I know we can all eat good burgers, but can you make one? The Pub at Ghirardelli Square is throwing a burger contest through May 31st. All you need to do is submit your awesome burger recipe. You can win a $200 Gift Certificate to The Pub and your burger will be on their menu for 6months! Visit this web site for more details.
Burger Contest at The Pub
May 5th, 2011 by NikkiOutrageous Burgers
March 17th, 2011 by NikkiHave you ever heard of a Lion Burger? Me neither! Check out this list of 20 Outrageous Burgers that Actually Exist. There are some very interesting looking burgers on there, some I would be willing to try – like the Kangaroo Burger, Alpaca Burger, or Cupcake Burger. And others that I would not due to self-preservation, referring to the Tower of Doom and World’s Largest Burger. Anyone ever had any of these? There are instructions for the Bacon And Cheese Stuffed Pizza Burger – are you brave enough to attempt it?
Mission Beach Cafe
March 3rd, 2011 by Nikki
What a fantastic burger! It met all of my criteria with flying colors. I couldn’t stop eating it! Oh wait, I should give a little description here, its a grassfed beach buger with pondhopper gouda, caramelized onions, winter mushrooms, garlic aoili, and kennec fries.
This burger was a big mess right off the bat. The bun was just right, the toppings were great, the meat was pink inside and so full of flavor without being too salty. With each bite I felt like I was home. The fries were really good too, especially the truffle fries (which my friend got).
The burger was a little on the high end for price ($13.50), but well worth it. This place is super busy on weekends though, especially around brunch time. So I recommend going during the week if you can or plan ahead!
Overall: 
Mission Beach Cafe on Yelp
198 Guerrero St
San Francisco, CA 94103 Map
Uncle Boy’s
February 3rd, 2011 by Nikki
Edward P on Facebook recommended we try Uncle Boy’s. Albie and I arrived early (they open at noon), but the two guys who work there were nice enough to let us in on a chilly day. While we sat and waited for them to finish opening I decided on my burger, the “unhorsed cowboy:” 1 grilled angus beef patty, 2 crispy onion rings, 2 strips of bacon, and 1 slice of am cheese, topped with our cowboy sauce all in a toasted bun – $6.85. Not a bad price!
This burger turned out to be somewhat nostalgic for me. It reminded me of a burger I used to get long ago… what was it… ah yes, this is what the Burger King BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger is trying to be! The special sauce was really good; the meat was not so special; but the special toppings saved it. The fries were not for me, but Albie liked them. We also ordered some jalepeno poppers, which were great. Hard to mess those up though, right?
If you plan on eating at Uncle Boy’s, I would suggest getting a fun burger, not a plain burger. Because I couldn’t stop eating the fun burger… just… couldn’t… put it… down.
Here’s a 50% off voucher from Mobile Spinach (only available for 4 weeks on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry Torch; Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox 4.0).
Overall: 
Uncle Boy’s on Yelp
245 Balboa St
San Francisco, CA 94118 Map
Super Duper Burgers
December 15th, 2010 by Nikki
The name speaks for itself, these burgers are Super Duper. Though not enough for five stars, I only give them four. The reason? Well, the burger was really yummy; the edges of the meat were crispy, but the middle wasn’t pink. I also really liked that I could get a smaller burger (a Superburger Single, $4.75 — meat, bun, super sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onions, cheddar cheese), so the portion was just right for me. The burger caused a nice mess and the price was good. It just wasn’t the perfect burger by my standards, but I would eat there again if I had a burger craving in the Castro.
In the photo my burger is the little guy on the left. The one on the right belongs to my husband, Steve. As you can see, the double is a bit more significant. You should try one if you’re in the neighborhood though, it was definitely delicious! The fries were alright and the shake was good. If you want to try them, you can get a 50% off voucher from Mobile Spinach (only available for 4 weeks on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry Torch; Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox 4.0).
Overall:
Super Duper on Yelp
2304 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94114 Map
Double Play
December 1st, 2010 by Nikki
Double Play is really close to where I live. This is where I go when I need some greasy food to cure a hangover. The food is good, cheap and just what I need for a spinning head and hungry belly. I’ve had the burger many times, but of course the time I go for an official review I am horribly let down.
I didn’t realize that you had two choices for your burger bun: “French roll or bun”. Because I didn’t notice this on the menu the bartender chose for me, and she chose wrong. I ended up with a sourdough bun, and I HATE sourdough. (You might also note that the menu didn’t say sourdough either, so I wouldn’t have known either way.)
Now you might say that isn’t fair, how can I hold this against them and their burger? Well, aside from the bun, the burger just wasn’t doing it for me like it had in the past. It just wasn’t the magical piece of tasty messy meat that I remembered and it wasn’t cooked medium like I ordered. Come to think of it, I wasn’t hungover for the review and maybe the haze of hangover really skewed my past judgment. Well that’s just too bad. Until I go in there for another hangover burger, the rating is just going to have to stand at three stars.
Also, the fries suck. But its a great day-time dive bar.
If you’d like to try Double Play, here’s a 50% off voucher from Mobile Spinach. Even though I didn’t like the burger that much, they do have great hangover food (as mentioned) and its a great bar for watching the game (whatever game that may be). I have lunch here just about every other weekend. (The voucher is only available for 4 weeks on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry Torch; Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox 4.0).
Overall: 
Double Play on Yelp
2401 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103 Map
The Monk’s Kettle
November 22nd, 2010 by Nikki
The Monk’s Kettle is well known for their beer, but I wasn’t sure about their burger.
The burgers are listed and sandwiches are listed with beer pairings, which is neat. I ended up ordering the regular burger and adding bacon and cheese. The burger came with fries and the beer was obviously separate. The total for my Humboldt Grass-fed Beef Burger was $12.50 + $1.50 (cheese) + $2.00 (bacon) = $16!!! And for all that, the burger was a solid OK. It really wasn’t that special.
The flavor was good, and the messiness was acceptable, but the bun was overwhelming. I ate my burger with Albie and Steve, who also felt the bun was taking over. So with that kind of price and an average burger, I have to give the Monk’s burger three stars. The total for our lunch experience was $75. That’s right, that wasn’t a typo — $75 for 3 burgers and 3 beers. As Albie said (because we all know he’s never actually going to write a review), “destination beer, not destination burger”.
If you want a burger (or a beer) from The Monk’s Kettle you can get a voucher for 50% off from Mobile Spinach (only available for 4 weeks on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry Torch; Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox 4.0).
Overall:
Monk’s Kettle on Yelp
3141 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103 Map
Holy Grill
October 26th, 2010 by Nikki
We have found the Holy Grill! Or, I should say, a place called “Holy Grill” in SOMA. Aside from being in a convenient spot (for dinner), the Holy Grill offers some cute burger options, like: Holy, Epiphany, Pagan and Trinity. I ordered the Epiphany, which means it comes with cheese. Straight from their menu: the “burgers are made with 6 oz of hand formed Meyer’s Ranch 100% natural Angus beef, grilled medium well, served on a Sciambra bakery bun with crisp lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Holy Sauce (Holy Sauce = ketchup, mayo, sweet relish and dab of dijon)”. With a simple side of fries and soft drink the total comes to around $11.
First response: what a fantastic mess! I was afraid to set the burger down, thinking I may never pick it up again in such a way that it would retain its burger form. The flavor was good, though it wasn’t cooked the way I like it (pink on the inside, crispy on the outside). They get points for the mess and the price, but not for the way it was cooked. However, this won’t stop me from going back to try some of their other cute burger options.
The parking is really easy in the evening and they deliver, but only for orders over $25 — which, with their great prices, will be hard to reach. The fries were fairly good and the onion rings were crispy delicious. If you’d like to try the Holy Grill you can get 50% off with this discounted voucher for your smart phone from Mobile Spinach (only available for 4 weeks on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry Torch; Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox 4.0).
Overall:
Holy Grill on Yelp
659 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA 94103 Map
Magnolia Pub & Brewery
October 11th, 2010 by Nikki
I had heard about Magnolia before, but I hadn’t eaten there. When it popped up in my search for a burger in The Haight I immediately got excited, especially after reading the menu: HALF POUND PRATHER RANCH HAMBURGER 13 – lettuce, tomato, onion add Cheddar, Gruyere, or Blue 1.5 – add Hobbs’ bacon, 2. Sound’s good, right?
So Albie and I set out to have some burgers for lunch. I ordered mine with cheese, gruyere. After what seemed like a long wait the waitress finally came around the corner with our burgers and I was surprised at how tall they were, so tall the chef had to put a big stick through the middle of one to keep them from falling over. And as you can see from the picture, I forgot to order mine without onions. No problem, I promptly removed them after taking the picture – yuck!
The burger was cooked just the way I like it, medium-rare. Check. After the first couple bites it started dripping. Check. And I must say, it was quite a tasty and delicious burger. Check. Only one small problem with it – too salty. Boo. On the whole a little more expensive then the average burgers we’ve been sampling, which is why (along with the saltiness) we both knocked it down from five stars to four.
On a side note, the fries were just ok, not crispy enough for me. But they make their own rootbeer, which is really neat and that tasted good. And when they brought out the ketchup and mustard I was totally grossed out, just take a look at it!
Overall:
Magnolia on Yelp
1398 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117 (Map)
Oola Restaurant & Bar
August 27th, 2010 by Nikki
And now I present: Oola’s Grilled Natural Creek Stone Farms Hamburger $13 with apple wood smoked bacon, $1.50. Served on a brioche bun, tomatoes, watercress, and grilled onions.
Sound delicious, no? Well, it was just alright. I would eat it again, but its not spectacular. The bun was nice and soft, and the meat was good, but it wasn’t really full of flavor. It also failed to drip down my arms, and that’s essential! I also felt the bacon was cooked well (as in good, not overcooked). The fries on the side were REALLY good.
In the end the burger did a decent job of being a burger, but just didn’t have enough flavor and was a little overpriced for it.
PS – From an artists perspective, I really liked the presentation (which has no bearing on the rating)!
Overall:
Oola on Yelp
860 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94107 (Map)
