It sounded like a good idea at first: Find the best hamburger in Laguna Beach. But then the reality set in. Have you tried to eat more than 20 hamburgers? Even one a week is hard. Plus, honestly, it turns out there isn’t a GREAT hamburger in Laguna. (Harley used to have a pretty great hamburger, but it closed, sadly.)
There are several good burgers in town, sure, but when you add in the prices, the mediocre fries, hard buns and so-so service, there are very few standouts. Nonetheless, here is our subjective analysis of the gourmet burgers served at the top restaurants in Laguna Beach.
A couple other notes. The rankings are from top to bottom and based on the standard cheeseburger. No fancy extras like avocado, apple bacon or mystery crack. The quality of the fries was considered but not weighted very much. Also, I tried to ignore the price of the burger, but in some cases, I mentioned it when I thought it was relevant.
Finally, there isn’t a whole lot of differentiation in the middle of the pack. So from say, #4 to #14, they are all pretty similar so I wouldn’t get too hung up on the scores.
Enjoy.
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Don’t judge a burger by its cover. While not flashy, this hamburger is very good – moist with addictive flavor. Nice, buttery bun. The special sauce throws a non-traditional twist but is not too far afield. Easy burger to eat; condiments stay in place, double patty. Decent happy hour prices. We like this burger a lot.
Restaurant description: $16
The Cheeseburger. Two skinny patties, American cheese, tomato, red onion, dill pickle, peppercorn aioli, brioche bun.
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Moist and flavorful. Very good. Bun is soft and buttery. Cheese is good. Shoestring fries are tasty. Caramelized onions are balanced. Extra sauce on the side but not needed. This is a good burger (but it better be at this price).
Restaurant description: $21
House Cheeseburger. White cheddar, caramelized onions, thousand island.
Big burger, looks messy from the outset. Soft brioche bun. Nice ripe tomato and soft onions. Meat is flavorful. There’s an interesting sauce. Without looking at the description, it’s definitely a relish. It could be too sweet for some people, but we like it. There’s a side of secret sauce that looks like straight Thousand Island. We didn’t use it. Lots of waffle fries (too many really), and they aren’t that great. Overall, though, this is a good burger. Has a lot going for it.
Restaurant description: $16.50
The Kitchen Burger. 8 oz. natural beef patty, shaved lettuce, roasted tomato, grilled onions, jalapeño mayo and chipotle jam.
Let’s just say at the outset, if this burger is bad, at least the view from the top deck is nice. Thankfully, it’s a good burger. The bun is fresh and buttery. The burger comes with very thick bacon, which we set aside. There’s no secret sauce but the burger is not dry. Overall, it’s a big burger with high-quality meat. The cheese is very good with nice flavor. Fresh condiments. A dollop of secret sauce would have been a nice touch but it’s not a deal breaker.
Restaurant description: $25
Mozambique Steak Burger. 10 oz. freshly chopped filet, cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, fresh tomato and onion with seasoned fries — also available lettuce wrapped.
Big bun but not too bready. Thick meat patty with good flavor — juicy. Cheese is good. It is hard to eat but not in an annoying way. Almost has a backyard BBQ vibe to it. We like it.
Restaurant description: $19.50
American Wagyu Beef Burger. Spanish cheddar cheese, sweet gem lettuce, house-made pickles, shaved onion, hot house tomato, secret sauce, challah bun, hand-cut herb fries.
This is the most expensive burger on the list at $32, so it better be outstanding, right? Here it comes, deep breath … OK, nice plating, as they say. Insta-ready. Soft bun. Meat is juicy. Good size patty. There’s secret sauce on the side, and the burger needs it. Without it, the burger seems a little flat. Condiments are good. Fries are a little cold, which surprises us. For this price, everything should be perfect. Perhaps our expectations are too high, but the burger – while good – does not rise to the level that it should. Extra props, though, for serving the burger at dinner even though it was only a lunch item. Nice customer service.
Restaurant description: $32
The Classic Burger. Heirloom tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, pickle, red onion, challah bun.
Good flavor, double patty makes for meat forward. Mild secret sauce (with an extra one on the side but not needed). Shoestring fries OK but not spectacular. AhbA gets extra points for ambiance – very cool, “real” Laguna vibe.
Restaurant description: $14
AhbA burger. Caramelized onions, American, pickles, fresno, garlic aioli, fries.
At first we really wanted to like this burger. The presentation is nice. The waves are splashing nearby. But after the initial rush, the burger lags a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good burger with balanced flavor. The pepper cheese comes through nicely. The condiments are good, along with the “onion jam.” The secret sauce doesn’t overpower the flavor. The seasoned fries are really tasty. The problem is with the meat. It’s oddly dry and somewhat boring. I ordered it medium, and while it was medium, it tasted like it was well done. If it wasn’t for the inexplicable meat, this burger would likely be a top three.
Restaurant description: $24
Grass-fed Burger. Fresno onion jam, pepper jack, tomato, little gem, pickles, truffle aioli, brioche bun.
Let’s just acknowledge from the outset that this hamburger is $12, the best value in town for restaurants. There are burgers twice this much that aren’t as good. Is it great? Maybe not, but it’s pretty good. It’s a smaller burger that’s extra juicy with a thick, tasty patty. The lettuce is chopped small, which downgrades it in our book and makes it more messy. The slice of white cheddar seems thin, but you can still taste it. The fries are salty but easy to eat. Overall, like Finney’s, it’s a safe, solid, affordable choice.
Restaurant description: $12
The Finney Burger: White cheddar, pickled onions, lettuce, tomato, house spread.
Messy. Not easy to eat. Meat is well seasoned. Bottom bun is really thin, top is bulbous. But overall, the bun is flavorful. Condiments just OK, standard.
Restaurant description: $16.95
Classic Cheeseburger. 1/2-pound ground chuck, double-thick cheese, sliced tomato, crisp lettuce, dill pickle, house sauce, custom-made bun.
Smoky, juicy, super messy. Strong point of view, not traditional. Has arugula (not a fan). Caramelized onions are good. OK fries.
Restaurant description: $18.35
The Burger. Wagyu beef, creamy Swiss cheese, pickles, caramelized onion, arugula, secret sauce.
Big patty, messy, meat is flavorful, very meat forward. Fairly typical brioche bun. Cheese is good. Fries are OK. But not a $20 hamburger.
Restaurant description: $20
Dry-Aged Burger. Neuske smoked bacon, double-sharp cheddar, butter lettuce, tomato, house pickles, thousand island on toasted brioche with fries.
Looks interesting from the start – attractive. Has a thick patty. And the bread, wow, big. It’s a potato bun that’s huge, top and bottom. First bite? Bread is rather hard, unfortunately. And then there’s the arugula. As arugula tends to do, it dominates the flavor. The meat is good. The secret sauce is tasty. Nice onions. But the bread … after a few bites we had to remove the top bun entirely. If they replaced the potato bun with a brioche, and lightened up on the arugula, this would be a much better burger. We feel bad about where this review landed because the restaurant said they were not serving hamburgers on our night. When I said it was the last review on our list, they made one just for us. Huge props for that. But yeah, the bread ….
Restaurant description: $22
Wine Gallery Burger. 1/2 lb beef patty, smoked cheddar, balsamic roasted onions, roma tomato ketchup, mayo, arugula, sesame potato bun & frites.
Arugula … ugh. OK, aside from that, the burger tastes good but it’s largely because of the creamy secret sauce — lots of it. Juicy. Drippy. Goopy. The cheese is tasty. Fries are good. The brioche bun is soft, as always. Menu says there’s bacon but I didn’t see any. The onions, pickles and tomatoes all sort of mush together because of the overwhelming sauce. One fairly minor note: I asked for medium but it came out medium rare.
Restaurant description: $18
Beach Burger. Aged Vermont cheddar, Nueske’s bacon, arugula, vine ripe tomato, chipotle, brioche bun, kennebec fries.
Immediately juicy, juicy, juicy, which means it falls apart easily. Remember there’s pineapple on this one. It’s flavorful but is a little bit one dimensional after a while. But it’s still pretty good. The teriyaki is very subtle. Fries are just OK. Pricey at $21.
Restaurant description: $21
Royal Burger: Japanese-style beef patty, crispy onions, Yakitori sauce, shredded iceberg and pineapple.
The first thing you notice is the ciabatta bun, which is chewy but fresh. There’s special sauce on the side, but the burger is moist and flavorful even without it. That’s largely because of the Gruyère cheese, which is good and strong but overpowers pretty much everything. The caramelized onions come next, sweet and goopy. By the time you taste the meat, it’s a bit lost and not very differentiated. (As an aside, I bit into a large piece of gristle, which was unfortunate.) And the fries are average at best. Some people swear by them, but I don’t know why (think Ore-Ida). There is a nice side salad as a bonus. Overall, not terrible (because of the interesting cheese) but could be better.
Restaurant description: $17
Burger. 8-oz beef patty, Gruyere cheese, caramelized endive and onions, lettuce, ciabatta bread, Belgian fries (side of ketchup and cocktail sauce).
We expected the whole woody-smoky thing for obvious reasons but how much is too much woody-smoky? Maybe this burger. Unfortunately, the bread is dry with a really big top bun, which makes it hard to eat. In addition, the cheese is strong and overpowering – again too much. The house special sauce is OK but weak. Honestly, it’s best to skip the burger here and order the spinach empanadas, which are the best in town.
Restaurant description: $23
Maro Burger. Eight ounces grass-fed ground beef, artisan bun, Nueskes bacon, aged white cheddar, organic iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, house made aioli and roasted potatoes.
Juicy, lots of secret sauce. Smoky flavor. Good but not great. Would not go here just for the burger. Bread is a little hard and thin.
Restaurant description: $18
La Casa Smashburger. All beef patty, white cheddar, bacon jam pickle, romaine, smoky chipotle mayo on a toasted brioche roll.
Bread seems store bought. Meat taste is just OK, same with secret sauce. Not horrible. Best thing are the onions.
Restaurant description: $18
Classic Cheeseburger. Ground chuck, cheddar cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, white onions, thousand island, mayonnaise and mustard on a sesame seed bun.
Buttery bun looks standard. Meat is a little greasy, which keeps the burger from being dry. Condiments are just OK. But the fries are pretty good. There are extensive add-on slather options, which probably make this burger attractive to some. We counted more than 10 varieties of burgers, including a “pretzel burger,” plus rotating specials.
Restaurant description: $18
The All American Burger. Classic griddled patty topped with melted American cheese, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, pickles and Thousand Island dressing.
Let’s just cut to the chase: The burger is $12.85, which in Laguna is a good deal. But does it taste good? Meh. The meat is good. Double patty. Flavor is OK. It doesn’t come with much: pickles, some kind of sauce and a smattering of white onions. Bun is soft. Fries are not great. For the price, thumbs up. Service can be really slow, though.
Dry with no sauce! Generous condiments but again, dry! I had to ask for sauce, and the waiter gave me basic Thousand Island. Big patty. Meat tastes fine but doesn’t carry overall shortcomings. Thick fries but mediocre flavor. Bun is good. Condiments can overpower the taste.
Restaurant description: $15.50
Madison Burger. Grilled 8 oz. black angus chuck with fresh lettuce, tomato, red onions, cheese and bacon on kaiser bun. Served with fries.
Meat is oddly dull, borderline tasteless. Needs salt. Has only lettuce and caramelized onions. Includes a tiny pickle and pepper on the side, which it needs for flavor. Bun is good. But this burger is not worth $26. Not even close.
Restaurant description: $26
Hotel Laguna Burger. Cheddar, caramelized onions, crispy shallots, lettuce, grain mustard aioli, crispy fries.
Burger is a little dry. Not very cheesy. Taste is OK, if lackluster. Small burger. Bun is fine. Overall, everything is just mediocre.
Restaurant description: $14
Bistro Burger. GG’s mayo mix, lettuce, tomatoes, onions.
Dry, dry, dry. Does not come with any sauce! Had to ask for something, anything (waiter recommended Thousand Island). Then why not serve it with the burger? Bun is dry as well. Meat flavor was OK but did not make up for a really disappointing experience.
Restaurant description: $17
Half Pound Angus Chuck Cheeseburger and Fries.
