The weather in San Francisco may be getting better, but are any of the burgers? My favorite is still the Smash Burger from Niku Butcher Shop, but I’ve tried three more burgers to see if any of them could become the Queen of Burgers. Will the burger from Maillards, Native Burger or Laundromat SF be able to topple the beast?
1. Maillards Double from Maillards
If you live in San Francisco and haven’t heard of Maillards, you might be living under a rock. Every website seems to rave about this burger, so it seemed only natural that I needed to give it a try. However, they aren’t that easy to get as they are basically only available Sundays at the Outer Sunset Farmer’s Market and Tuesday nights at Heritage Restaurant. (With the occasional pop-up at other locations.) I did manage to trek all the way to the Outer Sunset to give it a go, and there was a queue of people waiting when I arrived (thankfully a very short queue). I got the meal, and for $18, I got a double burger, fries and a lemonade. I was doubtful because I’ve been duped by buzzy burgers before, but Maillards really does know what they are doing. From the first bite, the flavor was absolutely fantastic as it was meaty and perfectly seasoned. Even though they are smashed quite thin, the burger is still incredibly juicy and I enjoyed every mouthful. It was so enjoyable that I was very sad when I finished the burger, not because I was still hungry, but because the burger was so good I just wish I could eat more of it. The fries were also spot on, and I left the Farmer’s Market very satisfied that day.
2. Sunrise Burger from Native Burger
Another burger that I had heard pretty great things about was Native Burger. It’s another trek for me, as it’s located way out on Geary, but as someone who needs to find the truth, I decided to make the journey and give it a try. I went for the Sunrise Burger with cheddar, grilled onions, avocado and an egg. I also went for some garlic fries as I can’t seem to get enough of them these days. The burger was actually really tasty with a perfectly cooked egg on top. It had a solid meat flavor, and I definitely enjoyed it overall, and if I lived in the area, I’m sure I’d be back many times.
3. Double Smash Burger from The Laundromat SF
Finally, I ventured even further away from home to try the Double Smash Burger from The Laundromat SF. They generally make pizza, but on Wednesday nights they have a special Smash Burger night, and since I was on my own one Wednesday, I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to go. After finding the wrong place on Google (who knew SF had so many laundromats?) and having to walk uphill a good way to the restaurant, I was hungry and ready for a burger. However, they are very popular, and I had to wait a bit for a seat to open up at the bar. Once there I settled in with some wine and got the burger which is served with homemade pickles and a warm potato salad. Sadly, it was dark, and my picture wasn’t great, but it didn’t look that amazing when it arrived, kind of just slopped on the plate. However, the burger was actually incredibly tasty and was a pleasant surprise. It was well worth the trek for sure, even though it did shrink on me a bit over the course of eating it, and the potatoes in the salad were a bit undercooked.
Winner: Maillards
This was a real close one folks! The burger from Maillards required me going back to Niku to try them again (not that I was complaining), and they are both stellar versions of a smash burger. While I still love the meaty 50/50 Wagyu from Niku, the fact I wanted to buy a second burger immediately tipped the balance toward Maillards. That being said, both Native Burger and The Laundromat SF are stellar burgers as well, and while they weren’t quite as good, The Laundromat is definitely coming in at number five now. It was definitely a great month for burgers for me, and I’m excited to see if I can keep this trend going! And, as always, please feel free to drop any suggestions into my comments (and sadly Copas burger is coming off the list because they’ve recently shut down. RIP to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the city.)
My current top five:
1. Maillards
2. Niku Butcher Shop
3. Flash Crash $6 Burger
4. Bun Appetit
5. The Laundromat SF
Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Monsieur Benjamin
Nopa
Epic Steak
4505 Burgers and Barbecue
Magnolia Brewing
The Showdown
Spruce
Frankie’s Java House
Wayfare Tavern
Fort Point Valencia
Flippin’ Burger
Burger Littles
Unusual toppings/burgers:
Sons Addition
ABV
Biergarten
Rock Club Burger
Multiple toppings/burgers:
Barney’s Gourmet Burgers
Flipper’s Gourmet Burgers
Papa Mak’s
Brickhouse
Super Duper Burgers
Beep’s Burgers
Sides:
Wes Burger ‘n’ More
