San Diego Burger Week 2018 (Recap) - San Diego, CA

*San Diego CityBeat is promoting a local Burger Week that started Friday May 4 and ends Saturday May 12 for 2018. The participating restaurants are offering a select burger for $6 (some even include fries) while a couple more bucks can land you fries and/or drinks. There's even a $300 giftcard pacakge for the person who eats the most burgers and hashtags #citybeatburgerweek on Instagram! Last year I created a San Diego Burger Week spreadsheet with burgers deals vs retail value but no recap. This year is the opposite, no spreadsheets but obviously, a recap! Here's everything that I ate this year:

*correction*

The Westerner Burger from Carnitas Snack Shack during City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Carnitas Snack Shack - The Westerner Burger: Smoked brisket-chuck blend / bbq onions / sharp cheddar / on toasted brioche bun. ARV $9.25 for comparable burgers

North Park always has a few good spots to choose from such as Carnitas Snack Shack (we've also visited their now closed Carmel Valley location). They do a real medium rare here. I was actually caught off guard because I wasn't used to seeing red like this. The meat was still juicy with a nice ratio of fat plus there was a slightly sweet tangy sauce. Cheese was perfectly melted and the brioche bun was so fluffy. What a delicious way to start off burger week!

Ol Smokey from Guava Beach during City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Guava Beach Bar & Grill - 'Ol Smokey Burger: Burger stuffed with Gouda and Chopped Bacon. Topped with Smoked Cheddar, Fried Onion Strings and more Bacon on a Garlic Buttered Bun. With Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, and Onion. ARV $15

I met up with some friends for dinner and drinks. Their 'Ol Smokey Burger was a simple, decent burger with a skinny piece of bacon plus melted cheese. I didn't realize at the time but apparently they forgot our crispy onion straws. We enjoyed the waffle fries with their magical seasoning, pretty much similar to Royale's tots with a touch of sweetness. The mango tango margarita made it a complete meal!

Bob's Burger and Vegan Burger from Garage Kitchen Bar for City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Garage Kitchen & Bar - Bob's Burger: Grass-fed Angus, caramelized onions, white cheddar & house sauce or Vegan Burger: “Beyond” meatless patty , LTO, pickles, veganaise, harissa ketchup, potato bun. ARV $15

Gaslamp had three restaurants within a block or two of each other. At Garage Kitchen, I was most curious about the Beyond Burger which is a new development in the food world. The patty's spongy texture was more meatlike than any substitute I've tried but still not quite meaty enough. My brother and his friend preferred the simple flavor of Bob's Burger but felt it wasn't worth the regular $15 price. Surprisingly our favorite item of the night were the wings (only $5 on Wednesday). These contained chinese five spice and reminded us of pho broth spices.

J Burger from Whiskey Girl for City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Whiskey Girl - Sharp "J" Burger: sharp white cheddar cheese, sauteed mushrooms, red peppers, and carmalized onions, on a bed of spinach with our secret "J" sauce. ARV $16+ for comparable burgers with fries

I've enjoyed dining at Whiskey Girl prior but felt conflicted with this Burger Week only special. First off, the patty was extremely greasy and mushy without any good char or grill. The patty flavor was odd, somehow bringing to memory that grey stuff that comes out of turkey patties during cooking. The winner was the burger toppings: spinach and sauted mushrooms plus a slight sweetness to their specialty bun.

Single Wide from Trailer Park After Dark for City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Trailer Park After Dark - Single Wide: 1/3 pound burger, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, special sauce. ARV $10

Right off the bat, I noticed old school Duck Hunt to the right of the entrance, where I blissfully relived my childhood for a few minutes. Then it was time to chow down on the next burger. This was basically a home-style burger. The char was normal although it was slightly salty and wrapped in a very generic, hard bun. My companions said pickles tasted like store bought. This pickle hater will just take their word for it.

Working Class Burger from Working Class for City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Working Class - Working Class Burger: Cheddar and american Cheese, Grilled onions, pickle, house sauce. ARV $9

It was a simple burger but just the way I like it, very juicy medium rare, great bread and sauce that reminds me of In N Out. Surprisingly this was one of my favorite classic burgers!

Burger from Waypoint Public for City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Waypoint Public - Burger: 1/3 lb., Caramelized Onions, Fried Onions, Blue Cheese, Bread & Cie Bun, Pickle Spear. ARV $14+ for comparable burgers

This burger is once again off the menu, only for burger week. I found it to be much better than my previous visit for burger week 2016. The patty was more seared, the bun toasted and some yummy caramelized onions and chunks of bleu cheese topped this burger. The patty was cooked more to a medium well so wasn't as juicy as I would have wanted. Friends thought this was way better though. I think I prefer my juicy burgers though. *shrug*

Wake'N Bake'N Burger from Monster Crafts Food Truck for City Beat Burger Week in San Diego

Monster Crafts Food Truck - Wake'N Bake'N Burger: 6oz signature beef patty topped with white chedder, pork belly, sunny side up egg. butter leaf lettuce. tomato , onion jam, secret sauce on a fresh baked brioche bun. ARV $13

I've saved the best for last! This truck was one exit away from my workplace and service was quick! The egg yolk dripped into my hands and was in every yummy bite. The pork belly was moist and flavorful and honestly I couldn't stop. We ordered some of their loaded fries as a side but couldn't finish them! I actually considered going back for more...

So that was my burger week experience for 2018. The full list of participating restaurants is here: http://sdcitybeat.com/burgerweek and I've attached the passport (list of participating vendors) below. I'm seriously considering going on a mini-diet after Tacotopia and Paella Wine Fest this weekend.

Have you eaten out for San Diego Burger Week this year? If not, which ones would you be interested in?

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Comments

Sharon's picture
Submitted by Sharon (not verified) on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 11:45am

Just got some new burger ideas! And that mango tango margarita looks amazing!!!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 7:21pm

how do they come up with these anyway? teehee!

Edel's picture
Submitted by Edel (not verified) on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 12:20pm

Love to read your reviews. I love hamburgers and would like to do my own version of some of these.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 7:22pm

i'll probably wait 1+ week for the next burger but i kinda want to try more veggie burgers in the future!

Ina's picture
Submitted by Ina (not verified) on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 1:34pm

You are so lucky got access to these yummy meals, so do you win the gift certificate too? That would be nice for sure!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 7:25pm

contest actually ends tomorrow night (saturday) and at least one person has eaten more than me. i'm pretty much done at this point though. i've got a full day of unrelated eating events for saturday already.

Kristin's Peppermints and Cherries's picture
Submitted by Kristin's Peppe... (not verified) on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 3:06pm

What variety in options! You can't beat a juicy burger! I ate a cheeseburger last night and was disappointed because I ordered something different than normal! Sometimes it's best to stick with what we know we like. :)

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 05/11/2018 - 7:26pm

sometimes a go-to is just what you need! i did find a few new favorites this time around so that's a positive!

Noel's picture
Submitted by Noel (not verified) on Sat, 05/12/2018 - 8:24am

The burger at waypoint Public would probably be my favorite but they all look so good!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 05/15/2018 - 10:58am

good thing there are lots of options to pick from! i wanted to try a few vegetarian options but i think i'll go on my own.

Nicolette's picture
Submitted by Nicolette (not verified) on Sat, 05/12/2018 - 9:06am

That Westerner Burger looks amazingly delicious! I had no idea that San Diego had a Burger Week!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 05/15/2018 - 10:57am

it's a promotion put on by one of the local publications. i like that they encourage people to try out new places! 

Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table's picture
Submitted by Laura @ Sprint ... (not verified) on Mon, 05/14/2018 - 6:46pm

I don't know if they were participating... but have you ever had Banker's Hill's burger? That one was always my #1!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 05/15/2018 - 10:57am

i still haven't had a chance! you mentioned this once before too! i ought to give it a go this year! =)

Faye's picture
Submitted by Faye (not verified) on Thu, 05/17/2018 - 10:46am

Dang girl. You are a warrior with these food weeks! I didn't even know it was burger week :( Oh well. At least my tummy felt full after seeing these burger photos. I'm still a new fan of Shake Shacks fried mushroom burger. Doubt they'd ever participate in these burger week events though.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Thu, 05/17/2018 - 11:16am

strangely enough, shake shack was participating with a cheeseburger plus crispy onions. i scoped out their menu and the regular price of the burgers was around the same cost. i prefer their 'shroom burger too if i had to choose.

Soo's picture
Submitted by Soo (not verified) on Sat, 05/26/2018 - 2:30pm

That's alot of good looking burgers! I gotta try more places.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 06/01/2018 - 12:06pm

Last time I did this, I stopped eating burgers for a month. This year wasn't as intense so I was ready within a week! I would still like to try Rocky's one day (heard that was a big favorite around SD).

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