It's All Still Great at G Burger - CLOSED

G Burger

421 East La Habra Blvd. 

La Habra, CA 90631

In my quest to review at least 1000 restaurants on this blog, I rarely go to the same place more than once. There's always a new restaurant to try or one I have wanted to eat at but have yet to make it to. The four pages of my restaurant wishlist can attest to that. My point is that a restaurant has to be unique for me to make a return visit, but G Burger in La Habra is definitely in that particular category.

My first visit to G Burger was six years ago. It was the first restaurant I ate at in La Habra, a city some people still think is in LA County. 2012 was a magical time for burger lovers. It was an era when new burger spots were opening up everywhere. Chefs were ditching their fine dining roots and opening burger spots to feed us. The burger was not just something you would pick up at the drive-thru anymore. It was elevated to an art form that chefs liked to showcase on their menus and prove they could do better than anyone else. I loved this time.

On my first visit to G Burger, I met George Makri, the man behind the grill and the founder of G Burger. I remember him being subdued but passionate about how he crafted his burgers. He told us that he went to the farmers market when possible for produce, made all of their sauces in-house, and was very picky about their vendors. The results were evident when you consumed one of their burgers. When asked today about my top burgers in OC, I always mention G Burger.

Flash forward to the present. When Samie from G Burger reached out to me through Instagram to invite me to try some of their new menu items, I could definitely not say no to this very generous invitation. I grabbed my friend Jeffery, and we made the long trek from South OC to the northernmost city in OC, La Habra, for a late lunch.

Once here, we met with Antonio, the current man behind the grill (sorry, I did not get his last name). I inquired about George, and he told me they were on their third owner now and that George had left the area some time ago. I did a little internet sleuthing and found out he is now the owner of a bar and grill in Quebec, which does sell burgers, but the menu is in French, so I'm not sure if they are like the ones he made here at G Burger. I also asked about the heartbreaking closure of G Burger Irvine, which is closest to my house, and he claimed that it was a financial decision partly based on the overabundance of burger options available near the Tustin Marketplace. The good news is that there are no plans to close the Fountain Valley G Burger anytime soon.

G Burger is located in the downtown district on the corner of La Habra and Lemon. It's a small restaurant where you order at the register, and then you try to find one of the ten or so tables, or if they are occupied, there's counter seating facing the restaurant's front window. We were here after the lunch rush, so we had no problem getting a table. The only problem for us was trying to narrow down what we wanted to eat, but we did so after some tremendous inner struggle. Let's see if G Burger is still as great as in 2012.

The first clue I had that the burgers would be just as good as they were was that they looked like works of art. First up was my Blue G's Burger ($10.50). This masterpiece was stacked high with an Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese crumbles, BBQ sauce, butter pickles, candy cayenne bacon, and crispy red onion rings. I ended up taking half of the onions out of the burger to make it more manageable. I really enjoyed the myriad of flavors on this one. The crisp and well-seasoned bacon, the tang from the blue cheese, the barbecue sauce's slightly sweet touch, and the crunchy onions' texture made this a balanced and well-thought-out burger. Even after I took the stick out of the middle of this, the bun did a great job of holding this half-pound burger and everything else together. Really impressive.

Jeffery's burger choice did not fail to impress when it hit the table either. He selected one of their new burgers, the Guacamole Burger ($11.95), as his afternoon lunch. This burger was listed on their specials board right next to the register. This colorful burger came with plenty in the way of creamy guacamole, swiss cheese, two strips of bacon, tortilla strips, chopped red onions, tomatoes, and peppers, and was crowned with chili topping on its bun. Jeffery really liked this burger and made it disappear rather quickly. They did not splurge with the toppings on this one. This definitely should make their regular menu.

Sides should not be ignored at G Burger. The G Style Fries ($5) is a much better version of the animal fries you can get at In N Out. I've always thought that the only reason to order animal fries at In N Out is to make their awful fries go down much easier. Okay, sorry for my anti-In N Out rant. These fries stayed crisp even with the Thousand Island, cheese, red onion, and bacon bits covering them. These are the way to go if you want to jazz up your fries a little bit. I've always loved the Onion Rings ($5.50) at G Burger. When I first came here, they used red onions for their rings. Now, they use the more traditional brown onion, which is buried inside one of the best breadings to ever cover an onion. They went well with some of the ranch dressing we were provided with. Still one of my favorite onion rings around.

Based on this visit, I'm happy to report that all is well at G Burger. A lot of times, after the initial owners leave, the quality takes a hit. I did not find that to be the case here. I sensed the same finesse when putting the burgers together; the ingredients were fresh and carefully chosen, and they still made their sauces, including one of the best ranch dressings around these parts. Full disclosure, we did try another one of their specials, Chicken Wings and Fries, which were in the testing phase while we were here, and they could have been better. The breading needed to be thicker, and the sauces covering the chicken also needed to be corrected. Definitely stick with their burgers and sides, and you can not go wrong. I'm still sad that the Irvine location closed, but that makes every trip up here to La Habra much more special.

G Burger does not have a website, but you can find out a lot about them from their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/g-burger-la-habra-la-habra

Great News, G Burger Opens In Irvine - CLOSED

G Burger

13256 Jamboree Road

Irvine, CA 92602

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I heard the news. One of my favorite burger places in OC was expanding. They would be opening up locations in Fountain Valley and Irvine. Much closer for me than the hour's drive to their first location in La Habra. Most people I told about G Burger would argue that La Habra was not even in Orange County. I won at least two bets by pulling out my phone and proving my misinformed friends wrong. I waited patiently for G Burger to open on August 15th and gave them three days to work out the kinks before we went. You could say I was excited.

This G Burger location is in the Irvine Marketplace, in the same general area as Target, and right next to Thai Spice, Baja Fresh, and Yogurtland. The Irvine location is slightly more spacious than their La Habra store, with about ten tables inside and plenty of seating outside in front of their restaurant. We arrived at about 4PM on a Sunday afternoon and were one of only two parties here. I had thought people had yet to find out about G Burger, but there was a constant line at the register when we left. We ordered at the counter and patiently waited for our food. Within five minutes, our meal was brought to our table. I hoped for the same great food we experienced on our trips to La Habra. Let's see if they could deliver.

I had never had G G-style fries ($5.00) before, so we had to try them on this trip. They top their regular fries with smoked bacon, grilled onions, American cheese, and a house-made Thousand Island dressing. This is G Burger's version of the Animal Fries at In N Out. This version is way better, starting with the fries. They use a fry that comes out crisp and soft inside. The bacon adds flavor, and the American cheese does not overwhelm this side item. This is a way better version than the In-N-Out counterpart. I am no fan of the fries at In N Out; they lack any flavor, and the only way to eat them is to get them Animal-style. My views about In N Out are blasphemous in these parts, but I stand by my opinion. Get these G Style Fries at G Burger, and you'll be the judge.

Another must-get side item at G Burger is the Onion Rings ($4.00). I was blown away the first time I had these up in La Habra. They used red onions to make them, which was a nice twist. Now, they use the regular white onions that everyone else uses. Still good, but I liked the red onion a little better. The breading is sturdy and does not easily break away from the onion. These came out of the fryer scalding hot and had to sit for a few minutes. One of the better onion rings I have had. The ranch dressing here was too thin on this visit, and it would have been better if it was a little thicker.

G Burger is not all about beef. They offer three vegetarian options, one of which Katie selected, the Portobello Burger ($9.00). This is a grilled portobello mushroom with tomato, avocado, basil, fresh mozzarella, and Thousand Island dressing. It's like a Caprese salad but in burger form. It's no surprise, but this is not my type of burger. Katie, however, loved this. She found it to be more earthy, seasoned, and cooked well. The creaminess from the avocado and mozzarella made this sandwich a winner, and it has become one of her favorites in recent memory.

The two other times I have been to G Burger, I got their namesake burger, the G Burger, which has almost everything in their kitchen on the burger, but you tell them what you want to be left off of it. This time, I went with one of their custom burgers, the Garlic Spinach Burger ($9.00). Joining the sauteed garlic spinach on the burger was bacon, blue cheese, tomato, red onion, and a Dijon mustard sauce. This was a very juicy burger. When I ordered this, I thought the mustard sauce would overwhelm the burger, but it was subtly in the background. Different bites yielded different flavor bursts. The bacon, red onion, and blue cheese worked well together, like a Cobb salad on a burger. The beef was delicious, cooked to a perfect medium. The bun is soft but can absorb all the juices and hold everything together. Another winning burger here.

No, I did not eat two burgers on this trip. We recently returned to G Burger, where Katie got the same portobello burger, which helped me by cutting down on my writing. Thanks, Katie. Of course, I had to try something new, so I went with the G Fire Burger ($11.00 with bacon added). This burger was topped with red and green chiles, roasted red peppers, tomato, red onion, pepper jack cheese, and spicy aioli served on the side. I added bacon to this burger, but the heat really overpowered the bacon flavor from coming through here. I am always leery when menus claim that items are hot, but let me tell you that this burger had my mouth burning well. The heat was gradual, so you could taste the quality of the ingredients. Again, the burger was cooked to a lovely medium; it was juicy, and the bun again held firm. I liked the spicy aioli, but only a little heat came from that. It was more the peppers and chiles that got me sweating. I would definitely get this burger again.

So, after two trips to the new G burger, I can happily relate to the fact that it's just as good as the one in La Habra. I put these burgers right up there with some of the best burgers in OC. They are right on par with Mick's Karma Bar, The Counter, and Rider's Club Cafe. I know some will scoff at the price, but when it comes to burgers, I will pay for quality, and the burgers at G Burger are high quality. Both times we have been here, the service has been good. The girls running the food and taking orders ensured we had everything. Weekends around mealtimes are the peak hours for this restaurant, but there is plenty of seating outside, so you do not have to wait for tables like you do sometimes in La Habra. Christmas came early for me this year with opening a G Burger closer to my house. This is one gift I will definitely not return.

Out of five bags of popcorn (because growing up, we went to see a Disney movie every summer vacation, and they were all rated G), five being best to zero being worst, G Burger gets 3.5 bags of popcorn.

For more information about G Burger, go to their website, which you can find by clicking here: http://www.gburger.com/about_us

G Burger, the G Stand for Go Now! - CLOSED

G Burger

421 East La Habra Blvd.

La Habra, CA 90631

I know I have been neglecting some of you. I know I claim to be "Eating My Way Through OC," but I have let some of you down. I have missed entire cities in my quest to find our county's best food. Really? I have never been to a restaurant in Brea, but I have been to 2 restaurants in Aliso Viejo?  That does not seem right. I have been to zero places in Los Alamitos but have been to 16 places in Laguna Hills! Ugh, this stops now. There are 34 cities in our great county, and I pledge that I will have reviewed at least one in every one of them as soon as possible. So, let's get to it. La Habra, you are up first.

Our first La Habra joint is the well-reviewed G Burger. I read about G Burger in the OC Weekly, OC Register, and one of my favorite blogs, Eat In OC. This place is known for its great burgers, which have been called the best OC has to offer. We arrived at lunchtime, just as a cop was getting on his motorcycle to resume his duties. My Mom, who was joining me for this lunch, asked him how it was. He smiled, gave us a thumbs-up, and told us it was great. Policemen always know the best places to get their grub on, so I knew we would be in for a treat.

Ordering is done at the counter of this small restaurant. Behind the registers is the large grill, where the workers put together the burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. After ordering, we grabbed one of the ten tables in the place and waited for our food to arrive. I can imagine this place gets a little cramped at times, but we found it to be clean and cozy. After about a five-minute wait, our food arrived and looked like this.

To put it literally, I went big here! What you see above is the namesake burger of this restaurant, the G Burger. This hamburger came with everything, and I mean everything. Everything includes house Thousand Island dressing, tomato, sweet pickles, teriyaki glazed mushrooms and onions, homemade Cole slaw, grilled pineapple, fried egg, pastrami, avocado, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, chili, and an extra hamburger patty for good measure. This was one of the best burgers I have ever had. I thought all the toppings would cancel each other out, but that was not the case. Even with everything on this burger, you can taste the freshness and quality of the meat. The freshness of the toppings came out as well. The bacon's crispness, the pastrami's saltiness, the pineapple's sweetness, and the fresh avocado's creaminess. It was like a chameleon of a burger. Each bite was different and more delicious than the last. I got this burger for the shock value, but I do not think I will get anything but the G Burger on my next visit here.

My Mom was not in the mood for a burger (her loss), but she spied the BLT Ultra-Sandwich and had to have it. She never orders BLTs in restaurants, but this one sounded too good to pass up. This sandwich comprised two types of bacon (applewood smoked and hickory ), lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo, and avocado. My Mom enjoyed the fresh produce on this sandwich and liked the fact that there was plenty of bacon on it. Nothing is worse than having a BLT sandwich, and they only put 2 or 3 strips of bacon on there. That is not the case here. Also, something needs to be said about the buns here. They were excellent; even with my burger, they stood up to all the toppings. Nice texture, and the bread did its job here.

I had heard of their Onion Rings before I walked in here, so they were a must-try. They do not use the standard onion here at G Burger. They use red onions to make their rings. They also do not use the standard breading; they use cracker meal. The result is a more flavorful onion ring with a breading that sticks to the onion better. The lack of grease surprised me because these rings did not lack flavor. The House Ranch served with these had a great consistency and was a good condiment with these onion rings.

If you could not tell from reading the review above, I really enjoyed this restaurant. We even got to talk with the owner, George, for a little while. He was very gracious when speaking with us. His philosophy with G Burger is that he makes things that he knows he would like. His palate is pretty much dead on. Everything we had on this visit was great. The prices were not too bad either. My burger was $14, but with everything that went on this, it was worth every penny. The BLT sandwich was $6, and all other burgers were under $8. After eating here, I wondered why it took us so long to get to La Habra. It also made me stop and think about what is hidden in the other eight Orange County cities we have yet to get to. Villa Park, we are on our way!

Out of five hibiscus flowers (it is the official flower of the city of La Habra, and I did not want to take the easy way out and make the rating about La Habra's own, Octomom!), five being best to zero being worst, G Burger gets 4 solid hibiscus flowers.

For more information on G Burger, click here: http://www.gburger.com/about_us