The Great Burger Hunt — Part 44

Summer is officially coming this month, and who doesn’t love a summer burger? My current favorite is Maillards which finally toppled my previous number one last month, but I’m certain there could be another burger out there that could be even better. To find out, I tried burgers from Louie’s Original, The Rabbit Hole and SPRO Coffee Lab! How did they do?

1. Big Louie from Louie’s Original

Louie’s Original is the casual burger outpost for the burger at Spruce (which is a stellar burger), so I knew I was going to have to go in to give it a try. While the Spruce burger is included on the menu as the Big Sister Burger, I opted to go for their other burger the Louie’s Original. You can get it small (1 patty) or big (2 patty) and I went for the the Big Louie. I also decided to get the waffle fries and to make them messy by topping it with cheese sauce, onions, jalapeños, and green onions. Everything looked and smelled pretty appetizing when it came out, and by Jove it was a really tasty burger. There was a great meaty flavor in my mouth, and I definitely enjoyed every bite. The fries were also delicious, but I think making them messy was a bit too much to handle on my own. But overall, a pretty solid choice for burgers in the Potrero Hill area.

2. Smashed Burger from The Rabbit Hole

This burger has recently popped up online as one of the better burgers in San Francisco, so I headed here one night when I was on my own to give the place a try. I tried a few things off the menu, and the cocktails are stellar, but this post is really all about the burger. It’s a smash burger served with cheddar cheese, house pickles and gochujang ketchup. First of all, they serve the ketchup in a bowl next to the burger which seemed a bit ostentatious of them. After spreading some on my burger and taking a bite, I was in love. The burger patties were perfect. They were cooked well, had plenty of moisture, and just the right seasoning to bring out the flavor of the meat. The house made pickles added some much needed acidity and crunch, but the gochujang ketchup is honestly one of the best pairings for a burger I’ve had. It was so good, I just started dipping my burger in the bowl of ketchup as it was slightly spicy and slightly sweet, and it just amplified the meat to another level. It was pretty easy to just keep dipping, use all the ketchup and devour the whole thing.

3. SPRO Burger from SPRO Coffee Lab

Yet another burger from the Spark Social Food Trucks, I finally got the SPRO Burger from SPRO Coffee Lab. It is served with cheddar cheese, a house-made smoked guava sauce and the usual toppings of lettuce, onion, pickles and tomato. I opted to add some avocado, and they don’t really have sides, so I just settled on the burger. Never have I been so grateful they didn’t have sides, because the burger was pretty much one of the worst ones I’ve eaten. The meat was dry and flavorless, and the guava sauce was sickly sweet and just didn’t work with it. I’ve never been more disappointed in a burger in my life. I know that SPRO are popular, so hopefully their other sandwiches are great, but the burger is not.

Winner: Rabbit Hole

Poor Maillards! Only one month in the top spot before being knocked out by the burger from The Rabbit Hole. Yeah, the deliciously cooked Smash Burger did me in, but the gochujang ketchup really brought it to the next level. Louie’s Original definitely puts out a solid burger as well. I’m actually craving another Rabbit Hole burger as I write this. Well, in the last few months, the entire top five has seen a major overhaul, and I’m eager to look out for something that could be even better! Sadly, Bun Appetit has disappeared as quickly as it arrived, so Monsieur Benjamin is staying on the list in the the last spot. And, as always, any suggestions in the comments are more than welcome!

My current top five:
1. Rabbit Hole
2. Maillards
3. Niku Butcher Shop
4. Flash Crash $6 Burger
5. Monsieur Benjamin

Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Louie’s Original
The Laundromat SF
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