20 Favorite Burgers in Sonoma County

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Heather's Faves - The Estero Burger - Estero Cafe, Valley Ford and Americana, Santa Rosa. Keep it simple or class it up, but a third-pound Stemple Creek grass-fed beef patty sets the stage. Add a fried egg, bacon, Estero Gold cheese or just keep it simple. Takeout and pickup. 14450 Highway 1, Valley Ford, 707-876-3333, 205 5th St Suite A, Santa Rosa, 707-867-2220, facebook.com/EsteroCafe. (Chris Hardy)

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Heather's Faves - New Mexi Joe - Chili Joe's, Petaluma. This charbroiled beef patty is topped by mild Hatch and poblano peppers, slab of flame-charred sweet white onion and enrobed by melty Jack cheese that caramelizes around the edges. Served on a solid potato bun that holds up to the handful inside. Takeout only. 312 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma, 707-971-7537, chilijoes.com.

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Heather's Faves - Brewster’s Burger - Brewster's in Petaluma. This burger stands up to the challenge, cooked perfectly and topped with basil aioli, white cheddar, romaine lettuce and a tomato. Make sure to add shoestring fries. Takeout and outdoor dining. 229 Water St. N., 707-981-8330, brewstersbeergarden.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Heather's Faves - Roadhouse Burger - Butcher Crown Roadhouse, Petaluma. You can’t go wrong with these legit burgers made with a combination of brisket and chuck for maximum yumminess. The Roadhouse burger gets the addition of bacon, bbq sauce, crispy onions and two kinds of cheese on a sweet Portuguese bun. Curbside pickup and delivery. 1905 Bodega Ave, Petaluma, 707-559-3735, butchercrown.com. (John Burgess)

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Heather's Faves - The Acme Burger - Acme Burger, Cotati. We love the simplicity (and price) of a $5.95 burger made like a $18.95 burger. You add the toppings, from blue cheese to onion rings and chili. Takeout and delivery. 550 East Cotati Ave., Cotati, 707-665-5620, acmeburgerco.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Heather's Faves - Weinberger Patty Melt - Grossman's, Santa Rosa. Oh my goodness, you’ll want this immediately. It’s a perfectly perfect burger with pastrami, gooey Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions on rye. Stands up to a car-ride home like a boss. Takeout. 309 ½ Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 707-595-7707, grossmanssr.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Heather's Faves - Impossible Burger - Cozy Plum, Santa Rosa. When you want a damn good burger without the beef, this Santa Rosa newcomer serves up an Impossible Burger with tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, pickles and a sturdy (but not overly-bready) sourdough bun. Curbside pickup. 1899 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-526-3333, cozyplum.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Also Great - TBR Burger - Brass Rabbit, Healdsburg. Takeout. 109 Plaza St., Healdsburg, 707-473-8580, thebrassrabbithealdsburg.com. (John Burgess)

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Cheeseburger - Superburger, Cotati, Santa Rosa and Windsor. Takeout and delivery. Multiple locations, originalsuperburger.com. (Beth Schlanker)

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Also Great - The Burger - Jackson's Bar and Oven, Santa Rosa. Takeout. Get it with truffle fries. 135 4th St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-6900, jacksonsbarandoven.com. (Stephanie A. / Yelp)

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Also Great - Mondo Burger - Piner Cafe, Santa Rosa. Takeout. 975 Piner Rd., Santa Rosa, 707-575-0165, pinercafe.com. (Courtesy photo)

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Also Great - Flugger’s Bacon Burger - Third St. Aleworks, Santa Rosa. Takeout. 610 3rd St., Santa Rosa, 707-523-3060, thirdstreetaleworks.com.

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Also Great - Blackk and Blue Burger - Bear Republic, Rohnert Park. Takeout. 5000 Roberts Lake Road Rohnert Park, bearrepublic.com. (John Burgess)

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Also Great - The Amy Burger (veggie) - Amy's Drive Thru, Rohnert Park. Drive-thru, curbside ordering, delivery. 58 Golf Course Dr. W., Rohnert Park, 707-735-3629, amysdrivethru.com. (Beth Schlanker)

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Also Great - Don Chava Burger - Picazo Cafe, Sonoma. Takeout and curbside pickup. 19100 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, 707-931-4377, picazocafe.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Also Great - Classic Burger - Palooza, Kenwood. Patio dining and takeout. 8910 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 707-833-4000, paloozafresh.com. (John Burgess)

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Also Great - House Ground Half Pound Burger - Salt and Stone, Kenwood. Patio dining. 9900 Sonoma Hwy., 707-833-6326, saltstonekenwood.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Also Great - I Love Animals - KC's American Kitchen, Windsor. Outdoor dining and takeout. 9501 Duvander Ln., Windsor, 707-838-7800, kcsamericankitchen.com. (Ben D. / Yelp)

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Also Great - Half Pound Cheeseburger - Sweet T’s, Windsor. Curbside pickup only. 9098 Brooks Rd. S., Windsor, 707-687-5185, sweettssouthern.com. (Heather Irwin)

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Also Great - Inglewood Burger, Handline, Sebastopol. Patio dining, curbside pickup and takeout. 935 Gravenstein Ave. S., Sebastopol, 707-827-3744, handlinerestaurant.square.site. (John Burgess)

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Also Great - The Sequoia Burger - Sequoia Burger, Sebastopol. Takeout. 1382 Gravenstein Hwy. S., Sebastopol, 707-829-7543, sequoiaburger.com. (John P. / Yelp)

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Worth Waiting For - Tilted Burger - Wishbone, Petaluma: Mop-topped Highland Scottish beef raised on chef Miriam Donaldson’s Petaluma ranch is the key ingredient in this must-try Sonoma County burger. Includes bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions, mayo and pickles between homemade brioche buns. 841 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma CA, 707-763-2663 wishbonepetaluma.com.

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Worth Waiting For - Tim's Burger - Backyard, Forestville: Chef Daniel Kedan and his wife, Marianna Gardenhire, couldn’t have opened their restaurant without the help of Marianna’s dad, Tim. There was a catch, however, to his free labor: He required a daily mocha and a cheeseburger. The couple has improved upon his simple request by zhooshing it up with grass-fed beef, homemade kimchi, a sunny-side-up egg, homemade aioli, pickled onions, locally made cheese and a brioche bun. 6566 Front St., Forestville, 707-820-8445, backyardforestville.com. (John Burgess)

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Worth Waiting For - Ultimate Burger - Catelli's, Geyserville. Chef Domenica Catelli's Wine Country burger is a house-ground mix of Kobe beef frisket and sirloin that's best eaten silkily rare and with a minimum of condiments. Required pairing: Truffle fries with chili, Parmesan lemon zest and truffle oil. 21047 Geyserville Ave, Geyserville, 707-857-3471, mycatellis.com. (Chris Hardy)