Great Burgers in Sacramento

Great Burgers in The Sacramento Area

Googie style architecture welcomes mid century burger lovers to Suzie Burger in Sacramento.

I love burgers. For many years I wrote a burger review site called Hoosier Burger Boy. I reviewed burgers from all over the country.  So what are some good burgers in the Sacramento area? In this post, I will review burgers from restaurants with a more casual vibe. We will focus on gourmet style burgers in a future post. I also focused on local places, rather than the big national or regional chains.

I define a fast-food-style burger as one similar in style to one you would get at an In-N-Out, Nations or other national burger chain. You can eat any of the options below for less than $20 including a drink and fries. Yes, I know you can get something for less than $10 at McDonald’s and such, but the burgers reviewed here are far superior to those, in my opinion.

Fresh cut shoestring fries and smash style Double Deluxe Cheeseburger at Suzie Burger in Sacramento. That's Suzie in the back.

Suzie Burger

2820 P Street, Sacramento

Suzie Burger is located in a Googie architecture inspired structure. It is a former filling station that has two long, triangular awnings that wave you in.  The inside space is just as fun, with a retro vibe and art by Matt Rallens showing their mascot Suzie, in a nod to Jetson’s style. I like the red lacquered table tops.

I ordered the Double Deluxe Cheeseburger combo ($14.95). The burger itself looks a little small at first glance, but it is nicely presented and neatly wrapped. Beef is done smash style, and is juicy and flavorful. A worker upfront confirmed that their beef is fresh, not frozen. The sauce is nicely tangy and the vegetables are fresh. Bun was soft and held up well.

Shoestring fries are crunchy and hot. Fresh cut on site.

Overall a very fun experience and good burger. It’s a fun mid century setting and a comfortable place to have a burger.

The tasty hamburger from Cafe Bernardo in David, CA comes sliced in half with a mountain of fries.

Cafe Bernardo

234 D St., Davis, CA (3 other locations)

We have been eating at Cafe Bernardo since our daughter attended Davis. It has a casual ease that is very inviting. You order at the counter. They give you a large playing card to place at your table and bring you your food. I sat outside.

I ordered the Angus Burger with French fries. ($15.50). Iced Tea was $4! The burger comes out sliced in half. Single Patty. Probably about 6 oz. Brioche style bun. Special sauce, mayo-based, was spread on top and bottom bun and provided good moisture to the sandwich. Iceberg lettuce, tomato slice, red onion and thin pickle slice were also on the burger. I requested medium but the burger was closer to well done. I liked it. It is a high quality burger with a good balance of flavors.

The plate included a mountain of piping hot, thin cut fries.

The Hammer 4 double cheeseburger at Willie’s Craft in Carmichael, CA.

Willie’s Burgers

5050 Arden Way, Carmichael

I went to the Willie’s Burger on Arden at Fair Oaks in Carmichael. There are two other locations in Sacramento. This one recently rebranded itself as Willie’s Craft and is featuring beer, hard cider and wine.

I ordered the Hammer 4 ($8.60). It’s a double patty burger (1855 Angus Patties), American cheese, lettuce, tomato onion and 1000 island dressing. I also got small fries ($3.75).

The burger came hot and fresh. Definitely get the cheese. The beef is a little bland.  It definitely needed more salt and pepper. Bun was soft. Vegetables fresh. Could have used a little more sauce. The fries were medium cut, very hot. Tasty.

The room at Willie’s is big and comfortable. They have an outdoor patio too. It feels like the local spot that it is.

Flame-broiled double cheeseburger and fries at Fred’s Burger in Sacramento, CA.

Fred’s Burger

7411 W Stockton Blvd, Unit 100, Sacramento

At Fred’s Burger in Sacramento, I ordered a Double Cheeseburger combo. ($14.99). It comes with two flame grilled patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and house sauce. The combo includes fries and a drink.

The burger comes wrapped in white paper and served with the fries on red checked paper. The burger is hot and juicy. Flame broiled flavor is out front. Sauce had a little spice to it. Vegetables were all very fresh. Fries medium cut, hot and salty. They give you an extra container of sauce to dip the fries in. It is quite good.

Fred’s is buried in a large shopping area. Definitely does not have the personality of the other options here. The dining room is small and doesn’t have a ton of comfort, but there is a large outdoor seating area. There are other locations in San Jose and Fairfield.

Skip's Original at Skip's Kitchen featuring criss-cut fries.

Skip’s Kitchen

4717 El Camino Real, Carmichael

It may be unfair to classify Skip’s Kitchen as fast food. The place definitely strives to be more. I love this place. From the moment you walk in you feel welcome. Most of the time Skip is there to greet you. When you order, you are given the chance to win your meal for free by drawing the Joker from a deck of cards. If you don’t draw the Joker, you keep your card and take it to your table and it’s your table number.

The burger is a treat. I ordered Skip’s Original ($11.29) and it includes criss-cut fries and an iced tea.  All the inside tables seat four people. The outside tables seat eight. So I almost always sit with someone else and have a lively conversation. It seems like everyone is a regular.

The burger comes out to your table in a basket. It is served open faced. Burger is a large single patty, probably 5 or 6 ounces of sirloin/chuck 85% lean blend. It includes lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion and horse sauce on a brioche bun. I added American cheese and had the onions grilled. They melt the cheese on top of the grilled onions. I always find their burger juicy, flavorful and delightful. Buns and vegetables are very fresh. The criss-cut fries have a nice crunch.

My double cheeseburger with mcmsac sauce.

Make Your Own

Want to make your own great burger? Try this recipe at home.

Pick up 1 pound of ground beef 80% lean at V. Miller Meats on Folsom Street in Sacramento. Pick up some brioche buns. I like the ones at Whole Foods. Pick up some slices of American cheese. Pick up butter lettuce, tomato and red onion if you like vegetables on your burger.

Before you start cooking, make my special mcmsac sauce for a slightly spicy burger sauce. Mix together 1 TBSP Mayo,1 TBSP Dijon Mustard, 1 TSP Horseradish, 1 TSP Cholula Original Hot Sauce.

Divide the beef into four equal parts. Roll lightly into balls. Liberally salt and pepper the meat balls. If you are cooking in a skillet, get an iron skillet hot. With a metal spatula smash the ball into the pan until it is about a half inch thick. Cook four to six minutes per side depending on your preferred level of temperature. Cheese the patties the last two minutes.

If you are cooking on a grill, make the 4 balls into patties about a half inch thick. Cook on a 500 degree grill. Place the patties on the grill. Cook for three minute and then rotate the patties 90 degrees. This will make a nice checked grill pattern on the patty.

After six minutes turn the patties over. Rotate 90 degrees agin after 3 minutes and place your cheese on the patties. Remove in about 2 minutes after the cheese is melted.

Stack two burger patties on the bun. Add your vegetables. Slather some mcmsac sauce on the top of the bun and cap off your masterpiece. Dig in.