Retro-themed burger spot in South Tacoma has closed after a nearly 15-year run

Patty’s Burgers and Milkshakes, a ‘50s-themed restaurant in South Tacoma, has closed.

The restaurant appears to have called it quits at the end of 2024, ending a nearly 15-year run at 5615 South Tacoma Way.

The modestly sized space was covered floor-to-ceiling in memorabilia of icons like Jimmy Dean and Marilyn Monroe as well as classic cars. On the menu were some 30 different burgers, foot-long hot dogs and milkshakes in many flavors.

Owner Patty Sanchez-Tolosa did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The phone line has been disconnected.

She opened the South Tacoma restaurant in 2010. In addition to the mainstay burgers, it doubled as a diner, serving breakfast all day. The pandemic seems to have taken a toll on the business, with mixed reviews on Google and Yelp. Customers generally appreciated the decor and especially the shakes, but there was less consensus on the food and experience, with limited staff, sporadic notices of only taking to-go orders and accepting only cash.

In 2016, Sanchez-Tolosa added a second location downtown at 2301 Pacific Ave. but closed it just two years later, telling The News Tribune at the time of issues with the building. The space remains vacant.

The neighborhood around the original Patty’s Burgers has evolved in recent years, attracting a diverse set of food and drink businesses, from The Mule Tavern and The Church Cantina to Howdy Bagel and a recently expanded Airport Tavern. Radnor’s, a smashburger restaurant connected to Edison Square, opened last summer.

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:30 AM.