Unlike those counter-service establishments, however, Matty’s, which officially opens July 20, exhibits a grandeur that seems a little out of touch for a burger joint. Perhaps that’s Horn’s intention.

“As a culinary artist, the confines of a single style of cooking can be restrictive,” he said in the press release announcing the soft opening of Matty’s, which is named for his young son. “Matty’s is a culinary playground that enables me to venture beyond those limits, igniting my passion for exploring new concepts.” 

Horn says he taught himself how to barbecue in his grandmother’s backyard on his grandfather’s smoker. He gained a name back in 2016 for his West Oakland barbecue pop-up, Horn Barbecue. In 2020, he opened a permanent location of Horn Barbecue in the same neighborhood and soon after earned national acclaim for his Central Texas-style barbecue. He was named to Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2021 and crowned a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2022. In 2021, the Michelin Guide added Horn Barbecue to the Bib Gourmand list. A year later, he opened his second counter-service restaurant, Kowbird, a soul food eatery with a focus on fried chicken sandwiches.

That rapid growth and meteoric rise came with turbulence. Last October, SFGATE published a report detailing financial struggles and unsafe work allegations at Horn Barbecue. Current and former employees granted anonymity by SFGATE cited difficulties maintaining Horn’s high standards. They alleged that Horn Barbecue was using Costco meat after some suppliers stopped working with the restaurant for failure to pay on time. Employees complained about their experiences being harassed by intoxicated passersby while running the outdoor smoker on the graveyard shift, and alleged that management didn’t provide timely, adequate solutions to safety concerns (at one point, employees were reportedly given bear mace for the night shift). They also told SFGATE they’d experienced late or bounced paychecks.

“This guy took me to the brink of wanting to quit the service industry,” one former worker told SFGATE (many of the employees interviewed in the report were granted anonymity in accordance with Hearst’s ethics policy). “I hope a story like this can bring to light the f—ked up things that employers can do and get away with because of their hype.”

It has been nine months since the investigation was published and Horn did not respond to a recent request for an interview regarding what he has learned as he embarks on another restaurant and questions about who is supplying the dry-aged beef to Matty’s Old Fashioned. As a food writer living in an area replete with fantastic, affordable burgers, I was curious to see what Horn was bringing to the mix. I admit I have fond memories of waiting in line to taste his food in 2016, so I got a reservation for the soft opening of Matty’s Old Fashioned.

Inside the restaurant, which was designed by Horn himself, according to the press release, the walls were painted deep navy with gold trim, and a cutout in the back wall allowed diners to see into the kitchen, where Horn was plating at the expo station. A pink neon sign on the right wall flashed the message, “Stay old fashioned with me,” but no one in this group of mostly older millennial and Gen-X diners was taking selfies in front of it.

We grabbed seats at the L-shaped bar and were offered a wine list — the restaurant is still awaiting a full liquor license — but we passed, going straight for the food.

The small menu featured 10 items broken down into six starters and four mains. After putting in our order, an appetizer of fried Brussels sprouts ($16) arrived swiftly. The small, green bushels were perfectly fried so that the outer leaves were crunchy but the middle still had some “meat” to it. The greens were drizzled with a balsamic-y glaze that was thinner than most I had experienced. Slices of tangerine cut through the sweet tanginess of the glaze, a balance that was essential — and, that we later found out, was somewhat lacking with the rest of the food.

Another appetizer, the sea dip ($21), was equally impressive on the first bite. It was creamy and had ample chunks of crab and shrimp, as well as a mirepoix of diced onions and bell peppers. Laying on top of the torched and browned layer of cheese in the miniature cast iron skillet was a whole shrimp, head on, succulent and tasty.

The fried bologna sandwich ($19), the first one I’ve ever had, was stellar. It was salty, porky and piled high with thinly sliced sausage with crispy edges. The meat was sandwiched between tiny fried onion strings, a layer of melted cheese and a honey mustard aioli. The bun was glossy on top and soft enough to cave perfectly when squeezing it to fit it into my mouth. It was the best bang for your buck option on the menu as it was twice as big as the burger for $7 less.

That burger ($26), made with two thin — but not crispy like a smashburger — patties, came out in a black sesame-seed bun and was layered with caramelized onions and bread and butter pickles. It also had cheese — cheddar or American, I believe — but unfortunately, I couldn’t taste it. Extremely rich in flavor, the burger was laden with a honey-barbecue flavored aioli that was so sweet it lingered on my palate even on my BART ride home. The onions and pickles were also sweet, making the burger juicy as all hell, but just one note in flavor, which was an overload. Some acidity would’ve helped cut through that sweetness. Even some lettuce and tomato would’ve done the trick.

Mattyʻs Old Fashioned (Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE)
Mattyʻs Old Fashioned (Nico Madrigal-Yankowski/SFGATE)

Right now, Matty’s Old Fashioned seems to be confused in its concept — it bills itself as “blending vintage allure and modern sophistication,” yet the vibe, at least to me, is just modern sophistication. I appreciate “low brow” food in a “high brow” setting; I’m just not sure Horn or his team knows exactly how that needs to be showcased. Nothing about it, even the food, which was labeled as high-priced diner fare, felt vintage or nostalgic. I’d take a cheeseburger from Sam’s for that, and it’ll cost me $11.