I’m always on the hunt for an amazing burger (which you probably already know if you’ve been keeping up with The Great Burger Hunt through San Francisco). While the list is based more in San Francisco, I do enjoy trying places that are a bit further out, especially if they have a great reputation. One day on a trek back from Santa Cruz, I decided to stop into Brown Chicken Brown Cow in Campbell. It did win (or rather tie) the award for Best Burger in the Bay Area from the Mercury News, so it seemed like a great place to stop in. The other winner was Super Duper Burgers, and while they do a decent burger, it’s no where near the top of my list. However, given a burger restaurant with a single location managed to tie a chain, it did lead me to believe that it could actually be something worth hunting down.
It’s in downtown Campbell, and not quite on the main road as I had to walk down an alley, but there are plenty of signs telling you where to go. It’s also a no frills restaurant as the decorations give it that standard diner-style vibe with plenty of children’s coloring projects of chickens and cows hanging around. It was kind of fun to see those everywhere, and clearly a lot of kids seem to like the place. I sat at the counter at lunch on a Friday, and it wasn’t incredibly busy during those hours. (Although they did seem to do a few takeaway orders while I was there.)
After looking at the menu, I decided on the Vampire Slayer 2017 Burger and a side of buffalo fries. The burger is a garlic lover’s paradise with garlic pesto, garlic chips and melted Brie. (In no way did my obsession with the TV show sway my ordering.) The buffalo fries are smothered in buffalo wing sauce and sprinkled with blue cheese and green onions. The fries sounded similar to the angry fries at my favorite burger place in London, Bleecker Street Burger, so I was really excited to try them.
The fries came out first, and they did look fantastic. The buffalo sauce is a pretty decent sauce, but sadly, the fries themselves weren’t really that amazing. I mean they were decent, but they were slightly underwhelming. They were completely smothered in the sauce as opposed to being drizzled on top, so perhaps that was a reason why.
When the burger arrived, it did look really fantastic. And after one bite, I was definitely sold on it. There was a solid meaty flavor and the umami from the garlic really just added something to the burger. The bun held up well, and I realized I wished that there was a branch in San Francisco, because it would probably be one of my top spots for burgers.
I was really happy with Brown Chicken Brown Cow, and I can definitely see why it’s been ranked highly in votes. I would definitely return if I were in the area and craving a burger, but I would probably choose a non-smothered side. Overall, it’s a solid place to grab a bite to eat if you’re in the area.
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re dateless, the Vampire Slayer 2017 is a winning choice for prom queen!
Brown Chicken Brown Cow
397 E. Campbell Ave
Campbell, CA 95008
