It’s time for more burgers! I’m still seeking out some amazing burgers in San Francisco to see if there is one that can top the fantastic one at Comstock Saloon! For this round, I tried burgers from The Melt, Box Kitchen and Bandit to see how they stand.
1. The Melt
Most people know The Melt for their plethora of grilled cheese sandwiches (which are very good I would like to add), but they also do burgers. It is hard to order a burger though, as every time I go, I gravitate toward those sandwiches. However, I was on my way home one night after having a few drinks, and I knew it was the right time to see if The Melt would satisfy the burger craving. I went for the Meltburger consisting of a beef patty, cheddar, jalapeños, pickles and Melt sauce. The price is fairly reasonable for the burger at around $8 (sides are extra of course). Since I had had a bit to drink, and it was getting late, I also opted to make it a double with a second patty (for an additional $3). I quickly took it home to give it a try. At first, I thought it was fairly similar to the Super Duper Burger, but after eating a few more bites, the burger became less appealing. It just seemed unbalanced, and the flavors were off. It also fell apart very easily and was incredibly messy and hard to eat. And while I love jalapeños, they didn’t really add anything to the burger. Maybe it was the double, but it also sat like a lump on my stomach after, so it made the rest of the night uncomfortable.
Meltburger
2. Box Kitchen
Next, I went to Box Kitchen which is located inside of Tempest Bar. At lunch, the bar is open as a restaurant, but in the evening, it is more of a takeaway place in order to keep the bar available for drinking. Although if you fancy a drunk lunch, they do have their alcoholic beverages available of course. Their burger comes with bacon shallot gastrique, white cheddar, arugula, spinach, tomato and crispy shallot rings on a potato pepper bun. All for $14, so not too outrageously priced, as it also comes with either a side salad or fries (or garlic fries for an additional cost.) It definitely looked really great when it came out with a nice thick patty, and it tasted as good as it looked. The gastrique gave a bit of sweetness and the shallow rings added some nice crunch. The bun held up really well to everything, even with the juices running out of the burger. And the fries were pretty great as well as they were very crispy with just the right amount of garlic and cheese. Sadly though, the burger needed something, maybe some pickles or something to really add some brininess to it. Ketchup helped a bit, but by the end, I really wanted more from it.
Box Burger and garlic fries
3. Bandit
Finally, I hit up Bandit. Bandit is a very small breakfast sandwich and burger place in the Tenderloin (and by very small, I mean about five seats if you want to try to eat there). I had to try the Notorious Burger with blue cheese, bacon, a fried egg and jalapeño relish, mostly because I’m such a fan of everything that was on it. It runs around $14, so it is on the pricier side of burgers, as sides are at an extra cost (I got tots for $3). After a short wait, the burger was ready. Over all, it was a really great burger. The relish was spicy, but not too spicy, and the blue cheese was salty. I always love egg and bacon on a burger, and the bacon was thick and chewy. The bun also had a great buttery char to it that was slightly crunchy. The patty was beefy, but needed a bit of seasoning, and there were plenty of juices flowing out of the burger, so it ended up being quite the messy lunch. The tots were nothing amazing, and they really give a very tiny amount of ketchup out with them.
Notorious Burger and Tots
Winner: Comstock Saloon
As much as I enjoyed the burger from Bandit, Comstock Saloon is still the winner for me. Bandit could be slightly better, to be honest, so while it was my favorite this week, it won’t be making it onto the list. Also, on a disappointing side note, I recently went back to Southern Pacific Brewing to share the Brass Hat Burger with some new friends I’ve met, and it was sadly one of the worst and most disappointing burgers I’ve eaten in awhile. Sorry, Southern Pacific, I can’t recommend you anymore for burgers, so off the list you go! Maybe next time I’ll find a burger to make it into the top rankings or even topple the amazing burger from Comstock Saloon!
Ranking: 1. Comstock Saloon 2. Black Sands Brewery 3. Wayfare Tavern 4. Son’s Addition 5. Gaspar 6. Wes Burger ‘n’ More 7. Epic Steak 8. Umami Burger 9. City Beer 10. The Saratoga 11. ABV 12. 4505 Burgers and BBQ 13. Super Duper Burgers
