You can’t eat a burger every night. So when you do, you gotta get it right. Below, our picks for the best burgers in (and slightly out of) town — all fine-tuned to offer maximum bang-for-blow-to-your-arteries value.
Place: Nopa
Billed as: Wood Grilled Hamburger with pickled onions and French fries
Claim to fame: The “most popular burger in S.F.,” with 29,000 sold — at $18 a piece
Bun: Brioche
Why? It’s deservedly a legend — the best late-night food in town
We’ll take it with: Blue cheese
Place: Marlowe
Billed as: “Marlowe BURGER,” with caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon, horseradish aioli, and fries
Bun: Acme
Why? So good it inspired a pop-up. If you like juicy, here you go.
We’ll take it with: The baked OYSTER bites and a Sculpin IPA
Place: Super Duper Burger (Mill Valley location)
Billed as: See above
Try it after: Running back and forth to Muir Woods, so you’re properly hungry
Why? Sometimes you want a quality burger for under $10
We’ll take it with: The super sauce, bacon, avocado and the cambozola blue
Place: 4505 Burgers & BBQ
Billed as: Best Damn Grass-Fed Cheeseburger
Bun: Toasted sesame and scallion
Why? It’s all about the meat — plus this place makes the best fries in S.F.
We’ll take it with: Said fries, and then maybe a root beer float because you only live once
Place: Gott’s Roadside (we like the St. Helena location)
Billed as: Starts as Hamburger and continues to include Western Bacon Blue Ring (beer-battered onion rings, Point Reyes blue cheese, bacon, pickles, etc.) and Wisconsin sourdough (mushrooms, bacon, cheddar cheese, mayo and barbecue sauce).
Bun: Toasted egg
Why? It is the essence of summer
We’ll take it with: Garlic fries and an Anchor Steam
Every Thursday, our resident experts see to it that you’re up to date on the latest from the world of drinks. Trend reports, bottle reviews, cocktail recipes and more. Sign up for THE SPILL now.