It’s about time I tried some new burgers around San Francisco! I’m always on the hunt for the best one out there (even though the current top burger from Niku Burger Shop is out of this world). My recent places to try have been Bacon Bacon, Ganim’s Market and Balboa Cafe. What’s the verdict?
1. Double Bacon Burger from Bacon Bacon
I had been to Bacon Bacon‘s food truck many years ago, and they put out a solid chicken sandwich so they had always been on the back burner to go back to try their burger. I finally headed over to Parkland Gardens in Mission Bay to give it a try. They only have one burger at the food truck, the Bacon Double Cheese Burger ($14.50). It’s a pretty basic burger overall, with everything you would expect. The bun was actually really amazing as it was studded with poppy seeds and held up very well to the burger. The burger itself was fine, but the star was definitely the bacon, which I guess it what you should expect from a place called Bacon Bacon. The fries ($4) were also top notch studded with Parmesan and herbs. Perhaps not a place for burgers, but definitely make sure to have something with lots of bacon if you visit.
2. Swiss Mushroom Burger from Ganim’s Market
Ganim’s Market is a bit of a hole in the wall restaurant on Potrero Hill, and I had passed by it many times during covid when I lived in that area, and the signs for burgers definitely intrigued me, so one day I finally bit the bullet and stopped in to grab one. I tried the Swiss Mushroom Burger ($15) with some onion rings ($3.50). It’s not a very fancy burger, but it definitely gets the job done. It was pretty meaty tasting, but maybe I just choose poorly (or a double might be better) as it definitely lacked a bit of the wow factor, even if it was pretty solid. The onion rings were decent, and they threw in some ranch dressing with it which was a nice touch.
3. Balboa Burger from Balboa Cafe
Finally, I checked out Balboa Cafe for the Balboa burger. They serve it more San Francisco style on a sourdough baguette with shoestring fries. Cheese or other toppings are extra, and I decided to add Blue Cheese for a nice salty kick. It’s served with homemade pickles as well which is a nice touch. Overall the burger was nice and the sourdough baguette it was served on did a nice touch containing the meaty burger. The fries were pretty spectacular too. I definitely enjoyed it, but I’m not sure it’s one I would trek out to specifically have again.
Winner: Niku Butcher Shop
While all three burgers this week were solid burgers, they all just left me wanting more. So the Smash Burger from Niku Butcher Shop is still my top choice for burgers in San Francisco, but I’ll keep the hunt going trying to find one that can out-do it. Please feel free to leave any suggestions for your favorite burger in the comments, and I’ll definitely add it to my list!
My current top five:
1. Niku Butcher Shop
2. Monsieur Benjamin
3. Flippin’ Burger
4. Fort Point Valencia
5. Wayfare Tavern
Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Nopa
Epic Steak
4505 Burgers and Barbecue
Magnolia Brewing
The Showdown
Spruce
Frankie’s Java House
Unusual toppings/burgers:
Sons Addition
Automat
ABV
Biergarten
Rock Club Burger
Multiple toppings/burgers:
Flipper’s Gourmet Burgers
Papa Mak’s
Brickhouse
Super Duper Burgers
Beep’s Burgers
Sides:
Umami Burger
Wes Burger ‘n’ More
