I’m still on the hunt for the best burger in the city. There are so many places to go, and clearly not enough time! But I’m slowly working my way through them. This time, I went to Red’s Java House, The Showdown and Haley McNicholl’s Celtic-American eatery. In my previous post, Comstock Saloon was still on top. How will these fare?
1. Red’s Java House
The late Anthony Bourdain raved about the burgers from Red’s, so I knew it was going to have to be one to try out. I headed here for lunch one day and got the double cheeseburger ($9.50) and some onion rings ($6). The burger is quite unusual as it’s quite plain served with mustard, mayonnaise, onions and pickles on a sourdough roll. (How San Francisco is that roll?) It is definitely not a fancy burger, and while it was tasty, it definitely wasn’t anything amazing. And the onion rings were pretty terrible sadly as they were clearly frozen onion rings made with reconstituted onions.
2. The Showdown
Next up, I traveled to North Beach and the Showdown. The burger they do at this pub is one of the new smashburger style of burgers where you smash the patty down thin on the grill. It’s nice that this style gives a really crunchy exterior of the patty that is full of flavor. It can then also overcook a bit and dry out the patty (this one was done really well, however). This burger does come with two patties (more meaty!) and ends up being mostly like a really fancy double-double. This burger was really tasty and not outrageously expensive ($14). The bun was a really nice touch. I opted to upgrade my side to the smashed potatoes which are coated in egg yolk and malt vinegar and really made for an interesting side to the burger.
3. Haley McNicholl’s Celtic-American Eatery
Finally, I went back to Haley McNicholl’s Celtic-American Eatery to try their Jalapeno burger. This burger comes with pepper jack cheese and a jalapeno cream cheese. Overall, the burger was nice, served with the same average fries as I had with the fish and chips. I don’t think the cream cheese added a whole lot to be honest, as it didn’t have a lot of flavor, and if they were going with something spicy, perhaps just jalapenos on top would have been nicer.
Winner: Comstock Saloon
Comstock still has my favorite burger in the city, although the burger from The Showdown was really tasty and something I’d go back for. Sadly, neither of the other two burgers really hit that burger spot for me. I’m also re-doing the burger rankings. It’s a bit hard to keep things in order after so long! I’ve decided to list my top five with some extra categories for other top burger places in San Francisco!
My current top five:
1. Comstock Saloon
2. Black Sands Brewery
3. Wayfare Tavern
4. Fort Point Brewery
5. Son’s Addition
Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Gaspar
Nopa
Epic Steak
4505 Burgers and Barbecue
Magnolia Brewing
The Showdown
Unusual toppings/burgers:
City Beer Store
The Saratoga
ABV
Biergarten
Multiple toppings/burgers:
Papa Mak’s
Brickhouse
Super Duper Burgers
Sides:
Umami Burger
Wes Burger ‘n’ More
