s.
“The first time I came in here, I had heard they had great hamburgers,” Stankis said. “So I ordered the number one, the first burger on the menu.”
He took one bite and instantly felt memories flooding back. It had the same great taste he remembered from all those years back. So he picked up the phone and called his brother to tell him he had finally found “mom’s burger.”
“I told my brother he had to come to Santa Maria and try this burger,” Stankis said.
While it may not be the exact place Stankis remembers from decades ago, Tony’s utilizes some of the same time-tested methods used back then. Well-seasoned ground Angus beef, fresh veggies, and crisp fries. It’s a simple formula for success in the hamburger business.
Owner Tony Biskinis has been in the restaurant business for 30 years. He came to the U.S. in 1970, from a beautiful Greek island called Zakynthos. He dedicated his career to the industry, going through culinary school, and opening restaurants of his own, including the now-shuttered Antonio’s Restaurante in Nipomo.
Tony’s Burgers opened in January and has so far been a success for Biskinis. He said he chose to open a hamburger restaurant because everyone loves a burger, no matter what time of day. He said the secret to his burgers, like the one Stankis enjoyed the first time he visited, is prioritizing freshness.
“Everything, like the veggies, are fresh,” Biskinis said. “Everything is made fresh to order.”
Tony’s Greek salad is a true original Greek salad, Biskinis said, not an Americanized version.
“It is romaine hearts, bell peppers, red onions, capers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese,” he explained. “That’s a popular item, along with the gyro.”
Tony’s gyro is, at its core, a delightfully simple dish that relies on proper preparation and quality ingredients. The pita bread at Tony’s is soft yet a bit charred; the sauce is tangy and vibrant. I took one bite of Tony’s beef gyro and fell in love. Like the hamburger, it’s well seasoned, with the perfect amount of sauce (made fresh by Biskinis).
In addition to burgers, gyros, and salads, Tony’s also has a variety of fresh-made deli sandwiches. I enjoyed a pastrami sandwich, which was piled just high enough with meat, mustard, and pickles. That’s another thing that’s great about the restaurant—Tony gives customers generous portions without making you feel like you’ll have a heart attack if you finish the whole thing.
A simple yet standout dish at Tony’s is the fries. In an age when everyone wants to dump things like truffled sea snake eggs and sous-vide corn husks onto fries, perfectly cooked, perfectly shaped french fries are a rarity. The fries at Tony’s are so good and perfect, they should be taught in mandatory culinary classes to line cooks everywhere.
But at the end of the day, it’s about making food that pleases people, especially customers like Stankis who come not just for the burgers but for the casual friendly vibes Tony’s dishes out.
“I like the customers, I like talking to them,” Biskinis said. “What I really like is pleasing the customer, making them happy.”
Rebecca Rose is supposed to be dieting for her wedding next year. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
• Dascomb Cellars’ new cinsault is out. The earthy wine is described as filled with “aromas of bright cherry that give way to anise, black cherry, and mint.” Plus, Dave Dascomb has a dog named Sparky (pictured). That is important. You might be able to pet Sparky at 1659 Copenhagen Drive, suite B, Solvang.
• The carne asada tacos at Señor Taco are so good I don’t know what I’ve even been doing with my life up until I had them for the first time. Get the green sauce if you want to taste heaven. The taco joint is located at 1214 S. Blosser Road, Santa Maria.
This article appears in Jun 8-15, 2017.