Crest Cafe

More burgers. I don't know why I am so obsessed with burgers right now, but I just am. Took friends down to Crest Cafe after I hearing a lot of buzz about their Butter Burger. The name alone made my arteries clog, but my mouth salivated with anticipation!

We started off with an Onion Loaf, which is pretty much a big ol' stack of thin well-done onion rings. Not a good choice for an appetizer. Sure they are delightfully crispy, but they are also soaked and dripping with oil as well. Yes I know it's fried, but that does not mean it should be such a gut-buster. I was not that impressed with the beer batter either, which was quite mundane and ordinary. Ritual Tavern and Studio Diner make 'em a lot lighter with a tastier batter to boot.

The Butter Burger
"Half pound of fresh lean ground beef, stuffed with a Garlic, Tarragon, Basil, Parsley Butter... Then we broil the burger and top it with a little more of the butter...Then we top it with some cheddar cheese and melt it...Then we top the cheese with a garlic mayonnaise made with a dash of paprika, cayenne and cumin."

Holy hell this was epic. As I was taking this photo, the top bun began to slowly slide off with the assistance of the lube butter provided. Biting into the burger, I was very surprised to find that it was not the greasebomb that I had expected. In fact, the patty was so juicy all by itself. Parsley butter only compliments the beef and does not overwhelm the burger as the name "Butter Burger" would suggest. Flavors of tarragon and basil add more complexity to the burger, but the mild spice of the aioli really take this burger over the top. Oh lordy this was a real treat. However, after about halfway through, I just couldn't continue eating it. Blame it on palate fatigue. This is a very rich and heavy burger and I highly suggest you split it with someone. Then again, I've heard of some people capable of eating two of these in one sitting...

The Ultimate Burger:
"12oz angus beef mixed with sundried tomatoes, onions and parsley and homemade teriyaki sauce. Topped with bacon, your choice of cheese and sprinkled with our homemade beer battered onion rings."

Another winner. Smokey and sweet with a hint of the sundried tomatoes, the patty totally makes this burger. You could ditch the onion rings (they don't add much other than lending its crunchy texture), the veggies, the bacon and still have a mouthgasm-inducing meat sandwich. Seriously. It's all about the patty in this burger, whereas the butter burger needs the aoili in order to pull through. I'm charting the Ultimate Burger as one of my San Diego burger favs.


I want to drop by Crest Cafe again to try more of their menu items. Despite the appetizer let-down, these two burgers gave me a very good impression of the diner and I am very curious to see if their other burgers are able to measure up to the Ultimate Burger. Then again, the grilled sandwiches and meat entrees sound hella good too so maybe I'd order those next time... *@#&*$%^!! I wish I were able to eat as much as Cpt. Jack, then I could order more stuff.




Crest Cafe

425 Robinson Ave

San Diego, California 92103

619.295-2510