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| Kevin Lara / OC Weekly |
| St. Roy Chef's Pub... a worthy stop. |
If there's any list of these "Best Of Best Of Best Of" items that's likely to engender bitter debate, it's this one. Burgers inspire more debate than any other food we write about, mostly because everyone in Orange County, even those with wooden palates, know what makes a good burger. Some people think the new upscale burgers are ripoffs; some people think fast food is evil.
We had to limit this to ten, which means some worthy contenders got left off--so let's give them love in the comment section!
10. Pee Wee's
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| Dave Lieberman |
It's meant to be a throwback, but Pee Wee's is
today's Orange County distilled in a single eatery; their bánh mì burger
is a long, thin patty that looks like a kabob, stuffed into a French
roll and dressed exactly like a bánh mì, with chiles, cilantro, do chua
and mayonnaise.
5942 E. Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, (714) 846-3100; peeweesfamous.com.
9. Riders Club Cafe
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| Riders Club Cafe |
San
Clementeans can keep a secret; the Riders Club is off most burger
lovers' radars, but not for long. While it's a pretty standard burger,
the addition of roasted pasillas and a fried egg--beg for over easy--makes for some of the
best eats in the 949, and at $7.95, it's the lowest price point for
fancy burgers.
1701 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, (949) 388-3758; ridersclubcafe.com.
8. In-N-Out
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| Edwin Goei |
Sure,
it's a huge chain, but its corporate office is right here in Irvine,
and no list of top burgers could possibly exist without the burger that
inspired jealousy even in jaded New Yorkers. Artisanal? No. Fancy? No.
But good? Oh, yeah.
Somewhere south of a million locations throughout OC; in-n-out.com.