Shiver me Burgers! Or Burger me Timbers, take your pick! It’s time to check out three more burger places in San Francisco to see how they compare. Currently, my favorite is the Smash Burger from Niku Butcher Shop, but maybe I’ll find something even better. This time, I tried burgers from STK Steakhouse, Jenny’s Burger and Copas. How did they fare?
1. Wagyu Burger from STK Steakhouse
Trying the burger here seemed like a no brainer. STK Steakhouse offers a $9.99 Wagyu Burger and Fries, at least in San Francisco. So when I was in to be in the area, I stopped in to give it a try. They do charge quite a bit for extras, so if you want to add onions, avocado, bacon or an egg, you’ll be tacking on an additional $3-4 for each one. I went for onions, and eagerly awaited my burger. Sadly, it was one of the most tasteless Wagyu burgers I’ve eaten. It was just kind of a boring burger, and I guess given the price, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I will say the fries were top notch though, so at least I had something exciting. Of course, when leaving, I realized I was next to a Super Duper location, so perhaps they are trying to tap into that crowd, but honestly, I would have been better off just going there.
2. Western Burger from Jenny’s Burger
During the holidays, when I was stopping at a posh (and pricey) British shop, I saw that Jenny’s Burger was just down the street, so I stopped in for lunch. I ordered the Western Cheeseburger with onion rings, bacon and barbecue sauce with a side of garlic fries. It didn’t look like anything special when it came out, but they do have a toppings bar which a person could take full advantage of if they wanted. And the burger kind of tasted like it looked, just a basic burger. I suppose if you’re in the Inner Sunset, there might not be much else, but the burger definitely wasn’t a winner for me.
3. Al Pastor Smash Burger from Copas
Finally, I headed over to Copas one evening to try their smash burger. I had high hopes given how much I loved the rest of the food there, and their burger was loaded with al pastor meat, cheese, onion and jalapeno slices with a side of house made crispy potatoes. And the flavors were very tasty, so that part I was incredibly happy with. Sadly the burger patty itself had a really odd texture I couldn’t get past even though it had a nice meaty taste. They also provided some habenero salsa on the side in case you wanted more heat, which definitely worked well mixed with the ketchup for the potatoes.
Winner: Niku Butcher Shop
After finding a real contender with my previous outings, I had high hopes that one of the burgers this week could break into the top five, but sadly, it wasn’t the case. And while I’m adding Copas to the honorable mentions list, it didn’t wow me enough to think I’d want to have it again over their amazing Mexican food. How long will Niku Butcher Shop be my favorite burger in the city? Keep an eye out, and if you have any burger suggestions, I’m eager to hear about it in the comments below.
My current top five:
1. Niku Butcher Shop
2. Flash Crash $6 Burger
3. Barney’s Gourmet Burgers
4. Monsieur Benjamin
5. Flippin’ Burger
Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Nopa
Epic Steak
4505 Burgers and Barbecue
Magnolia Brewing
The Showdown
Spruce
Frankie’s Java House
Wayfare Tavern
Fort Point Valencia
Unusual toppings/burgers:
Copas
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
I dont see that al pastor burger on the menu, was it a special?
You know, it’s weird, I thought the burger on the menu was a Chipotle one, and when I arrived, it was an Al Pastor with Jalapenos! But the last time I went to the restaurant, it was the Chipotle one again, so maybe they were trying something new that month?