A roundup of our favorite burgers in San Diego County, chosen by five Union-Tribune reporters who spent three months trying burger after burger. The price bracket hovers around $20.
There’s no better way to kick off the unofficial start of summer this Memorial Day weekend than with a roundup of our favorite hamburgers in San Diego County .
For three months, five Union-Tribune reporters spread out across the county and tried burger after burger. From Tanner’s Prime Burgers in Oceanside to Burger Kook in Bonita to Hayes Burger in San Diego, here are 26 burgers to put on your culinary bucket list for summer 2026. Editor’s note: To even the playing field a bit, we all agreed to stay within a certain price bracket — hovering around the $20 range.
Some burgers were well below $20, while a couple were just slightly over. That eliminated a few offerings from higher-end restaurants, some of whom do serve up some tasty burgers. The Hangover Burger from Annys Burger is made with potato chips, bacon, swiss and cheddar cheese, a fried egg, pickles, ketchup and mayo. This might be one of the messiest burgers on the list, but that’s because it’s an entire brunch between two buns.
No need to order fries, as the Hangover Burger comes with a salty potato ribbon on top, adding a dramatic flair. Protein nuts can get excited about the fried egg and thick-cut bacon on top. Flavorful and fun, this burger doesn’t skimp on any ingredient and still keeps a great Angus beef flavor. All of this for $15.25.
The Coach at Average Joe Burgers contains American cheese, bacon, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, red onions and a secret sauce. What started as a late-night pop-up on the corners of downtown San Diego is now a food truck serving meaty burger bliss across San Diego County. Average Joes Burgers has five burger options, with different toppings and named after professions: The Bus Driver, The Coach, The Construction Worker, The Firefighter and The Mechanic.
The Coach is more of a classic burger with a five-ounce beef patty, American cheese, bacon, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, red onions and a secret sauce that hints at Thousand Island dressing. The burgers are served on soft and buttery buns. Average Joes Burgers is typically parked at 2205 E. Belt St. in Barrio Logan during the week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at various locations in the evenings and on weekends.
The weekly schedule is posted on its social media account. This is your spot for an expertly grilled, fat and juicy burger served on a house-made roll. The Balboa South boasts a simple menu, with a handful of burgers, all featuring a fresh ⅓-pound beef patty. Their OG Burger is $13.65 and comes in a toasted bun with American cheese and a house-made aoli.
It’s stacked so high that it’s served with a knife sticking out in the middle holding everything together. Add salt-and-pepper or garlic fries to your burger for an additional charge. Both are delicious with the zesty aioli. If you can handle the heat, ask for a side of the Chiles Toreados, which are seasoned serrano peppers blistered on the grill.
The Barrio Burger Especial is filled with caramelized onions, bacon jam, melted white cheddar cheese and angus beef patty on toasted bun. Since December 2024, this women-owned diner has been making burgers with a little Mexican twist. Barrio Burger’s menu is simple, with three burger options. La Tropuda is a remix of an al pastor taco with marinated pork, grilled pineapple, guacamole, red onions and a bacon-and-cheese-wrapped serrano pepper on top.
The Barrio Burger Especial is sweet and savory with caramelized onions, bacon jam, gooey melted white cheddar cheese and juicy angus beef patty. It’s served on a slightly flat-top toasted bun that is an excellent balance of crunch on the outside and softness on the inside. There is also a traditional cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and red onions. Barrio Burger features an outdoor patio and indoor seating, including a diner-style counter with a view of the kitchen.
The Joint Burger from The Burger Joint in Miramar is made with a beef patty, caramelized onions, pickles, melted American cheese and joint sauce on a toasted bun. The Joint Burger is a classic smashburger with a beef patty, caramelized onions, pickles, melted American cheese and joint sauce. Even just a single patty can hold its own against a delicious butter bun because the flavor is so nice.
It has a perfect balance of ingredients. The single, available for $9.69, keeps it on the affordable end of the spectrum, but diners can also order double- or triple-patty options and add mushrooms. The Burger Joint also has a halal menu with multiple burger options. Tucked in a residential street in Bonita is a house turned burger joint, the Burger Kook, dishing out patties made with a blend of filet mignon, ribeye, and top sirloin.
Tucked in a residential street in Bonita is a house-turned-burger joint, dishing out patties made with a blend of filet mignon, rib eye and top sirloin. One of Burger Kook’s top sellers is the Bacon Burger with melted American cheese, sweet caramelized onion, a savory secret sauce, thin and soft buns, crispy and salty bacon, and a juicy and tender meat patty.
This burger is messy, but the flavors hold up and taste like a meal from a five-star restaurant. Burger Kook doubles as the home of Chef Pennywise and his family. The garage and part of the home have been converted into a kitchen and walk-up eatery that also serves various milkshakes, beer-cheese fries and chicken sandwiches. There is communal seating in the driveway and a small children’s play area in the front yard.
This 8-ounce steak burger with bacon is served at Canada Steak Burger in Chula Vista. With a local legacy spanning four decades, this family-owned shop serves up deliciously charbroiled steakburgers that start at $10.99. The combination of the flame-grilled beef, sesame bun and traditional toppings will make you feel like you’re eating a home-cooked meal. This isn’t the place for a thin smashburger.
Instead, its specialty is fresh beef patties ranging from 4 to 8 ounces, grilled to perfection. Be sure to try the fries, which come topped with a signature savory seasoning. This backyard-style burger is the definition of comfort food. The Burger at Copper King Burgers in North County has two 3-ounce smash-style beef patties on a house-baked bun with house-made American cheese, fried onions, pickles and Copper sauce.
Named after the pioneering Irish and American copper mine workers in 1800s Montana, this 5-year-old business was started by Irishman Dermot Owens and American Jonathan Petr, who launched their smashburger pop-up in 2020 after losing their local bar jobs when the pandemic hit. Their signature is The Burger, with two house-ground 3-ounce beef patties served on a house-baked Japanese milk bun with house-made American cheese, fried onions, pickles and house copper sauce .
At $13.50, the burger is pricey for just six ounces of beef, but everything’s made from scratch and it’s well-seasoned and tasty. Add a big side of batter-dipped farmhand fries for just $6. W. San Marcos Blvd. , Suite B, San Marcos; .
Instagram: @copperkingsburgers. The Signature Burger, with a 6-ounce Angus beef patty and American cheese, at Crazee Burger in North Park. At this casual, 20-year-old spot, diners can order burgers made with buffalo, alligator, elk, camel, ostrich and buffalo meat. But the tasty Signature Burger, made with 6 ounces of well-done and well-salted Angus beef on a tall toasted bun, is the top-seller.
The burger is $11, or $12.50 with a choice of American, cheddar, Swiss or pepper jack cheese. It comes with leaf lettuce and sliced tomatoes and red onions. There’s no mayo or house sauce, but bottles of ketchup, mustard and hot sauce are available tableside. Tip: Get the Crazee Fries, which are battered, fried extra crisp and sprinkled with salt and Parmesan cheese.
The Double Onion Burger at Duke's Old Fashioned Onion Burger in La Mesa. It’s no wonder there’s always a long line at Duke’s in La Mesa: Simply said, the burgers are good. It’s the brainchild of Frank Schulz, who grew up in San Diego and attended Patrick Henry High School before heading to Tulsa, Okla. , for college.
There, he discovered Oklahoma-style burgers: patties cooked with onions. Lots of it. Schulz loved it so much that when he moved back to San Diego, he started cooking his burgers Oklahoma-style for family and friends. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The $14.44 Single Onion Burger sounds simple enough, but the mixture of the onions and beef creates an extremely flavorful burger. Order it the Duke’s Way, and it’ll come with cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato and pickles. Toss in jalapeños, and you’ve got yourself a party. A side of fries is $5.95 and quite plentiful.
This simple-looking restaurant is serving up simple smashburgers with only the best ingredients. You can see the chef freshly grind their beef, which is hormone-free, 100% free-range and grass-fed. They don’t use seed oils and cook their crispy fries in beef tallow. The thin, caramelized smashburgers start at $8.95 for a single and can be topped with grilled onions, jalapeños, plus your choice of three different spreads: classic, chipotle or garlic.
The Double Wide BBQ Burger at Grand Ole BBQ. Served with fries, this smash burger ups the ante with a topping of chopped brisket, sweet barbecue sauce and red onions. Located in the Flinn Springs neighborhood of El Cajon, Grand Ole BBQ is all about the meat. This East County hangout — self-billed as “real and authentic central Texas BBQ” — is not shy when it comes to its proteins.
The Double Wide BBQ Burger has all the elements you’ve come to expect from a barbecue place: cooked-to-perfection beef — tender, smoky with just the right amount of sauce. This $18 burger, served with fries, takes the Grand Ole BBQ smash burger and ups the ante with a topping of chopped brisket, sweet barbecue sauce and red onions.
There’s a reason this popular barbecue joint, which has a sister restaurant in North Park, has fans near and far, including the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” with Guy Fieri, who visited the restaurant in 2019. The Smashburger at the Hamburger Factory in Poway: two 1/4-pound patties smashed and seared, with American cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato nd awesome sauce. When you have the word “hamburger” in your name, you’d better deliver.
Thankfully, the Hamburger Factory in Poway does exactly that. Located in Old Poway Park, the Hamburger Factory has a big menu, with hamburgers getting top billing. There are 11 burgers on the menu. You’ll find everything from the basic burger, called Lariat Burger , to the crowd favorite Maple Bourbon BBQ Burger , which has gouda cheese, bacon, grilled onions, jalapeños and a bourbon glaze.
We tried the Smashburger: two ¼-pound patties smashed, seared and then topped with cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato and the Thousand Island-like “awesome sauce. ” The burger was flavorful, just the right size and tucked in between a delectable brioche bun. It’s $18, and comes with a choice of seasoned fries, tater tots, potato salad or homemade chips and dip. The Harland Smash Burger features two smashed beef patties tucked in between a delicious brioche bun.
It comes with American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and the house special sauce. At its newest location in 4S Ranch, Harland Brewing Co. is serving its signature burger, the Harland Smash Burger. The $18 sandwich features two smashed beef patties tucked in between a delicious brioche bun. It comes with American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and the house special sauce.
The caramelized onions take the burger to a more heavenly level, if we’re being honest. For a side, you can choose between house-made fries or salad tossed in a lemony vinaigrette. Live a little, and choose the fries. The regular hamburger from Hayes Burger in Barrio Logan is made with an Angus chuck patty, lettuce, a Roma tomato, grilled onions and house 1000 Island dressing on a brioche bun.
Eating at Hayes Burger means eating in the heart of the city, especially at the Barrio Logan location where visitors can sit at outdoor tables with a view of Chicano Park. The no-frills menu offers an opportunity to choose your own adventure, starting with a smashed Angus chuck patty with a strong meaty flavor.
And it only gets better the more you pile on, including multiple patties and slices of American cheese, but especially with chopped chile or spicy ketchup. These burgers are precise, easy to eat and start at $10.50. The restaurant’s two owners are carrying on a La Jolla shores tradition that was started in 1974 by the original Jeff: burgers by the beach.
Burgers start at $8.95, but at $12.95, the double cheese and double patty burger called “El Jefe” is what you need to try. The juicy double cheeseburger features a soft bun, sweet and savory diced grilled onions and a signature burger sauce. Don’t forget to add on crispy curly fries and ask for a side of burger sauce for dipping.
The Wild Style Burger at The Lion’s Share is made with a Waygu blend patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, boar bacon jam, crispy shallots and barbecue sauce. Here’s another burger on the fancier and pricier side, but it’s a happy hour staple at The Lion’s Share. It’s served as part of a “burger and beer” deal for $16.
But this one really hits a high note when it’s ordered “wild style” with boar bacon jam, crispy shallots and TLS barbecue sauce. It’s tall and messy but makes for a very pleasant, and almost sweet, combination of flavors. The Lion’s Share is known for its unique meat offerings — frog legs or elk chops, anyone? — so it’s no surprise this burger is an adventure.
The Original Nessy Burger from Nessy Burgers in Fallbrook includes a half-pound beef patty on a toasted 5-inch bun with fresh onions, tomatoes, lettuce and house sauce. Founded in 1989, this family-owned roadside stand offers one of the county’s tastiest — and best value — burgers.
Its Original Nessy Burger, priced at $12.95, features a half-pound patty of fresh-ground beef mixed with Worcestershire sauce, dried onions and spices, then grilled to order and served on a 5-inch toasted sesame seed bun with American cheese, fresh onion and tomato slices, iceberg lettuce and Nessy sauce — a house-made twist on Thousand Island dressing. It’s worth the drive.
The Wagyu Smashburger at Queenstown Village in La Jolla — two wagyu smashed patties topped with American cheese, pickles, Thousand Island dressing and fried habañero onions. Part of a family of New Zealand-style restaurants, Queenstown Village in the heart of downtown La Jolla has enough items on its menu to keep you coming back for more. The Wagyu Smashburger is a favorite.
Here’s why: two wagyu smashed patties topped with American cheese, pickles, Thousand Island dressing and — are you ready for this? — fried habañero onions. This burger is definitely a flavor bomb. It’s $19, and for another $7, you can get a side of fries.
The Rare Society Signature Burger from Rare Society in University Heights is made with a Wagyu beef patty, boschetto al tartufo cheese, onion marmalade, truffle aioli and a brioche bun. Rare Society’s signature burger is only on the happy hour menu, but it’s worth the extra effort if you’re free between 5 and 6 p.m. It’s made with a wood-grilled wagyu patty, and the taste and perfect char on the burger alone are worth the $21 splurge.
But it’s also topped with a boschetta al tartufo cheese, onion marmalade and truffle aioli, making for an incredible combination of textures. Yes, this burger is on the fancy side, but it’s one of the best fancy burgers out there. And it comes with a side of fries. The old-fashioned 1/3-pound cheeseburger at Rocky’s Crown Pub on Mission Bay in San Diego.
Open since 1977, this neighborhood sports bar across the bay from Mission Beach is famous for its tasty, no-frills, backyard-style burgers, which are grilled to order and served on a toasted bun with sliced tomatoes and red onions, leaf lettuce and mayo with pickles on the side. The price is $10.25 for a 1/3-pound burger or $12.25 for a half-pounder. Add a slice of cheese for 25 cents.
Burgers are cooked to order, so expect a 10- to 20-minute wait, depending on how busy they are. For most of its history, Rocky’s was a cash-only bar, but it recently began accepting credit cards . On weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., check out the lunch special, which includes a 1/3-pound cheeseburger, fries and soda or pint of select beer for $21, plus tax.
The double-decker Rosie Mac Burger at Rosemarie’s Burgers in Mission Beach. The company will open a second location in Ocean Beach this fall. Chef Nick Balsamo’s three-store burger chain sells only sliders . The top-seller is the juicy and flavorful RosieMac, featuring a ¼-pound wagyu beef patty on a Turano Bakery brioche bun with onion confit, American cheese, Kewpie mayo and house sauce.
It’s $8.50. A purple bun on a burger might put off some, but they would be missing out on a savory-and-sweet meal. Tambayan Filipino BBQ & Grill is serving The Gud Burger, a double American wagyu smashburger on a sweet and fluffy house-made ube milk bun.
The meat is cooked medium and is soft and juicy. The sweet chili aioli sauce gives the burger a slightly tangy heat to it, the pickled red onion and butter pickles offer crunch and texture, and the white American cheese adds gooeyness. It’s $15. Michelin-trained chef Brandon Rodgers and Brandt Beef owner Eric Brandt opened this fancy burger stand in 2024.
It picked up a coveted Michelin Guide recommendation in 2025. Rodgers’ delicious smashburgers are made with 100 percent Prime Brandt beef. The signature Prime Burger, priced at $10.95, includes a third-pound patty on a brioche bun topped with cowboy beef bacon, caramelized onions, New School American Cheese, Tanner’s sauce, leaf lettuce, tomato and onion slices and a cascabella pepper. Add a second patty for $4 extra.
The dry-aged burger from The Wise Ox contains bacon, Havarti, house pickles, mayo and mustard. For those who like their burger well-done, where the bun is the unsung hero, try The Wise Ox. This butcher shop with a smoker out front sells a dry-aged burger whose beef patty is crispy on the edges and tender in the middle.
The $13.99 burger features thick slices of bacon, pickles for acidity, a tangy Havarti cheese and a loaded combo of creamy mayo and mustard. The large bun holds the patty together from falling apart and is soft, fluffy and buttery, like a croissant.858 Burger located in La Jolla serves up its namesake “858 Burger” with grilled onions and a bacon jam.
Located on La Jolla’s Pearl Street and Fay Avenue, this is your spot for a very special smashburger. The classics start at $11 with all of the toppings of your choice, including jalapeños. The standout on the menu is the namesake “858 Burger. ” Its patty has crispy, lacy edges and is topped with sliced grilled onions, bacon jam and an unforgettable umami sauce.
Sides range from “Dirty Fries” to onion rings. If you love to dip, don’t forget to order one of each of the signature sauces.
Burger San Diego County Summer 2026 Favorite Union-Tribune Reporters Three Months
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