Best Burger in Bangkok 2015......

[smokie36]

I have recently moved to Hua Hin after several years living in BKK and used to swear by the El Gaucho Burgers but was a bit disappointed the other week when I went in. If my memory serves me right they used be 450 or 550 THB ++ which wasn't too bad. I still think the patties are really good but now at 790 baht ++ it is a bit high IMO, especially with the frozen chips as pointed out....no excuse for frozen chips when its so easy to get a few spuds and make some decent ones. I still bough a few of the burgers from their butcher shop to take home for the BBQ which were bloody lovely, but again price had gone up from 280THB to 320THB per patty.

I'm up in BKK again this weekend so will have to give the New York Steak joint a try on Suk 22.

I don't think there is much difference between the meat quality of both places....NYS&B is easier to eat and has far better chips....and of course considerably cheaper!

I tried the Bacon Cheeseburger at NYS&B on Friday and thought it was very good, I actually prefer the thicker patty at Gauchos as thought the NYS&B beef taste was overpowered a little by the sauce, bread, salad etc. I still enjoyed it though and would definitely go back again, Gauchos definitely does not warrant the extra 400baht in price for their burger.

Personally I never have anything but onion and lettuce on my burger....definitely no sauce....bacon and cheese sometimes.

Don't want anything messing too much with the meat.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So many choices, so hard to find ones that are really good.

Was out and around recently, and stopped by the Monsoon Cafe at the Adelphi Suites Hotel on Suk Soi 8 to try their cheeseburger and fries, which had gotten a pretty good review on the burger blog a few years ago. Well, that was then, and this is now, and the cheeseburger at Monsoon Cafe isn't one I'd go back to try again.

Priced at 280b+ for a 250g burger (the tip is up to you), it's certainly among the larger burger offerings around. And, its good points included arriving with a real slice of melted cheese atop, I was asked how I wanted the burger cooked and it arrived with that level of doneness, and it was still juicy, perhaps too much.

Among the downsides, the patty seemed fried with no taste or appearance of char-grilling, the beef taste was unremarkable, the juices from the burger right on arrival left the lower half of my hamburger bun soggy, the french fries tasted frozen, and the small helping of cole slaw was nondescript. That, and, don't try to use a bank card to pay your check unless your bill is over 500 baht.

Edited July 5, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Not too far down the main Sukhumvit Road between Sois 2 and 4 is Bully's Pub, which also got a favorable burger blog review. Unfortunately, it won't get a favorable review from me.

The menu advertises a 180g "chargrilled" burger of "freshly ground beef" for 225b++, along with your choice of toppings for an extra 35b++, so I opted for a slice of cheddar cheese. Thus I ended up with a 260b++ cheeseburger that showed some very light grill marks, but but didn't really taste like it. The patty also had an odd, very dense consistency and a flavor that didn't do much for me.

The bun tasted like grocery store variety, the french fries the same, and the small cup of cole slaw I took one forkful of and left the rest. I asked for a raw onion slice on my burger, and got a very thin cut of red/bermuda onion, which wouldn't have been my preference. And to make Smokie's day, the burger was doused in a more than generous helping of Thousand Island sauce. Thanks, but no thanks.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This my my own running burger places list, and reflects my latest updates:

Go Again:

New York Style Steak & Burger

Outback Steakhouse

Maybe:

Chop

Hard Rock Cafe

Won't Go Again:

No Idea Gastro

Garage Burger

Bangkok Burger Co.

25 Degrees

Piri-Piri (no review, don't ask, stick with the grilled chicken)

Bully's Pub

Monsoon Cafe

[TheAppletons]

Ha, ha, you fell for the Bully's Pub BS! Last time I was there - couple of years ago - it was owned by an American guy. I'm American, I thought - why not?

First, the ++ thing. Ugh. Tell me the price upfront....their Guinness was the most expensive I'd tried anywhere AND it was ++, so it was nearly 300 thb per pint. Pass.

The food I tried was obviously frozen, reheated stuff. I gave it two visits (yep, I'm not the brightest guy)...never again.

Regarding John's list, of the places I've tried, I'd go back to No Idea and Hard Rock (though very expensive and not a particularly convenient location.) NYSSB is probably my next adventure and I - unlike John - thought the burger at Hemingway's was just fine (from his previous post.) Quite tasty, in fact.

Btw, for the "crowd" - meaning Smokie and John, basically - has anyone considered trying the American Grill place across from Lolita's on Soi 8, Lane 2? Prices are high but they have a 1/2 price day one day a week.

[smokie36]

Bully's one looks terrible...defo off my list.

I have another near Silom to try soon so we'll see.....

Edited July 5, 2015 by smokie36

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Btw, for the "crowd" - meaning Smokie and John, basically - has anyone considered trying the American Grill place across from Lolita's on Soi 8, Lane 2? Prices are high but they have a 1/2 price day one day a week.

The wife and I ate there a while back... on one of their half price steak days.... Wanted to order a ribeye, which on their menu is 695b. They didn't have it, so had to order a different steak we didn't really want. Could have fooled me because, the bill for the steak we ended up with was pretty darned high even at half off... The steak wasn't that good... and the place itself barely qualifies as a restaurant in terms of the setting...

They do, however, have a burger on their menu.... I might be tempted to try it, but I doubt it... My wife actually ordered the steak that day for her dish, but she didn't want to eat most of it, so I ended up eating about half. I was trying to remember (but couldn't...it made such an impression) what I ordered for my dish. But now I'm looking at my snapshots of their menu, and I finally remember ordering their steak sandwich... Not good... really not good... So their burger, I'm not holding out much hope for.

If I'm going to spend my own hard-earned burger bucks...instead of having a publication foot the bill...at least I want to try places that have some promise of delivering the goods....

That's probably why I won't go back to Hemingway's again... Never had their burger, but the wife and I shared a pizza and a reuben or corned beef sandwich (can't recall) there awhile back. Neither one was particularly good... Not bad... just not really anything that perked up my interest and appetite. So, they're probably not on my burger list either.... unless others here en masse start arguing otherwise.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I have another near Silom to try soon so we'll see.....

Where???

On my burger radar right now...looking ahead... are Hyde and Seek (to seek for myself ), Daniel Thaiger, Shuffle at the Rainhill Mall, Smokin' Pug, Audrey's Glamour Cafe, Fatty's.... oyyyy..... That's why I won't likely be giving American Bar & Grill and Hemingway's another try...at least not anytime soon.

[smokie36]

I have another near Silom to try soon so we'll see.....

Where???

On my burger radar right now...looking ahead... are Hyde and Seek (to seek for myself ), Daniel Thaiger, Shuffle at the Rainhill Mall, Smokin' Pug, Audrey's Glamour Cafe, Fatty's.... oyyyy..... That's why I won't likely be giving American Bar & Grill and Hemingway's another try...at least not anytime soon.

Was the Smokin' Pug until a couple of minutes ago I discovered they smother the burger in BBQ sauce before cooking.

Hyde and Seek next I think.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Ha, ha, you fell for the Bully's Pub BS! Last time I was there - couple of years ago - it was owned by an American guy. I'm American, I thought - why not?

....................

The food I tried was obviously frozen, reheated stuff. I gave it two visits (yep, I'm not the brightest guy)...never again.

Well, I prefer to think of it as, I wanted to judge for myself re the positive review that the burger blog gave the place a few years ago...

Re your comment about their food, I wasn't there in the kitchen to watch them preparing my burger. But in eating it, I kind of had the feeling that the burger might have been pre-cooked, frozen, and then thawed/reheated upon order. Dunno... but that's what my mouth was telling me.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Was the Smokin' Pug until a couple of minutes ago I discovered they smother the burger in BBQ sauce before cooking.

Hyde and Seek next I think.

Hahaha.... you and sauces!!!

You could ask Pug to just leave off the sauce for their burger... I'd assume they could do that...

Actually, I'm glad you mention about BBQ sauce... because, that's what I was thinking to add about the burger at Chop at EmQuartier...that I reviewed above.

Not bad at all, much better than Bully's or Monsoon, for example. But if I went back there again, and I probably will, I'd definitely have them skip their vague, unremarkable BBQ sauce, which I'm sure doesn't hold a candle to whatever Pug is spooning out. Without their generic BBQ sauce at Chop, their burger might have started out on my "go again" list instead of on my "maybe" list.

Meanwhile, how about Fatty's????

Edited July 5, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[smokie36]

Was the Smokin' Pug until a couple of minutes ago I discovered they smother the burger in BBQ sauce before cooking.

Hyde and Seek next I think.

Hahaha.... you and sauces!!!

You could ask Pug to just leave off the sauce for their burger... I'd assume they could do that...

Actually, I'm glad you mention about BBQ sauce... because, that's what I was thinking to add about the burger at Chop at EmQuartier...that I reviewed above.

Not bad at all, much better than Bully's or Monsoon, for example. But if I went back there again, and I probably will, I'd definitely have them skip their vague, unremarkable BBQ sauce, which I'm sure doesn't hold a candle to whatever Pug is spooning out. Without their generic BBQ sauce at Chop, their burger might have started out on my "go again" list instead of on my "maybe" list.

Meanwhile, how about Fatty's????

Fatty's maybe yeah.. thanks for the reminder.

Oh and if I may stray off burgers for a sec there is an Indian called Indique opposite NYS&B that I tried last week...its excellent and has wonderful service too. Was 2k Baht for three of us with drinks though.

Have you eaten at the Hard Rock?

The one in London is very good indeed.. especially their Black and Blue burger!

Edited July 5, 2015 by smokie36

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Yes, I've had the basic burger at the Hard Rock Siam Square, and I liked it -- though that was a couple years ago (well, actually, the dates of my photos tell me it was FIVE years ago).

I put HRC on my "maybe try again" list alongside Chop.... Various folks here have, at various times, slagged HRC as being a tourist trap, with overpriced food and drinks and past their sale date freelancers at night. I wasn't interested in any of of that...

I just went there one day around lunch time for their burger and fries.... long before this thread came along, and from an American standpoint, it was pretty well done...though certainly not cheap. But these days, there are lots of places around BKK selling hamburgers that are by no means cheap.

In looking back, it seems that I actually tried quite a few of their burgers...more than I remembered....

Presumably, their prices have gone up some over the past 5 years.... I guess I need to venture back there anways...

Their 7oz HRC Burger (I think, from memory, I actually liked their plain burger better than the others):

Their Bacon Cheeseburger

Their SOB Burger (with chipotle pepper puree and guacamole)

Edited July 5, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BTW, all the burgers I tried at the HRC, and the photos above, were their 7 oz. variety, which is nearly half a pound.

As best as I recall, I never opted for their 10 oz. burger versions...and I never felt shorted beefwise, nonetheless.

[StealthEnergiser]

Bangkok Burger Siam Paragon not that big but very tasty

[smokie36]

Bangkok Burger Siam Paragon not that big but very tasty

IMG_1382.jpg

IMG_1383.jpg

Is that plastic cheese?...how much for the burger?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Velveeta slice???

[StealthEnergiser]

Bangkok Burger Siam Paragon not that big but very tasty

IMG_1382.jpg

IMG_1383.jpg

Is that plastic cheese?...how much for the burger?

Not sure about the cheese it's not plastic but good aussie beef about 390 baht

Edited July 6, 2015 by StealthEnergiser

[StealthEnergiser]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEtv25Jpiyw#t=55

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As often is the case living in Thailand, I learned a few new things today.... One of them was, Mondays are an especially bad day to go looking for a good hamburger in Bangkok.

Why? Well, because, Daniel Thaiger is closed on Mondays. So is Smokin' Pug on Surawong... And so, it turns out, is Fatty's on Rama 9... Yeesh.... So what was a burger hungry man to do, except for turn his sights to the well-regarded Hyde & Seek Gastro Pub on Soi Ruamrudee near the Ploenchit BTS Station... Fortunately, unlike the others, they're actually open 7 days a week.

And, once there at Hyde & Seek, I learned another thing for the afternoon, which was -- every time I've visited there, they somehow have managed to somewhat botch up their service in some fashion... And yet, they also have managed every time to serve up some remarkably good food. So...a bit to my surprise, I find myself adding Hyde & Seek to my own personal list of places I'd re-visit for another of their burgers.

Why am I surprised at recommending their 395++ baht Yankee Beef Burger, consisting of a 6 oz. wagyu patty, melted cheese, carmelized shallots on a parmesan bun? Well, it's hardly your traditional hamburger. The patty is one of those roundish shaped, meatball-type things that I generally don't like, the burger does seem a bit small, I haven't generally liked the wagyu burgers I've been served in Thailand, and I'm not accustomed to having arugula (although I do like it) as the salad on my burger... But -- and this is the most important thing -- when it came to eating, their burger tasted pretty darned good.

I ended up having a bit of a chat with one of the staff there, who told me (to my surprise) that the wagyu beef they're using is sourced locally here in Thailand. Despite its odd shape, the patty on my burger was nicely grilled and tasted like it was. I also learned a new word for the day -- sous-vide -- which is apparently the way they cook their burgers at H&S that involves sealing the burger in an air-tight pouch and then cooking at low temperature in water for a long time, before finally removing and doing the grilling... Sous-vide may be French to me, but I can't argue with the result.

H&S's meat tasted good, not frozen or microwaved, and has a nice, lightly chewy consistency. To actually eat the burger, I had to take my palm and flatten it down considerably. But once that was done, my mouth was happy... The only sauce on the bun was a bit of mustard, and the arugula was accompanied by a single tomato slice underneath the burger. The bun was fine, didn't taste or have the mouth feel of a grocery store version. Likewise, their accompanying jar of french fries tasted good... thin cut and pretty much just the right balance of crisp on the outside and tender inside, along with decent seasoning.

Now, H&S really only has two beef burgers on their menu, the other being a 520++ baht Frenchie burger stuffed with foie gras and served with shredded cabbage and Brie... No thanks for that!!! Though, they will allow you add a second wagyu patty for an extra 290++ baht (and I have no idea how they'd fit or serve that on their buns). So there's no trying to decide if you want a bacon cheese burger vs. a chili cheese burger, etc etc... None of that served here.

There is one other option, though, as they do offer a weekdays lunch special in which you can order their Yankee Beef Burger and any of their lunch menu appetizers for 425++ baht. (I opted for their Ginger Ale Fried Calamari with an aioli sauce, which was quite good.) And then if you want, you can add in a desert off their desert menu for another extra 90++ baht.

I mentioned earlier about having problems with their service, not the food... On H&S's website, they advertise their lunch special set as being on offer weekdays from 11 am to 5 p.m. So today when I arrived a bit after 4 pm. and asked about their lunch menu, I was promptly told it was no longer available and had ended at 4 pm. But after a bit of back and forth, they finally relented and handed me a lunch menu. That then was followed by them serving up my glass of ice water, with a BIG dead mosquito floating right on the top, which, they gracefully replaced after I pointed it out to the waitress.

I've had some of those kinds of odd staff service issues there before, but the food has always made up for their other shortcomings. And that proved true again today with their Yankee Beef Burger. I had a lot of reasons NOT to like it, but ultimately found myself coming away as a fan. It's probably a bit more of a fru-fru burger than a traditional "man's burger." But it was good, especially if you can be a bit flexible in your burger idea -- although coming in behind the offerings at NYSS&B to my taste.

Edited July 6, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[smokie36]

Is that mozzarella cheese on the burger John?

Looks good but I may need to get some lessons from Jim Carrey on eating it.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Is that mozzarella cheese on the burger John?

Looks good but I may need to get some lessons from Jim Carrey on eating it.

On the cheese, not sure...but I think so.

On the shape of the burger... ya.... just remember, your PALM is your friend!

I "squished" it on arrival, and everything was fine thereafter.

[TheAppletons]

Is that mozzarella cheese on the burger John?

Looks good but I may need to get some lessons from Jim Carrey on eating it.

On the cheese, not sure...but I think so.

On the shape of the burger... ya.... just remember, your PALM is your friend!

I "squished" it on arrival, and everything was fine thereafter.

Too much information.

(Cheese could be gouda.)

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Actually, as I think back, the melted cheese on their burger was NOT stringy... When I bit into it, it bit clean away...

So, I'm not sure, I forgot to ask... and the menu doesn't specify that. Whatever it was, it had a very mild almost unnoticeable taste.

[smokie36]

Well John thanks for the info.....when I get back next week I'll be trying the burger truck on Soi Rambuttri if I can get over that way...I hear good things.

Edited July 7, 2015 by smokie36

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Are you talking about this place, which I had never heard of before, but turns out is ranked very highly on TripAdvisor...

Edited July 7, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[smokie36]

Are you talking about this place, which I had never heard of before, but turns out is ranked very highly on TripAdvisor...

PaulyBee's American Burger.jpg

Yes my gf mentioned it the other day...she knows how I am with burgers....but she won't try as she doesn't like beef.

Edit: To add I just looked at the pics on Tripadvisor....real sloppy burgers....might have to have a few drinks at Adhere 13th first and have it late night.

Those kind are best served to the drunk I think!

Edited July 7, 2015 by smokie36

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Notched another burger place today with my first-ever visit to Fatty's Bar and Diner, located on Din Daeng Road about a 10 minute walk from the Rama 9 MRT Station and FortuneTown / Central Rama 9. Take MRT Exit 1, once you reach the street level, turn right and walk to the corner of Din Daeng Road where the Mercure Hotel is located, then right again maybe 500 meters down Din Daeng Road against traffic to just past the TOT office.

For judging purposes, I settled for their basic 180b cheeseburger and fries, although I was surprised to see that Fatty's -- for being a self-proclaimed "Dive Bar" as stated on their Facebook page -- actually has quite a long and varied menu of American food choices, including by my count at least 8 different varieties of hamburgers priced from 170 to 220 baht -- all listed on the menu as being 1/3 pound of Thai-French beef.

Suffice to say, I didn't find anything wrong or bad about their cheeseburger and fries, which is a good thing for Bangkok/Thailand. But neither did I find anything remarkable or awe-inspiring about the set. It was prepared and tasted pretty much like a regular home-made hamburger fixed on a supermarket-style bun with a couple tomato slices, a bit of lettuce, a few thin slices of onion and some mayo. In a particularly important factor for BKK, the ground beef tasted fine, no frozen or funny aftertaste to the patty.

But here's the thing: if you can get a perfectly acceptable cheeseburger and fries in Bangkok in a sit-down, air conditioned restaurant for 180 baht, and have the choice of 7-8 others with fancier toppings priced at no more 220 baht, to me that's a pretty good deal and eating option for Bangkok. Thus, while I don't think Fatty's is anywhere near being Bangkok's Best Burger, it's certainly an OK burger and a good value/deal for the money, one that rates a PASS in my book, meaning it's worth going back for.

When I talk about value for Fatty's burgers, here's something to consider: The Famous Star burger at Carl's Jr. right now is 165 baht without fries, and several of their other toppings burgers are 190 baht solo -- with Fatty's cheeseburger and fries priced right inbetween at 180 baht, and their regular burger (no cheese) and fries priced at 170 baht. And let me tell you, the beef patty at Fatty's is considerably bigger and better tasting than its counterpart at Carl's Jr. So that's what I call a good value.

Now, for the downsides, the place is a bit out of the way and off the beaten-track. It's a simple narrow shophouse-style place with a half-dozen wooden table and chairs sets inside, and a few more out front on the front patio, though why anyone would want to sit outside and enjoy their burger looking at the Asoke-Din Daeng flyover structure would be a mystery to me. The music from the sound system inside was a bit loud for an old-timer like me, which would have made conversations a bit difficult.

They're not open for lunch and they don't accept bank cards for payment, just cash. And, while I was there today, along with a separate party of two farang women who came in, the guy who I assume is the farang proprietor was there the whole time, and he never said a word to either table, preferring instead to fiddle with his laptop computer and the bar's music system. But hey, it's a "Dive Bar," so I really wasn't expecting much in the way of service.

But, since it also was my first visit there, I figured I'd sample a couple other things on their menu, so I tried their "WiPi," which is a fried hash brown patty topped with chili and grilled onion for 120 baht, and their version of a reuben sandwich (with choice of fries, cole slaw, chips, or salad of the day) for something around 190 baht. I thought the WiPI was OK, while I thought the reuben was pretty darned good (moist and flavorful, though the photo here doesn't really show it), much better than the much higher priced version at El Osito.

All in all, if you're in the neighborhood of FortuneTown / Central Rama 9, take a wander down the street and pop in for some simple, no frills American food served at pretty reasonable prices, including a pretty good selection of good-value hamburger choices.

Edited July 11, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So here's the updated version of my burgers list (alpabetically, by category):

Go Again:

Fatty's Bar & Diner Cheeseburger-Din Daeng Road -- 180 baht

Hyde & Seek Gastro Pub Wagyu Yankee Beef Burger-Soi Ruamrudee -- 395++ baht

New York Style Steak & Burger The Big Boy Burger-Suk Soi 22 -- 390++ baht

Outback Steakhouse The Outbacker Burger-Siam Discovery (temporarily closed) - 359+ baht

Maybe:

Chop-EmQuartier -- 280 (regular) or 390++ baht (wagyu)

Hard Rock Cafe-Siam Square

Not Excited / Won't Go (Again):

25 Degrees-Silom Road

Bangkok Burger Co.-Siam Paragon & Soi Saladaeng

Bully's Pub-on Suk Rd. between Sois 2 and 4.

Chokchai Steakhouse-Suk Soi 23

El Gaucho Steakhouse (sorry, won't pay CRAZY money for a hamburger)

Firehouse-Suk Soi 11

Garage Burger-All Seasons Place

Monsoon Cafe-Suk Soi 8

No Idea Gastro-Suk Soi 22

Piri-Piri (no review, don't ask, stick with the grilled chicken)-Siam Paragon & Terminal 21

Edited July 11, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[MYKTHEMIN]

Sizzler do a good tasty burger.