Mike's Burgers! Double Double Big Burger

[junkofdavid2]

I heard it opened near BTS Saladaeng.

Where exactly?

How big are the burgers?

What are the prices like in Bangkok?

[popshirt]

I saw the sign from the BTS station and almost FORGOT TO MIND THE GAP!!! I was salivating all the way home. Can it be?

[jEFFREYk44]

I went in on opening day, last Friday. There are 3 of these in Chiang Mai and it seems like it is very popular there. I ordered the Cheese Burger combo which comes with fries and a large coke for B170. Have to say it was opening day and there must have been 12 people behind the counter and maybe 3 servers, it was kinda crazy, but it was the first day! Burger was good size, too thick for my liking and it was kinda undercooked, fries were good. They also have hot dogs, chili dogs, Cheese Steak sandwiches and more. I will go back but gonna wait a while for them to iron things out.

Beautiful shop, clean with booth seating and outside tables and counter seating looking out on the sidewalk.

Edited July 25, 2007 by jEFFREYk44

[bdevaux]

I went in for lunch today. I had to go to Immigration this morning and on my way up the escalator returning to the Sala Daeng BTS station I saw the sign for Mike's on my right. I immediately looped around via the stairs to investigate. Sure enough, there it was and it was open. Since it was only 11:15 am I went across the street and poked around the golf shops until I couldn't stand it any longer. I walked into Mikes at 11:30.

It's a well-lighted, super-clean, inviting place. (It reminds me of Johnny Rockets in Philly.) Good menu and they serve breakfast, too. Since it was a bit early there were only a few people in the place. I took that as a sign that I'd get a very good sample of the food. I also had the cheeseburger combo. The price was right and it was a good burger (the meat was a tad dry but, with the tomato, mayo and grilled onion it came with and the ketchup I put on, it wasn't a problem) and the fries were excellent (well cooked, thick but not mealy/mushy.) A nice touch was the single, fat onion ring that sat atop the fries. Plus all the condiments you expect (plus a few you wouldn't) were on the table. For 170 baht, it was excellent.

Mike, AKA Brian, was in the shop and I spoke with him for a while. He's moved to BKK from Chiang Mai to oversee the expansion. He has plans to open eight more in BKK. I hope one will be near my apartment.

As an aside, I've been working my way thru the list of Burger joints mentioned on various TV threads. So far, I've been to Big Mango, Triple O, Piri Piri, The Garage and MOS Burger. Mike's is the clear, overall winner, so far. I've only been at this a month so it will take a little time to hit the rest of the places.

[Ulysses G.]

Mike's Burgers without Mike (the real Mike) yelling and screaming at staff and customers, just isn't Mike's Bugers.

[Wolfie]

Where is the place? I might go check it out

[sbk]

Chili Dogs? With cheese? Real chili dogs are those fake ones like at DQ?

[jEFFREYk44]

I was told they are chicken and pork hot dogs, farang owner says he cannot get beef made even tho he provide recipe, I have not tried them, gonna wait to go back for a few weeks.

It is on Silom, Central Saladaeng side, south exit from BTS

[PeaceBlondie]

My direct observation of Mike in action is that he outlived his phase of screaming at customers and staff during serving hours. Imagine that, mellow Mike.

My last few bacon burgers were fried crisp without me even asking, but at some locations the staff might need to be told in Thai to cook the bacon until it's dry. Likewise, I've gotten fairly well cooked fries lately. If the new store in BKK is using the Mike's formula for ingredients, decor and preparation, it should be a great reminder of an American burger shack in the 1970's. Even the 1950's.

[raybkk]

I went in on opening day, last Friday. There are 3 of these in Chiang Mai and it seems like it is very popular there. I ordered the Cheese Burger combo which comes with fries and a large coke for B170. Have to say it was opening day and there must have been 12 people behind the counter and maybe 3 servers, it was kinda crazy, but it was the first day! Burger was good size, too thick for my liking and it was kinda undercooked, fries were good. They also have hot dogs, chili dogs, Cheese Steak sandwiches and more. I will go back but gonna wait a while for them to iron things out.

Beautiful shop, clean with booth seating and outside tables and counter seating looking out on the sidewalk.

Had a try today. Not again for a burger! Undercooked, fries not cooked either. And waited 17 minutes for takeaway. Staff seemed kind of new to their own product. I leave that to the Corner Nana guy. Will try the hotdog next time.

[jEFFREYk44]

Beware of the hotdog! I have not had one yet but asked the manager on opening day what kind he was serving. He said they were pork and chicken is having them made locally, he has tried to get beef done, even provided a recipe, but no one will do, sounds like Thai dogs from Big C or wherever.................BUT.......I have not tried one yet

Would love a good chili/cheese dog with onions and mustard, gotta do it at home

[UnknownPoster]

I was dissapointed with my cheese steak sandwich.

Couldn't get past my second bite. After chewing on the meat for a few minutes, it was time to spit it out.

The meat was tough as shoe leather.

Left the place hungry.

[Austhaied]

I was dissapointed with my cheese steak sandwich.

Couldn't get past my second bite. After chewing on the meat for a few minutes, it was time to spit it out.

The meat was tough as shoe leather.

Left the place hungry.

Never had that problem at the Chiang Mai branches.

[Wolfie]

I went there over the weekend, all i can say is "Yuk"

The restaurant had about 6 staff just milling around behind the counter, 2 tables of people (one eating, the other waiting for food) the remaining tables were dirty with the baskets/drinks from the previous customers left there. The restaurant itself was full of flies (never a good sign!) and that yukky 'geasey' smell to the air

The burger i ordered was soaked in grease so much that the bun oozed grease when you touched it, the meat itself barely cooked, the fries were over cooked and had that old explosive/brittle consistency... in fact the only parts of the meal i enjoyed was the onion ring and the door out of there!

Put it this way, McDonald's beats that place hands down... and we all know McDonald's is cr*p!

Out of a possible score of 10, with 10 being the highest - I'm being generous to give the place a 1

[calibanjr.]

For me, Mike's is a bit of a cute institution in CM, due to the lack burger joints, with the old style roadside look and good shakes for cheap. Very serviceable. In BKK, if I want to get a burger, I pay a bit and get the closest thing that Thailand has to a real burger (IMO) at Outback. There really is no comparison in quality. What's a burger at Outback now? Haven't been in a year. Mikes is good enough to survive in BKK with novelty factor and pricing, but not even close to the best burger in BKK, while it was (and is) upper-level burger and shake in CM, but I have preferred places here as well.

[Austhaied]

I went there over the weekend, all i can say is "Yuk"

The restaurant had about 6 staff just milling around behind the counter, 2 tables of people (one eating, the other waiting for food) the remaining tables were dirty with the baskets/drinks from the previous customers left there. The restaurant itself was full of flies (never a good sign!) and that yukky 'geasey' smell to the air

The burger i ordered was soaked in grease so much that the bun oozed grease when you touched it, the meat itself barely cooked, the fries were over cooked and had that old explosive/brittle consistency... in fact the only parts of the meal i enjoyed was the onion ring and the door out of there!

Put it this way, McDonald's beats that place hands down... and we all know McDonald's is cr*p!

Out of a possible score of 10, with 10 being the highest - I'm being generous to give the place a 1

I would have have thought that undercooked meat complete with dripping blood would have suited our resident werewolf / vampire..

[aacetase]

Afraid I must agree with Wolfie--in fact I did get sick with the Bangkok "runs" the entire day following my meal at Mikes!

[Clipped]

give mikes some time, the chiang mai burgers are great... they just have to find the right workers.

[Simmo]

give mikes some time, the chiang mai burgers are great... they just have to find the right workers.

Unfortunately in the fast food business you don't get time. First impressions and initial word of mouth makes or breaks your business.

[Wolfie]

give mikes some time, the chiang mai burgers are great... they just have to find the right workers.

Well as the CM crowd seem to rave about the place, i will give it a month or two and try again... however if the quality/standards are the same it will be the last time he gets my business

[vegas]

Is everybody here and American cos I've been to Mikes and most other burget joints in Thailand and to be honest, on a good day any burger place can make a good burger, it's just meat, tomato, lettuce and bread. We ain't talking about some secret recipe handed down over generations. Same with a hotdog.

So many burger topics on this forum!

[Jingthing]

Is everybody here and American cos I've been to Mikes and most other burget joints in Thailand and to be honest, on a good day any burger place can make a good burger, it's just meat, tomato, lettuce and bread. We ain't talking about some secret recipe handed down over generations. Same with a hotdog.

So many burger topics on this forum!

You must be kidding.

A pizza is just dough, cheese, and tomatoes.

[yatyisam]

I went to Mike's at Silom last week and thought it was terrible. I ordered Steak Cheese sandwich and could barely finish it. The meat was super-tough and all around very greasy. I also had onion rings -- the first one was ok, but I once they cooled off a bit, they were unedible.

I'm not going back... especially at those prices!

[calibanjr.]

Is everybody here and American cos I've been to Mikes and most other burget joints in Thailand and to be honest, on a good day any burger place can make a good burger, it's just meat, tomato, lettuce and bread. We ain't talking about some secret recipe handed down over generations. Same with a hotdog.

So many burger topics on this forum!

If everybody had the same standards for a burger and been satisfied to the degree that you have , then then there probably wouldn't be so many burger topics, don't ya think? It's a good character trait to look for the good in something, helps one live a long, chilled out life, and I say that without any sarcastic subtext. Good on ya.

That being said, I'm a guy who is pretty willing to let things slide, and take what I can get, without wigging out too much. I have probably tried twenty or twenty-five different places for burgers, and haven't found one that I would have been happy with in the states (except Outback, which I mentioned before), but here I accept it as reasonable, given the field of play. Not the fault of the Thais or the farang proprietor, whatever the case, just a materials sourcing deal IMO, similar to the pizza (and Mexican) conundrum which we see discussed ad infinitum. Sela.

[mugopp]

I also agree with Wolfie, complete garbage. Took one bite & through it away

[UnknownPoster]

This is too bad.

Obviously, the guy has sunk allot of money and time preparing the place for business.

Hope he can pull it together....quik.

I must say the sidewalk 'viewing ' is excellent at his Silom location.

[Ulysses G.]

give mikes some time, the chiang mai burgers are great... they just have to find the right workers.

Well as the CM crowd seem to rave about the place, i will give it a month or two and try again... however if the quality/standards are the same it will be the last time he gets my business

I think that saying that, "the CM crowd seemed to rave about the place" would be a lot more accurate - back when the original Mike owned it.

[vegas]

I can understand a bunch of French discussing where to buy soufflé, which take time and skill to produce. But a burger, you fry the meat, slap on a bun and stick in some tomato and lettuce and sauce.

There is a little more invloved in making a pizza than a burger. At least you have to have a proper pizza oven.

[Jingthing]

I can understand a bunch of French discussing where to buy soufflé, which take time and skill to produce. But a burger, you fry the meat, slap on a bun and stick in some tomato and lettuce and sauce.

There is a little more invloved in making a pizza than a burger. At least you have to have a proper pizza oven.

I am not a big burger fan but feel like one every few months. Of course, there are many variables in a burger, easy to think of for even a non-chef like me:

quality of beef

method of shaping, pre-packaged, by hand

size of burger, width verses height

storage of beef

cooking method, frying, grilling

grease used for cooking

doneness of beef, rare, medium, well done

bun composition, ingredientsm size, and quality

toppings (as in pizza, gourmet burger joints can offer multiple toppings such as bacon, blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms)

quality of condiments

eating mechanics, easy to eat by hand or utensils needed

And yes, I have had hamburgers before that qualify as gourmet eating experiences.

Edited August 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[Furbie]

Well, first let me say I was THRILLED that there was a burger joint like this opening in BKK – and close enough to the SkyTrain that it is easily accessible. Given that, let me also say that my expectation bar was running low, as the simple ease of the place – and the prices – already puts in the realm of repeat patronage, unless it is utter garbage.

Having tried it, I was not overly impressed with my burger, it was fairly dry (overcooked), and I got about 75% of a strip of bacon, and a tiny bit of fries. This could be opening issues, and I will certainly give it a few more tries. I will state, the price, selection, location, cleanliness, etc, were all good. If the food is better the next couple of times, they will definitely have a new regular customer. The place also had a lot of Thais in there during weekday lunch, which is great for Mike's as it is a really good customer base. I can't believe people think its over priced, I thought the deals were very reasonable.

For you burger bashers -- there are two ways to do burgers

1) generic – it's a slab of beef with toppings, and

2) sophisticated – adding seasoning to the meat, using good quality meat and good toppings.

Method 1 should be a no brainer, but it still gets screwed up all the time. Method 2 when done properly makes for fantastic eating.