I’m still out exploring San Francisco for the best burger in the city. While my favorite burger is still the Smash Burger from Niku Butcher Shop, I am still hoping to find something to top it, so this time, I tried burgers from Mo’s Grill, AK Subs and Waterfront Restaurant to see if any of them could do it!
1. Blue Cheese Burger from Mo’s Grill
Mo’s Grill is a North Beach institution that serves breakfast and burgers, and they have this giant grill you can see as you walk in where they cook a lot of the meat and veggies for the restaurant. It’s been highly praised online, so I knew it was going to have to be something to check out. They have a wide range of burgers, but since I love blue cheese, I knew which burger I was going to get. It looked amazing when it arrived with a hefty pile of fries on the side. All in all it was a solid burger, with a nice char from the grill and fresh veggies on top. It was lacking a bit in seasoning and that intense meat flavor I like. The fries were well done, and I’d have to say they definitely serve up a tasty burger.
2. Herb’s Hamburger from AK Subs
AK Subs is a fast casual restaurant in Soma that does a fantastic sub, so I knew I wanted to try the burger because it’s definitely on the cheaper side (under $10 for a plain hamburger!), and the additional toppings aren’t too overpriced. As a lot of my favorites are not cheap, it’s going to be an amazing find when I get that cheap burger too. I stopped in to grab one and took it home to give it a try. The burger was really nice for such a quick place, but it definitely was lacking a lot of the meatiness I like. Sadly, I’m not convinced I’d be back considering there are quite a few burgers nearby that are better (although not as cheap), but if you happen to be near here and want a nice, inexpensive burger, it’s definitely a great choice.
3. Waterfront Burger from Waterfront Restaurant
Finally, it was back to expensive, fancy burgers at a nice restaurant, and I chose to try one from Waterfront Restaurant along the Embarcadero. The restaurant itself as a great view as well as nice wines and cocktails, so it’s a great place to bring family and friends. The burger was pretty simple with fresh vegetables on it and a nice amount of fries on the side. And it was a great burger because of it. Nothing too outrageous, just a nice example of a burger. The meat was a bit under-seasoned for me, and I would have liked it to be just slightly better for the price, but I definitely left the restaurant very satisfied.
Winner: Niku Butcher Shop
While all three burgers this week did help scratch my burger craving, none of them really excited me enough to really take a spot on the list, so Niku Butcher Shop still carries the first prize ribbon for me. Will I ever find a burger to snatch the top spot? Stay tuned and let me know of any places I might have missed in the comments!
My current top five:
1. Niku Butcher Shop
2. Barney’s Gourmet Burgers
3. Monsieur Benjamin
4. Flippin’ Burger
5. Fort Point Valencia
Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Nopa
Epic Steak
4505 Burgers and Barbecue
Magnolia Brewing
The Showdown
Spruce
Frankie’s Java House
Wayfare Tavern
Unusual toppings/burgers:
Sons Addition
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
