Restaurant Review: Burgermeister, San Francisco

Location: 86 Carl Street

San Francisco, California 94117

415-566-1274

Having a hamburger in San Francisco, my favorite city in the world and where the food choices are dizzying, was the last thing on my mind for dinner. On a recent visit to the City, my son and his college-aged friends managed to talk me into making a trip to the local Burgermeister on Cole Street. Every one of them gave glowing reports as to how delicious the burgers were.

I soon learned that the Burgermeister is no ordinary hamburger joint. My first indication of its unusually high status with the masses was a line that snaked out of the door and onto the sidewalk. The Cole Street Burgermeister is extremely small, with only a handful of tables inside and a few outside for diners. Orders are placed at a busy counter, and then a waitress dodges all forms of humanity to bring your order to you. We arrived at dinnertime and were extremely fortunate to be able to wrangle a table for five.

The Burgermeister serves only naturally raised Niman Ranch beef, from Marin County just north of San Francisco. All of the burgers are one-half pound, served with lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion, and your choice of a generous helping of French fries, coleslaw (easily enough for two) or spring salad. You can upgrade your side order to roasted garlic fries (they smell heavenly), curly fries, chili cheese fries, or onion rings for an additional $1.50.

These hamburgers are massive and pricey, starting at $7.95 for a regular burger, and topping off at $10.95 for the double cheeseburger. If you're exceptionally hungry, however, this is a great deal. My hamburger arrived slightly overcooked, but looked and tasted delicious nonetheless, and all of the components were fresh. There was no way I could finish my cheeseburger and coleslaw, and the hungry college boys ended up cleaning my plate.

If hamburgers are not in your diet, the Burgermeister also has what looks to be a decent chicken sandwich on the menu. I also noticed a Philly cheese steak going by me destined for another table, and it looked tempting. The menu also includes fish, hot dogs, chilidogs and Buffalo wings. There are also a few vegetarian sandwiches for those who don't indulge in meat. The Burgermeister also has a children's menu, which I am thinking I should have ordered from.

Serve-yourself fountain drinks are available for $1.99, and the refills are free. One of my son's friends ordered a chocolate shake, which looked nostalgically like those made in the 50s. Beer and wine are also available.

The Burgermeister has been the recipient of many local awards, including Best of the Bay (San Francisco Bay Guardian), Best Hamburger (AOL City Guide 2004), Best of Yahoo, Best of Yelp, The 7^th Best Burger (National Geographic Ten Best of Everything 2006), and was also voted baby friendly by Lila Guide. There are many more awards, too numerous to list here.

Besides the Carl Street restaurant, other Burgermeisters are located on Church Street and Columbus Street in San Francisco and at a location in Daly City. You can get more information on the Burgermeister by going to their web site www.burgermeistersf.com.