I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and expressed or reflected on many reasons to be grateful. After eating turkey for a season, let’s talk burgers. Don’t you just love a good burger now and then? Unless you are a vegan, vegetarian, herbivore, gluten free, or paleo eater, I’m talking delicious burgers with buns. Does every town have at least one popular hamburger place? Where do you love to go to for a burger?
We’ve got some great burgers in my town. I don’t eat burgers often as a health choice, but I really enjoy a burger there every now and then. Sometimes I even feel a craving. So here are my five favorite burger joints in my town. They are NOT listed in a particular order.
My Top Five Local Burger Spots
- This one is a California standard and legendary local spot, In and Out. I enjoy the burgers and milkshakes, though I’m not a big fan of the fries. We are still waiting for one to open up in our town. Several are in surrounding towns. We often find one just off the highway when driving to Northern California. We get in the long line in the drive-thru for a quick lunch to eat in the car while continuing the trip. One summer, my husband and I picked up burgers to celebrate our anniversary when we were broke, and we used a gift card, too.
- Another favorite local burger place is Rick’s Burgers in Uptown Whittier. It has become an occasional favorite, and provides a touch of nostalgia, bringing memories of my time as a teacher in a local private school. As a teacher, I often had mere moments to grab lunch, and liked to go here. The burgers are tasty and now bring familiarity that is comforting. I think the fries are really good. And here’s another fact that makes me smile. The guy I married and I shared our first kiss in the parking lot. Go, girl!
Rick’s Burgers, Uptown Whittier
- Next up is the Bottle Room burger, specifically the Mini Bottle Room Burgers (2 in an order) with sweet onion relish, with blue and Swiss cheeses. These pair well with the Mac & Cheese, shoestring potatoes, or sweet potato fries. This gastropub is also in Uptown Whittier, California.
- The new burger place in Uptown Whittier is Vaka Burger. I went there for the first time earlier in November. For my Yelp review, click here. Delicious! Pricey, but excellent flavor. My husband recently brought home a burger and onion rings. I tried one onion ring and it was mouth-watering!
Los Altos Burger & Maui Onion Rings
- To round out my top five local burger spots, not in order of preference, I am going to go with The Habit at Whittwood Town Center. The Charburger, with lettuce, fresh tomato, caramelized onions, pickles, and mayo on a toasted bun is my first choice from the menu. I was introduced to The Habit in Ventura while there for meetings with another school employer. It was good news to see one go up nearby. I enjoy meeting friends there and to occasionally celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday ending with a fantastic hot fudge sundae.
Honorable Mention: Not all of these are local, but other places with good burgers in my opinion include Red Robin, Wood Ranch, Original Roadhouse Grill, and Houston’s.
My Hometown Burger Favorites
My hometown has a few great burger places, too. Every time I’m home I head to at least one of them. It’s a nostalgic goodness in that case, as well as a good burger.
Almost every time I’m back for a visit, my family gets burgers at Swenson’s. They have curb service, meaning servers run to each car, take an order, turn in the order, and return to your car with your order. If you are eating there, they serve on a tray that sets inside your car. There is no dining inside and no drive-thru. It is fun and unusual.
The Rail is also worthy of a mention. Fantastic burgers.
Love the snow outside in this photo.
If you enjoy a good burger, like I do, I hope you enjoyed this post. If you read it right before lunch and are now craving a burger, should I apologize? I also hope you will comment below to let us know your favorites.
Stay charming, my friends!
Wild Chin Hair 
I periodically enjoy a good burger also. Seeing the sign for Rickʻs brought back so many memories of Uptown Whittier, including the Rocky Cola Café. Good memories there!
Here on Maui, I love burgers from the Cool Cat Café, which is a 50’s style diner similar to Rocky Cola, and has been voted “Best Burger on Maui” for 14 years in a row. They definitely live up to their reputation. Their burgers are deliciously messy, and they have many specialty burgers from which to choose.
I also highly recommend trying Cheeseburger Island Style, which is at the Shops at Wailea. Their burgers are juicy and flavorful. I believe they used to be called Cheeseburger in Paradise, but apparently Jimmy Buffett didn’t like the name choice unless it came with hefty royalties. But that’s just what I overheard at the bar, ahem…I mean, the table. 😉
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Those lunch haunts from when we taught Uptown! Little Ceasar’s is still in business, even without our money! Ha, ha. Great recommendations for next time we dine in Maui and want burgers. Thanks for your comment.
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Burger Parlor in downtown Fullerton is one of our favorites. A bit pricey, but great variety of burgers to chose from and delicious fries. We love sitting on their back patio.
I have a question about Swensons. How do they operate in the Ohio winters?
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Burger Parlor is a bit of a drive for us – but totally worth it. Thanks for mentioning it. Regarding Swenson’s and winter, it’s business as usual. The servers run faster, because it is cold outside. People eat in their cars, which are toasty warm from the car heaters going strong. I’m going from memory, but people must let their engines run while they are eating. Great question!
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