Hamburgers are ubiquitous across America. It doesn't matter the town, the state, or the region, when you arrive in a new destination you're guaranteed to find hamburgers on the menu of some restaurant. You'll pass hundreds of McDonald's, Burger Kings, and Wendy's on a drive across the U.S. That a region could claim to be "home" to this sandwich (with apologies to Louie's Lunch in New Haven where the first hamburger was sold) seems to be a ridiculous claim to make. A Cheesesteak is associated with Philadelphia. How could a hamburger, a "sandwich" that can be found everywhere be associated with a city/region? Having lived in Los Angeles, I posit that the Los Angeles area is the "Home of the Hamburger." Nowhere else in the world is there such a dedication and entrepreneurial spirit in serving this classic. Through the U.S. there are restaurants that serve hamburger. Los Angeles has hamburger restaurants. It's as though people in Los Angeles didn't get the memo that hamburger fast food should be limited to national chains. It's not that other towns don't have chefs offering a delicious alternative to McDonalds, the Philadelphia area has Charlies Hamburgers and Zac's Burgers, it's that these offerings are nowhere near the scale of Los Angeles. In Philadelphia, every neighborhood has a few cheesesteak options. In Los Angeles, every neighborhood has a few hamburger options. My Thanksgiving to Christmas goal is to try as many of these hamburgers as possible.
California burgers tend to follow a standard format: bun, a quarter-pound patty, lettuce, onion, tomato, and pickle and then a spread of Thousand Island dressing (a.k.a. the Big Mac's "mystery" sauce). I tried to order this format at each place for tasting consistency.
The header references a Taste Test - this is no taste test. All the hamburgers I ate are amazing - there was no first place or last place. There's obvious takeaways - start quality meat, the burger needs to be at least a quarter pound and not be suffocated by the bun, slight toast a good bun - but the real revelation from this taste test was how much a difference maker shredded lettuce is. The shredded lettuce was such an enhancement and the real difference maker between the good burgers and the great burgers. Next time I cook burgers at home, I'm shredding the lettuce. Also, Thousand Island as a dressing works well.
California burgers tend to follow a standard format: bun, a quarter-pound patty, lettuce, onion, tomato, and pickle and then a spread of Thousand Island dressing (a.k.a. the Big Mac's "mystery" sauce). I tried to order this format at each place for tasting consistency.
The header references a Taste Test - this is no taste test. All the hamburgers I ate are amazing - there was no first place or last place. There's obvious takeaways - start quality meat, the burger needs to be at least a quarter pound and not be suffocated by the bun, slight toast a good bun - but the real revelation from this taste test was how much a difference maker shredded lettuce is. The shredded lettuce was such an enhancement and the real difference maker between the good burgers and the great burgers. Next time I cook burgers at home, I'm shredding the lettuce. Also, Thousand Island as a dressing works well.
Nick's Burgers - 1626 W Redlands Blvd, Redlands, CA 92373 - 4.5 rating on Google
Nick's was the impetus, the first Redlands burger stop, that kick started the idea of a Hamburger tour of Highland and Redlands. I was searching for a microbrewery and moving the map around and Nick's popped up. I thought, "there's a guy just making hamburgers?" and sure enough Nick was just making hamburgers. I tried a burger, thought it was great, and then began moving Google Maps around to find other hamburger places. The locations below are the places I found, all rated higher than a 4.0 on Google, and decided to include in a hamburger taste test.
Nick's was the impetus, the first Redlands burger stop, that kick started the idea of a Hamburger tour of Highland and Redlands. I was searching for a microbrewery and moving the map around and Nick's popped up. I thought, "there's a guy just making hamburgers?" and sure enough Nick was just making hamburgers. I tried a burger, thought it was great, and then began moving Google Maps around to find other hamburger places. The locations below are the places I found, all rated higher than a 4.0 on Google, and decided to include in a hamburger taste test.
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Bravo Burger - 1911 W Redlands Blvd, Redlands, CA 92373 - 4.3 rating on Google
I ordered the hamburger combo which came with fries and a large soda for $7.75. Bravo has their burgers precooked and the patty is reheated on a grill after the order is placed. I was a bit worried when I saw the bun but it tasted good. The quarter-pound patty covered the bun. The burger didn't fall apart while I ate. This was a good start to the burger eating taste contest. Escape Brewing, one of my favorite San Bernardino microbreweries is located in a stripmall behind Bravo Burger - a perfect combo.
I ordered the hamburger combo which came with fries and a large soda for $7.75. Bravo has their burgers precooked and the patty is reheated on a grill after the order is placed. I was a bit worried when I saw the bun but it tasted good. The quarter-pound patty covered the bun. The burger didn't fall apart while I ate. This was a good start to the burger eating taste contest. Escape Brewing, one of my favorite San Bernardino microbreweries is located in a stripmall behind Bravo Burger - a perfect combo.
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P & G Burgers - 190 W Valley Blvd, Colton, CA 92324 - 4.7 rating on Google
P & G was a bit outside the geographical search of my Hamburger Taste Test, however, it was on the way to picking up my mother-in-law after her shift from a nursing facility, and with a 4.7 rating, it was an easy call to add this place to the list. This is a classic burger stand with plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the warm California sun. As you can tell from the photo to the bottom right, the main ingredient of this hamburger was...lettuce. And I mean a ton of lettuce. I took two bites that were nothing but lettuce to try and get the patty, bun, toppings ratio back to normal. Although it was really good, finely grated lettuce - I'm going to borrow this technique for burgers at home. It was a really, really good burger otherwise. The combo meal costs $10.75, which is a bit pricey. The combo include a large soda and steak fries lightly dusted with Cajun powder.
P & G was a bit outside the geographical search of my Hamburger Taste Test, however, it was on the way to picking up my mother-in-law after her shift from a nursing facility, and with a 4.7 rating, it was an easy call to add this place to the list. This is a classic burger stand with plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the warm California sun. As you can tell from the photo to the bottom right, the main ingredient of this hamburger was...lettuce. And I mean a ton of lettuce. I took two bites that were nothing but lettuce to try and get the patty, bun, toppings ratio back to normal. Although it was really good, finely grated lettuce - I'm going to borrow this technique for burgers at home. It was a really, really good burger otherwise. The combo meal costs $10.75, which is a bit pricey. The combo include a large soda and steak fries lightly dusted with Cajun powder.
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Burgertown USA - 222 E Redlands Blvd, Redlands, CA 92373 - 4.5 rating on Google
Finally, a place that gets it. The broader Los Angeles area should just call itself Burgertown. And if you are going to call yourself Burgertown, you'd be have a pretty good burger. You can tell from the photo that the patty seems a little small, that it's hiding under the bun a bit. I had a few no patty bites but otherwise this was a great burger. Good meat, well cooked. The bun was soft. There was a great ratio of lettuce, onion, and tomato. These were the best fries I've eaten during this burger tour. Not too thick. Not overcooked. Burgertown has an expanded menu which includes breakfast options - I liked the burger enough that I may return for a breakfast burrito.
Finally, a place that gets it. The broader Los Angeles area should just call itself Burgertown. And if you are going to call yourself Burgertown, you'd be have a pretty good burger. You can tell from the photo that the patty seems a little small, that it's hiding under the bun a bit. I had a few no patty bites but otherwise this was a great burger. Good meat, well cooked. The bun was soft. There was a great ratio of lettuce, onion, and tomato. These were the best fries I've eaten during this burger tour. Not too thick. Not overcooked. Burgertown has an expanded menu which includes breakfast options - I liked the burger enough that I may return for a breakfast burrito.
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Mike's Burgers - 940 W Highland Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92405 - 4.2 rating on Google
Mike's was the first place that I couldn't go inside to order so I had to place my order from the drive thru and then ate the burger off the back of my car in a gas station across the street. Fortunately they made it easy with the placing the standard combo I've been eating everywhere else at the top of the menu. This was a good burger, the bun seemed a little dry (I think they toasted it) but I'm beginning to see a fine line between these burgers. I ate this burger two days after eating at Burgertown USA, and while the patty was a bit larger at Mike's, the overall hamburger sandwich was just a shade below Burgertown's.
Mike's was the first place that I couldn't go inside to order so I had to place my order from the drive thru and then ate the burger off the back of my car in a gas station across the street. Fortunately they made it easy with the placing the standard combo I've been eating everywhere else at the top of the menu. This was a good burger, the bun seemed a little dry (I think they toasted it) but I'm beginning to see a fine line between these burgers. I ate this burger two days after eating at Burgertown USA, and while the patty was a bit larger at Mike's, the overall hamburger sandwich was just a shade below Burgertown's.
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Baseline Burgers - 25578 E Baseline St, San Bernardino, CA 92410 - 4.6 rating on Google
Under the category of "Which One is Not Like the Others" file Baseline Burgers. Burgers may be in the name but when I arrived I knew this place would be a little different - Baseline Burgers fancies itself as more of a "coffee shop" which in historical terms, not modern hipster terms, a coffee shop is a diner. Baseline had a classic old-school California vibe with an interior that I believe hasn't been changed since whenever Baseline opened in the 1950s or 1960s. Cool spot but pedestrian burger. A little over cooked, the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickles were just kind of thrown on. Still a cool spot.
Under the category of "Which One is Not Like the Others" file Baseline Burgers. Burgers may be in the name but when I arrived I knew this place would be a little different - Baseline Burgers fancies itself as more of a "coffee shop" which in historical terms, not modern hipster terms, a coffee shop is a diner. Baseline had a classic old-school California vibe with an interior that I believe hasn't been changed since whenever Baseline opened in the 1950s or 1960s. Cool spot but pedestrian burger. A little over cooked, the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickles were just kind of thrown on. Still a cool spot.
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Chalooby's - 414 Orange St, Redlands, CA 92373 - 4.9 rating on Google
Chalooby's was a late addition to the Great Hamburger Taste Test of 2020 - I booked an Airbnb in Redlands, didn't have a car, and as luck would have it, Chalooby's was across the street. The high Google rating is because from appearances this place just opened but the patty was the best I had during the burger tour. Chalooby's hypes their burgers as "fresh, never frozen USDA Choice ground chuck burger mix is pressed by hand daily into 7 oz. patties" and you could tell with each bite that the hamburger patty was a notch above every other place. Minus some points for the lettuce that was kind of just thrown on - if this place went with the chopped lettuce of a few other places the burger would be out of this world. Chalooby's was also a little different in that it didn't have an old school burger joint vibe to the location. They are definitely going for a slightly higher grade burger, which came at a combo meal price tag about $5 higher than every other place I visited, but this was a good upgrade. The burger is more on par with a burger you'd receive at a sit down restaurant, thus relative to the comparison the price is reasonable.
Chalooby's was a late addition to the Great Hamburger Taste Test of 2020 - I booked an Airbnb in Redlands, didn't have a car, and as luck would have it, Chalooby's was across the street. The high Google rating is because from appearances this place just opened but the patty was the best I had during the burger tour. Chalooby's hypes their burgers as "fresh, never frozen USDA Choice ground chuck burger mix is pressed by hand daily into 7 oz. patties" and you could tell with each bite that the hamburger patty was a notch above every other place. Minus some points for the lettuce that was kind of just thrown on - if this place went with the chopped lettuce of a few other places the burger would be out of this world. Chalooby's was also a little different in that it didn't have an old school burger joint vibe to the location. They are definitely going for a slightly higher grade burger, which came at a combo meal price tag about $5 higher than every other place I visited, but this was a good upgrade. The burger is more on par with a burger you'd receive at a sit down restaurant, thus relative to the comparison the price is reasonable.
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Baker's Drive Thru - 27352 Base Line St, Highland, CA 92346 - 4.2 rating on Google
Baker's is a slightly different beast than the rest of these restaurants in that it's a 39 location chain throughout the Inland Empire - check out all the locations on their website. Baker's has been around since 1952 and while it's not quite at the same level of an In-N-Out, the lines through the drive thru (which was a twenty minute wait) indicate the chain has quite the following. I wouldn't wait twenty minutes for a Baker's burger (I wouldn't wait twenty minutes for an In-N-Out either) but for a one-time taste test I was willing to be patient. As you can tell from the menu photo, Baker's also has an expanded offering that includes Mexican food, part of their "two-kitchen" concept to cater to the other half of Inland Empire residents. The menu is overwhelming. The burger was decent - for a mass production, they are using a quality patty and the ingredients come together well. The beat In-N-Out with their fries which are skinny and crispy.
Baker's is a slightly different beast than the rest of these restaurants in that it's a 39 location chain throughout the Inland Empire - check out all the locations on their website. Baker's has been around since 1952 and while it's not quite at the same level of an In-N-Out, the lines through the drive thru (which was a twenty minute wait) indicate the chain has quite the following. I wouldn't wait twenty minutes for a Baker's burger (I wouldn't wait twenty minutes for an In-N-Out either) but for a one-time taste test I was willing to be patient. As you can tell from the menu photo, Baker's also has an expanded offering that includes Mexican food, part of their "two-kitchen" concept to cater to the other half of Inland Empire residents. The menu is overwhelming. The burger was decent - for a mass production, they are using a quality patty and the ingredients come together well. The beat In-N-Out with their fries which are skinny and crispy.
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John's Burgers - 1155 W 2nd St, San Bernardino, CA 92410 - 4.5 rating on Google
Two notes about John's at the start: 1) it's cash only and 2) it's located in "downtown" San Bernardino so consider combining a stop here with some of downtown's attractions: The California Theatre and San Bernardino's Amtrak Station. If I was going to give an outsider a tour of San Bernardino and end it with a classic burger place, I'd end the tour at John's. When I pulled the burger out of the bag, the burger felt noticeably larger - look at that bun, it's huge! Fortunately there is a good patty underneath. Good fries. I've mentioned this at other stops - the lettuce is a bit of an after thought. One final note: John's combo meal is $6.50 - at least $1.00 less than every other place on this list, and given the quality was on par with other places, this makes this the best value burger.
Two notes about John's at the start: 1) it's cash only and 2) it's located in "downtown" San Bernardino so consider combining a stop here with some of downtown's attractions: The California Theatre and San Bernardino's Amtrak Station. If I was going to give an outsider a tour of San Bernardino and end it with a classic burger place, I'd end the tour at John's. When I pulled the burger out of the bag, the burger felt noticeably larger - look at that bun, it's huge! Fortunately there is a good patty underneath. Good fries. I've mentioned this at other stops - the lettuce is a bit of an after thought. One final note: John's combo meal is $6.50 - at least $1.00 less than every other place on this list, and given the quality was on par with other places, this makes this the best value burger.
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Burger Mania - 930 S E St, San Bernardino, CA 92408 - 4.4 rating on Google
Burger Mania was the final stop on the Nov/Dec 2020 burger tour and it was a good way to wrap up the trip. Burger Mania has a few outlets in the Inland Empire. In terms of "mania", the restaurant gets relatively manic with the wide range of burgers and other sandwiches they offer. It took a while to find plain hamburger. This was another great burger, everything was well proportioned, the burger was larger and matched the size of the bun. Good fries too.
Burger Mania was the final stop on the Nov/Dec 2020 burger tour and it was a good way to wrap up the trip. Burger Mania has a few outlets in the Inland Empire. In terms of "mania", the restaurant gets relatively manic with the wide range of burgers and other sandwiches they offer. It took a while to find plain hamburger. This was another great burger, everything was well proportioned, the burger was larger and matched the size of the bun. Good fries too.
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That concludes the Great Highland / Redlands Burger Taste Test. I ate at all but one place, The Burger Rush (2703 Foothill Blvd, Rialto, CA 92376 - 4.4 rating on Google), which I plan to visit on a future trip to San Bernardino. The Burger Rush is across the street from the Wigwam Hotel, so I'm planning a dinner/hotel stay combo on the next trip west.
I said there wouldn't be a winner but here's a few call outs:
I said there wouldn't be a winner but here's a few call outs:
- P & G had the best bite, when the bite wasn't 100% lettuce. That I could take a bite of a hamburger, get nothing but lettuce in some bites, and still find this burger to be the best bite, says how good this burger was. A little less lettuce and I'd toss out my "no winners" comment and give the award to P & G.
- Chalooby's had the best burger, albeit at a price about $5 higher than everyone else. That value discrepancy and the fact they just threw a piece of lettuce on top cost them from being the winner.
- A visit to John's could be combined with a history tour of San Bernardino.
- Burgertown is the one I'll go back to first, it was a notch below P & G, but it's closer. The burger's not as good as Chalooby's, but it's half the price.