One of the best burgers in America is closer than you think. Food & Wine Magazine has just named Healdsburg Bar and Grill’s HBG Burger one of the Best Burgers in America.
Co-owned by Top Chef Masters star Douglas Keane, the understated HBG elevates simple diner food to Michelin standards, most notably their freshly ground Angus beef patty with Sonoma Brinery pickles, Costeaux Bakery buns and garlic aioli on the side. All the burgers are cooked medium unless otherwise requested, and at $10.50 they’re something of a steal.
Other Bay Area burgers tapped include In-N-Out Burger, SF’s Mission Bowling Club, Zuni Cafe, and Napa’s Gott’s Roadside’s ahi burger (a BiteClub fave).
The list of 30 top picks also includes burgers from around the country including NYC’s Shake Shack and Peter Luger, celeb chef Michael Symon’s B-Spot burgers in Cleveland, and Father’s Office in LA.
Keane is currently creating a yakitori-style restaurant at the newly remodeled Freemark Abbey in St. Helena called Two Birds/One Stone with Sang Yoon of Father’s Office. He is the former executive chef of Cyrus, which received two Michelin Stars before closing.
What are some of your favorite spots for burgers?
Hopmonk’s burger in Sebastopol wins my vote. Fresh ground beef, hand formed buns, house-made ketchup. Their soups are great as well.
I fancy myself something of a burger connoisseur and I agree with you, Dave, the Hopmonk burger is very good. So much depends on the freshness of the bun and only once have I gotten a not-so-fresh bun at Hopmonk (out of two dozen or more tries.) I’m looking forward to trying the burger at HBG.