Gourmet Burgers - Irvine

Contrary to what I previously thought, a good burger is not hard to find in a food court. I was recently floored by a thick behemoth of a burger I had at Aioli, which as you might have read earlier in this blog, is in a food court. So I was ready to accept that good burgers exist at other Irvine food courts, especially the one that boasts not only Franco’s Pasta Cucina but also The Chippy, two of the finest food court eateries in O.C.

But because Franco’s and The Chippy are there, I’ve been putting off trying Gourmet Burgers, because, well, like anyone, I’m a creature of habit, and Franco’s pasta dishes and The Chippy’s flawless deep fried cod are hard habits to break. Now that I’ve finally tried Gourmet Burgers, it confirms my earlier theory: you can find good burgers in food courts.

These are not thick-pattied burgers. The beef is actually as thin as In-N-Outs, but with twice the surface area that extends past the perimeter of the bun, and pleasantly un-uniform in shape. But like In-N-Out, it’s griddle-seared when you order, served hot, slathered in sauce, and in my case, stuffed with crispy onion straws that lent a nice texture.

Judge them not by the fact they use stock sesame-seeded buns. Also, do not underestimate their size; these are gut-busting burgers that are bigger than you anticipate. I peeled back the paper again and again, coming to the realization that there’s still a lot of burger left when I thought I should be done--this is the hamburger equivalent of Hermione’s bag in Harry Potter.

If it reminds me of any previous burgers I’ve had, it’s like the ones served by Yellow Basket. Yet it’s not an apt comparison because Gourmet Burgers uses what I'm pretty sure are hand-packed (Halal) patties instead of frozen discs. And with any burger, it’s how they treat the meat that makes all the difference--not whether it’s served in a food court.

Gourmet Burgers
2222 Michelson Dr Unit 208
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 251-0786

THIS WEEK ON OC WEEKLY:
The Big Catch Seafood - Long Beach