Burgers are the quintessential representation of American food, but they are not a monolith. Ask 10 people what their favorite burger is, and you\u2019ll get at least 11 answers.<\/p>\n
Some people prefer thin-patty smash burgers that develop crispness from contact with the flat-top; others crave a thick bistro-style patty fresh off the flame grill. Burgers can come simple, adorned with just a smear of mustard or mayo and maybe a leaf of lettuce, or piled high with pickles, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, bacon and even an onion ring.<\/p>\n
There is no wrong way, but there are two hills we will die on. First, the bun should be griddled or grilled. Why leave flavor and texture on the table? Second, a burger without fries is incomplete, and the quality of fries matters. Onion rings are an acceptable proxy.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve selected 10 unique burgers in the Sacramento region, each standing out in its own way.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SAC_2298_HGB_20260709_GamiBurger.JPG\" "\\"SAC_2298_HGB_20260709_GamiBurger.JPG\\"")
The namesake Gami Burger at the Gami Burger restaurant in Carmichael on July 9. HG BIGGS hg.biggs@sacbee.com The fusion: Gami Burger<\/p>\n
Co-owners of Origami Asian Grill Scott Ostrander and Paul DiPierro launched Gami Burger as a pop-up concept, ultimately opening a brick and mortar in March 2025<\/a>. In November of that same year, they opened a second in Midtown. The idea was to serve a solid American-style smash cheeseburger, but with a couple Asian twists, such as thick-cut Japanese sweet-sour sunomono pickles and \u201cGami sauce,\u201d a mildly spicy mayo spread.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the customizability that makes the Gami Burger ($9-15) fun. Order one to four patties, then have a choose-your-own adventure with toppings. Lettuce and tomato are free, so go for it. Wasabi sauce? Why not. Bacon and avocado? Sure thing. A fried egg? Obviously.<\/p>\n Fried sides are on point, with curly fries with togarashi ($5), waffle fries with herbs ($5), sweet potato fries with brown sugar and cayenne ($5) or just straight up shoestring fries ($5-7) or onion rings ($6), salted.<\/p>\n Gami Burger<\/p>\n Address: 2301 K St. Ste. 100, Midtown or 5050 Arden Way, Carmichael<\/p>\n Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays (Midtown); 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday (Carmichael)<\/p>\n Website: gamiburgertakeout.com<\/a><\/p>\n Taqueria Jalisco has been serving up Mexican food from the corner of 16th and D Streets for decades. But amongst the tacos and tostadas on their menu, one boxed section proudly boasts of their \u201cFamous Hamburgers.\u201d It\u2019s not a crazy claim. The burger does have its fans, some who say it\u2019s the best in the city.<\/p>\n The location, according to owner Daniel Flores, was once a Fosters Freeze. The taqueria eschewed the ice cream and kept the burgers. \u201cBut it\u2019s much better now,\u201d Flores said. His secret is the inclusion of some ground brisket in the patties, along with a splash of homemade hot sauce.<\/p>\n On the cheeseburger ($14) condiments are typical: mayo, tomato, pickles. Instead of a slab of leafy lettuce to chew through, it comes shredded, which is an innovation more places should adopt. The burger definitely lives up to its bona fides, especially with a side of the golden, battered French fries ($3.50).<\/p>\n Taqueria Jalisco<\/p>\n Address: 330 16th St., Mansion Flats<\/p>\n Hours: 11 a.m-7 p.m., Monday-Thursday. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.<\/p>\n Phone: 916-446-4834<\/p>\n Website: taqueriajalisco916.com<\/a><\/p>\n The one from a sushi restaurant: Kru<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine posted on Facebook they were taking their famed Ngo Burger ($20) off the menu.<\/p>\n After all, why should an elegant Japanese sushi spot have a cheeseburger on the menu? Even if that burger consists of chuck and A5 blended beef, topped with lacy Lolla Rossa lettuce and surprisingly spicy mentaiko aioli, sandwiched between delicate charred Hokkaido milk buns? Plus American cheese?<\/p>\n However, the restaurant\u2019s announcement was posted on April 1 as a joke. Kru patrons seem to thrill in ordering a cheeseburger along with their elegant sushi and cocktails, so on the menu it remains. However, there are no French fries available to order with your burger. You\u2019ll have to resort to a side of sashimi or tempura instead.<\/p>\n Kru<\/p>\n Address: 3135 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento<\/p>\n Hours: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.<\/p>\n Phone: (916) 551-1559<\/p>\n Website: krurestaurant.com<\/a><\/p>\n The big game: Cookie\u2019s Drive In<\/p>\n The small white building that is Cookie\u2019s Drive In resembles a beehive, with people busily zooming up for burgers and dipped cones, then zooming away. Most customers barely spare a glance at the menu. After all, Cookie\u2019s has been around since 1963, and people already know exactly what they want.<\/p>\n Cookie\u2019s menu does deserve a second glance, though, because along with the usual beef and vegetarian options, there\u2019s a section dedicated to \u201cexotic burgers.\u201d There\u2019s elk, ostrich, and wild boar to be had, and in the past, they\u2019ve even offered a camel patty.<\/p>\n I opted for the Wild Boar-ger ($10), and when it arrived, the bun could barely contain what was inside: a boar patty, bacon, sauteed strings of onion, barbecue sauce, and plenty of lettuce, pickles, and tomato. \u201cThis has everything, you don\u2019t have to add anymore to it,\u201d noted the menu. All I ended up adding was a side of hot, thin French fries ($3.25).<\/p>\n Cookie\u2019s Drive In<\/p>\n Address: 5640 H St., East Sacramento<\/p>\n Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday<\/p>\n Phone: (916) 457-8353<\/p>\n The veggie: Nutburger from Sunflower Drive In<\/p>\n Since 1978, Sunflower has been serving fresh, handmade vegetarian and vegan food in the town center of Fair Oaks. The menu is a fantasia of 1970s hippie chow starring whole-wheat breads, housemade nut patties and plenty of sprouts.<\/p>\n The flagship dish, the nutburger ($9.79), delivers what it promises, a patty made of almonds, walnuts, cashews, carrots, rice and, of course, sunflower seeds sandwiched on a griddled whole wheat bun with onions, pickles, shredded lettuce and the obligatory sprouts. It\u2019s as hearty as it is healthy. Fair Oaks\u2019 famous chickens roam the property, pecking up shreds of lettuce that inevitably fall from the sandwiches. On request, the burger can be made vegan, gluten-free or both.<\/p>\n Sunflower does not have fries, but lest you worry about getting out too virtuously, you can wash it all down with a surprisingly recommendable carob milkshake ($8.99 for a small).<\/p>\n Sunflower Drive In<\/p>\n Address: 10344 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks<\/p>\n Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays; 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays (summer hours)<\/p>\n Phone: 916-967-4331<\/p>\n Website: sunflowerdrivein.cafe<\/a><\/p>\n The jawbreaker: Skip\u2019s Kitchen<\/p>\n When we asked our colleagues in the newsroom what their favorite burger was, Skip\u2019s came up more than once. This Carmichael institution has been serving up \u201ccasual gourmet cuisine\u201d for 15 years.<\/p>\n After much trial and error developing his burger, owner Skip Wahl decided to go with a 50-50 chuck-sirloin blend, 85 percent lean, and double emulsified for a silkier texture. Wahl prefers his toppings under the patty, and opts for shredded lettuce for textural contrast. The house sauce is a ketchup, mayo and whole grain mustard combination, halfway between fry sauce and Thousand Island.<\/p>\n You have to unhinge your jaw for the Western burger ($16.49). Beside the shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions on the bottom, the medium patty has a whole fried onion ring slathered in barbecue sauce, served on a toasted brioche bun. Things get messy fast. Choose the complimentary criss-cut fries for maximal crunch.<\/p>\n Skip\u2019s Kitchen<\/p>\n Address: 4717 El Camino Ave., Carmichael<\/p>\n Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays<\/p>\n Phone: 916-514-0830<\/p>\n Website: skipskitchen.com<\/a><\/p>\n The gilded lily: Historic Star Lounge<\/p>\n Dimly lit and opulently appointed, Historic Star Lounge is a perfect setting for its decadent beef tartare served with fried brioche or its duck liver mousse topped with a Maraschino cherry gelee, served alongside an elegant craft cocktail. It\u2019s not the sort of place you\u2019d expect to find a burger. If you weren\u2019t paying attention, you might miss that they have one at all. But it\u2019s not to be missed.<\/p>\n Chef Galice Ryan drew inspiration from the Black Label Burger at New York\u2019s Minetta Tavern. The Flannery Beef burger with fries ($21) is a 6-ounce patty of dry-aged beef from the Bay Area\u2019s Flannery Beef. He caramelizes onions with red wine, aromatics and veal jus to create a concentrated, beefy sauce.<\/p>\n The burger is cooked in rendered dry-aged beef trim that is infused with shallots, garlic and herbs. It\u2019s topped with Gruy\u00e8re and finished with a blend of black, white and Szechuan peppercorns along with Indonesian long pepper and grains of paradise. He serves the burger on a squishy potato bun that\u2019s also toasted in the rendered trim fat.<\/p>\n The result is the beefiest burger you\u2019re likely to find, full of richness and umami. It only appears on the happy hour menu, but they\u2019ll happily serve it to you for dinner.<\/p>\n Historic Star Lounge<\/p>\n Address: 2719 K St., Midtown<\/p>\n Hours: 3-10 p.m Monday-Thursday; 3-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3-9 p.m. Sundays<\/p>\n Phone: 916-406-4979<\/p>\n Website: historicstarlounge.com<\/a><\/p>\n The people\u2019s choice: Moksa Barrel House<\/p>\n At this year\u2019s American River Burger Battle, Moksa Barrel House in Roseville took home the gold for the People\u2019s Choice award<\/a>. While Moksa is part of the Hawks family of restaurants, chef and co-owner Mike Fagnoni wanted to shine the light on the more approachable concept.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a Double R Ranch short rib chuck blend, and it\u2019s on a buttered Martin\u2019s potato bun, New School American cheese, caramelized onions and aioli, so it\u2019s just a juicy, rich cheeseburger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In appearance, the double juicy burger ($15) looks among the simplest, but the sum is greater than its parts. Two smash patties are welded together with cheese; a smear of aioli lends a creaminess. But it\u2019s the caramelized onions that give this burger its punch. It\u2019s truly more of an onion jam, simultaneously sweet and savory.<\/p>\n Fries ($5-8) are as classic as they come, and well executed at that, clearly double-fried and perfectly salted.<\/p>\n Moksa Barrel House<\/p>\n Address: 10007 Foothills Blvd., Suite 180, Roseville<\/p>\n Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 1 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays<\/p>\n Phone: 916-783-1444<\/p>\n Website: moksabarrelhouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve lived in Sacramento for long enough, you know about Squeeze Burger\u2014formerly known as Squeeze Inn. That was the name when the business opened in 1982, until they had to change it in 2017 due to a trademark dispute.<\/p>\n A Sacramento favorite, Squeeze Burger once had several locations, including one at the airport. Now, they\u2019re a roaming food truck after losing the lease to their last restaurant in Roseville earlier this year.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a lot of background for a burger place. But their signature offering, the Squeeze Burger ($12) also has a lot going for it. Namely, that cheese skirt\u2014a giant slab of crispy cheddar cheese that extends far over the edges of every patty. Visually and texturally, it\u2019s a flourish that dunks on nearly every other cheeseburger out there. Along with the large, meaty fries ($5), it\u2019s easy to understand why Squeeze Burger has been a local favorite for so long.<\/p>\n Squeeze Burger<\/p>\n Address: Check their website for the food truck schedule and hours.<\/p>\n Phone: (916) 783-2874<\/p>\n Website: cheeseskirts.com<\/a><\/p>\n The Steinbeck: Okie Dokies<\/p>\n Just as Sacramento has its signature cheese skirts, so too, do other regions have their unique spins on burgers. The Hamburger Inn in El Reno, Oklahoma, developed their own version in 1922, and it became a classic.<\/p>\n Thin patties are topped with a pile of thinly sliced onions, smashed flat on the griddle. After a few minutes, the patty is flipped and the onions get kissed with heat. Steam and fat from the burgers causes them to caramelize, creating a deep, beefy flavor. American cheese is the de rigueur accompaniment.<\/p>\n We have but one place making these, and it\u2019s in one of the ghost kitchens at Garden at the Line. Business partners Jake Bombard and Gavin Okamoto have been serving up the oniony burgers at Garden at the Line since 2023. Bombard is part of the team behind Nash & Proper, who first brought hot Nashville chicken to the region, and they wanted to do the same thing with Oklahoma burgers.<\/p>\n As part of its classic combo ($19), it comes with a can of soda, pickles, hot peppers, somewhat generic but crisp crinkle fries and a spiced mayo-based \u201cOD sauce.\u201d<\/p>\n Okie Dokies<\/p>\n Address: 6415 Elvas Ave. Ste 9, East Sacramento<\/p>\n Hours: 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; closed Monday-Wednesday<\/p>\n Phone: 916-252-5999<\/p>\n Website: okiedokies.com<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n Sean Timberlake<\/a><\/p>\n The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n Sean Timberlake is the food and dining reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He has been writing professionally about food for over 20 years.\n <\/p>\n![\"Patrons](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SAC_2328_HGB_20260709_GamiBurger.JPG\" "\\"SAC_2328_HGB_20260709_GamiBurger.JPG\\"")
Patrons eat at Gami Burger in Carmichael on July 9, 2026. HG BIGGS hg.biggs@sacbee.com The one from a Mexican restaurant: Taqueria Jalisco<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_02_SAC_RCB_SKIPSKITC_5_1_83K0C9OQ_L633153153.JPG\" "\\"IMG_02_SAC_RCB_SKIPSKITC_5_1_83K0C9OQ_L633153153.JPG\\"")
A “Western Burger” made of thick-cut cherrywood smoked bacon, onion ring, BBQ sauce, medium sharp cheddar cheese is ready to be served with criss-cut fries at Skip’s Kitchen in 2021. Ren\u00e9e C. Byer Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SAC_2236_HGB_20260709_MoksaBarrelHouse.JPG\" "\\"SAC_2236_HGB_20260709_MoksaBarrelHouse.JPG\\"")
Chef Mike Fagnoni holds the Double Juicy Burger at Moksa Barrel House in Roseville on July 9. The casual quick-serve restaurant is also a collaboration with Moksa Brewing Company. HG BIGGS hg.biggs@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SAC_2175_HGB_20260709_MoksaBarrelHouse.JPG\" "\\"SAC_2175_HGB_20260709_MoksaBarrelHouse.JPG\\"")
Chef Mike Fagnoni poses for a portrait in Moksa Barrel House in Roseville on July 9. The casual quick-serve restaurant is also a collaboration with Moksa Brewing Company. HG BIGGS hg.biggs@sacbee.com The Sacramento original: Squeeze Burger<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img-25-11-14-4EC66.jpg\")
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781030289_263_anneheadshot.jpg\")