As I enjoyed another of my favorite burgers last night, I was reminded by my dinner companion that I had not yet ranked burgers publicly despite always being on the look-out for the top burger joint in all my regular cities. So here's my take on the Bay Area's Best Burgers:
- The Bar at Spruce
- The Bar at Redd (Yountville)
- Zuni Cafe
- Taylor's Refresher (Ahi burger first, beef burger second)
- Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery
- Mustard's Grill (Yountville)
- Street
- ACME Chophouse
- In-N-Out
- Grubstake (at 2am)
Honorable mention but probably unfair to rank officially is my own home-ground, grilled burger take on the Zuni Cafe recipe. I prefer a real bun to Zuni's ACME herbed foccaccia bread and I can choose from a wider selection of cheeses and condiments when I make it myself, of course. The KitchenAid meat grinder attachment makes this easy to do, and you will never go back to buying those pre-formed or even butcher-ground beef burgers once you grind your own meat that you've seasoned the night before. That said, I don't do fries as well as most of the places on this list above, and I don't even attempt them; I stick with my favorite rosemary roasted potatoes instead (another recipe inspired by Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe).
Notably missing: Balboa Cafe -- more because of ambience than actual taste, but I still don't see how it's so many people's fave!
Looking forward to plenty of debate on this one!
3 comments:
Epic Roasthouse actually has an amazing burger
Ahem, Jeanty at Jacks has an amazing burger. At under $10, this is one of the best bargains for downtown lunches. Sit at the bar and enjoy good convo with the bartender and you may be privy to some shenanigans.
Yountville!
Napa!
can I take a cab there? Then it's not san francisco.
totally agree with your list though
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