Hamburgers

An animal style burger with fries inside from In-N-Out An Ali Baba bacon-mushroom-cheeseburger

Sometimes, you just get a craving for (what is claimed to be) one of the most American of foods: the hamburger. But where to go?

Made to order:

• 3rd & U Cafe
• Ali Baba - Persian restaurant that is popular for their surprisingly good burgers.
• Black Bear Diner
• Bones Craft Kitchen
• Bistro 33 - Tillamook Cheddar Cheeseburger
• Burgers and Brew
• Café Bernardo
• Crepeville - Not a burger joint, but they have a cheeseburger with avocado and grilled 'shrooms
• The G Street WunderBar
• IHOP - though why would you order a burger at a pancake house? Is that like bringing a knife to a gun fight?
• In-N-Out - A number of varieties if you're familiar with their secret menu
• Lamppost Pizza
• Sam's Mediterranean Cuisine
• Seasons - American Kobe Beef burger (Wagyu cattle crossed with American Black Angus)
• Sudwerk - A variety of gourmet burgers as well as stock favorites
• The Melt - Now with takeout through Local Kitchens
• Tommy J's - The grill inside of Froggy's, owned and operated by a former CoHo manager.

Grab and go:

• Burger King - Whopper Jr. costs $.99
• Carl's Jr.
• Jack in the Box
• McDonald's - McDouble costs $1

Outside of Davis:

• Habit Burger - Moved to Woodland
• Hot Rod's Burgers
• Judy's Grinders
• Nationwide Freezer Meats
• Plainfield Station
• Sonic Burger
• The Squeeze Inn
• Whitey's Jolly Kone

Former Burger Places:

• Applebee's - American restaurant that is popular despite their surprisingly bad burgers.
• Caffé Italia - Small selection of burgers
• Dairy Queen
• The Graduate
• Redrum Burger - Their specialty, but prepare for a long wait
• Stone's Catering
• Tucos - Pasture-Raised Bison burger
• Wendy's

2007-08-16 18:58:17   I can't claim to have tried all of the burger places listed. But my current favorite is Crepeville — a good-sized, good quality burger, served quickly (not "fast food" fast, but faster than Redrum Burger, which is not saying much). Plus, if you get it with salad instead of the potatoes, the salad cancels out any unhealthiness of the burger. Really. —CovertProfessor

2007-08-16 18:58:28   Ali Baba, hands-down! I haven't tried all of the burgers in town, though. If you can stand the wait, and possibly of getting a terrible burger from an apathetic employee, Redrum Burger rocks, too. —PhilipNeustrom

Indeed, Ali Baba's burgers are very flavorful — I have no idea what makes one burger more flavorful than another, but the one I tried (cheeseburger with mushrooms) was. —CovertProfessor

2007-08-17 00:52:04   Ali Baba makes *great* burgers. Hands down, seconded! The feta is yummy, the mushrooms are plentiful, the bacon is thickcut. White and wheat buns, and they also make the same burgers with chicken (and I think they do have a salmon burger). —EdWins

2007-08-17 02:17:01   Most of the "gourmet" burgers around town are good, but their toppings mask the meat as if there's something to hide. Maybe there is something to hide, like a knuckle or a misplaced tooth. I don't know. What I do know is that the mushroom burger at Ali Baba blows away the competition. There's a good quality bun, it's really big, it hold together well, and the toppings bring out the meat's flavor. They'll take orders over the phone, so they're a great burger option if you're on the run. One note of caution— if you have a stick shift, the burger is far too juicy to eat while driving. —CraigBrozinsky

2007-08-31 09:36:05   I think Tommy J's Blue Buffalo burger is the best burger in Davis. Aside from that specific burger, the patties are homemade; good size and taste. He also likes to talk to each customer and get feed back which creates a very welcoming atmosphere. Redrum Burger is a crap shoot, like Phillip said above. I also enjoy Sam's Mediterranean burgers on occassion. —JamesSchwab

2007-09-25 19:56:01   As for burger... I think that Ford's Real Hamburgers in Sac is best for non-chain, In-N-Out for chain and Harris Ranch 1/4 pound patties from Nugget the best for some home cooked cheeseburgers. —atwong

2008-02-03 13:22:35   I'm still looking and picked up some good tips here. Redrum is underwheling with an overwhelming bun and soggy fries. Dais Bistro is not bad. I'm originally from Anaheim, so hey, Carls Jr. is not a bad burger. Double Del at Del Taco is a decent fast food burger. Right now my vote goes to Burger Habit. Expand to West Sac and go to Hefty Burger for the real deal. —DavidFeliz

2008-08-05 08:48:07   The Graduate has the best burger I've found in the US. I've been to maybe 50 places (sports bars and restaurants, not fast food places) around the US. The burger/beer combination is the best unbeatable, with so many types of fresh draft beer (they pour enough that the beer rarely goes stale). —dwlotter

2012-11-02 01:44:15   The best burger I ever had (so far) was one at the Roseville Galleria earlier this year. I'm not joking. One of the eats at the food court is a mini-Buckhorn. Don't know if it's related to the Buckhorn in Winters, but it probably is, judging by how good my blue cheese burger was. It was cooked to medium well perfection and was just the perfect amount of greasy.

But, I've also had a burger from almost every single place listed on here. My top 3 are, in no particular order, Ali Baba, Cafe Bernardo, and The Graduate. I haven't tried Tommy J's yet, though, which I hear is really good.

Burgers and Brew, while good, is quite overhyped IMO. —CecilioPadilla

2012-11-02 02:46:56   There are only a couple places left in Davis that I haven't tried for burgers, but so far Tommy J's has the best burgers by far. Way better than Burgers & Brew. —ScottMeehleib