TURLOCK – In an area filled with seemingly endless burger joints for hungry customers to choose from, it may be a difficult task for a mom-and-pop restaurant to stand out. However, AJ’s Café and Grill has managed to do just that with their locally and freshly made burgers.

“We don’t advertise and we have never advertised,” said manager Chris Vidales. “We get our popularity from word of mouth. That is what has gotten us to where we are today.”

Known by locals as one of the friendliest, family-oriented restaurants in Turlock, AJ’s Café and Grill has served the area for 15 years with customer favorites — one of which is The Mangy Moose, a burger tastefully slathered in grilled onions, green chiles, mushrooms, bacon, and Swiss cheese.

Other burger favorites include Adam’s Double Burger, a monstrous hamburger constructed from two one-third patties and double the amount of American cheese; and The Monster Melt, which comes in weighing a hefty half-pound with American cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and red onions.

“All of our food is local. Our meat comes from Stockton, which means we are fresh, never frozen,” added Vidales. “We make the patties by hand. You’ll see us in the kitchen balling the ground beef up ourselves and smashing it into patties.”

The café and grill does not limit itself to just burgers, however. When customers are not raving about mouthwatering burger possibilities, they are gushing about the restaurant’s breakfast choices, which according to Vidales account for 90 percent of the restaurant’s business.

With options that include AJ’s French Toast, a customer favorite that Vidales vouches as the best in all of Turlock, and the Swedish Pancakes, a popular treat that the café sells approximately one thousand plates of each week, it is easy to see why.

“We also have a machine that instantly squeezes oranges into fresh orange juice,” added Vidales. “Our orange juice comes straight from the orange to your mouth with no rest stops.”

AJ’s Café and Grill is located at 2800 Geer Road in Turlock. Hours range from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday; 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday; and 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.