Just Burgers and Lounge
2042 Kettner Blvd
(between Grape St & Hawthorn St)
San Diego, CA 92101
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
14 Reviews for Just Burgers and Lounge
Yeah. It's a major bummer, because after my first, stellar experience, the few times I went afterwards were not very good. That damn rosemary and the fries were bland and, no, just not very good.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/08/2008
Best burger in San Diego. Yeah, I said it, what? The meat was tender, juicy, AND lean! I know… Read more »
Staff was friendly and the onion rings were yummy, but burgers were just OK.
I was expecting a bar-like ambiance, but it was more fast-food style (bright, sparsely decorated) than dark and moody. I ordered the 4th of July burger, because blue cheese is a pillar of tasty food. The burger was a little bit more well-done than I prefer, but the main problem to me was that it was over-seasoned - for all of the signs bragging about the grass-fed beef and "showing that healthy can be delicious", I was disappointed that I couldn't actually taste the beef - it seemed to have been marinated in a salty onion soup concentrate that dominated the flavor profile. As for the fixins, the cheeses were ok, lettuce and tomato were fresh and tasty, but the pickles were sadly mediocre.
I really wanted to like it, but it's not my thing, and life is too short to eat mediocre burgers.
Just Burgers is really trying to be an upscale burger joint, but I don't think it works. I tried the BJ - bbq sauce with grilled onions. I also added bacon. Because you have to have some bacon.
When my order came out, it was wrong. I had asked for no lettuce and tomatoes and pickles. (The chick that took my order didn't speak English very well. Between the too-loud tunes and her ESL, I'm sure something got lost in the translation.) So, they took it back and got rid of the offensive stuff. Fine.
So I bit into the burger. It was supposed to be done medium but it was cooked through. It was surprisingly juicy for being overdone. But the BBQ sauce was too sweet (I like more vinegary). And the grilled onions had no flavor to them and were a bit undercooked. To add insult to injury, the bun was some herbed bread. Uh, no.
Ack. I ate about half of it because I was hungry but it was really unsatisfying. I would have been better off getting a burger next door at the Waterfront.
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Like the others say, I've had better. I had the veggie burger. I'm not a vegetarian, but i was in the mood for a veggie burger that night, so what the hell. One disappointing aspect is that they have 3 combo meals available...and the veggie burger is not included in any of them, nor can it be substituted for a regular burger....not even for $1 extra, or whatever is usual....huh??? So I paid full, individual prices, for my veggie burger, fries, and coke. Doing it this way was very expensive - it came to $14...wtf. The combo was only $7. Anyway, that retardedness aside...the veggie burger was run-of-the-mill...not great, but not awful. What made it bad was the fact that they smothered it in some Big Mac-style 1,000 island dressing sauce...it was just sticky and blah. The fries were decent. My friend got a regular cheeseburger and onion rings. The onion rings were very tasty, and I had a bite of her burger, but it was also just average. Kind of dry and overdone. I probably won't go back unless I happen to be on Kettner Blvd with only $8 to my name and I'm absolutely starving. Otherwise, I'll continue to go to Crazy Burger for my fix.
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I've gotta admit that i'm a little surprised by the other reviews of Just Burgers. I wanted so badly to love this place. I came here with some friends after Art Walk this weekend (and after a few cocktails at The Waterfront) on my walk home and ordered the 1/4 pound burger. The claim to fame of Just Burgers is that the beef is organic, free range, non-steroid, non-fructose or whatever, which is a great in theory, right? Well, I'm sure the flavor of these well taken care of cows was great, but I couldn't taste it because the it all got lost in the bun. WHERE'S THE BEEF?!?! The cook politely informed me that IF I had only ordered the 1/2 pounder I would have been satisfied, but the first impression was less than impressive...unfortunately.
I always want to see little specialty places like this succeed, but they're going to have a tough time - especially since the local watering hole next door offers a ridiculous patty melt.
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Really disappointing (I went in their with a smile and walked out with a frown). You know when you have food somewhere and it is so off putting that you swear you wil never go there again. Just Burgers is that place from me. I have nightmares about the taste.
The burger was on a multigrain bun that tasted like the plastic they make bike water bottles out of (you know the ones that hold the taste of the last liquid you put in it)
They use their own "organic" ketchup and mustard. It may be healthy but it tasted wierd. Don't screw with ketchup, it is fine the way it is. You can't make better ketchup than Heinz. Ketchup is at the peak of its evolutionary state.
The fries were ok, steak fries which are fine, I just wanted regular fries that day.
They screw with the tastes of things at "Just Burgers" and they make a weird tasting/no tasting burger. Go to the Waterfront next door and get an awesome burger that you will love.
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The web site of this place says Best Burger in SD. I'd like to know who decided this? McDonalds is better. This place is basically a joke. The food sucks, it takes forever to get your food & the ambiance, well there is none. If you want to get a feel for the place before you go (if you are stupid enough to try it) check out their web site, full of typos, disgusting, amateurish food pictures & campy photos of a busty blond.
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I would give this place 4 1/2 if I could. The burgers (we had the 4th of July and the Backyard) were juicy, flavorful and delicious! A virtual symphony of flavors in my mouth! The Zesty fries were crispy and wonderful, although not zesty. Eh, you win some....
Location is the pits, but hopefully this little burger joint will pull through! A wonderful burger (really big though!) and a beer on a warm summer day- what could be better?!
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Man I should have reviewed this place after the first time I went- I would have been first to review! Oh well.
I've been here twice and was very satisfied with both experiences- my tummy was very satisfied and I even had leftovers. The burgers are huge (at least by my standards- why would you want something bigger? that's just unhealthy...), and I am disappointed that they don't get more business. Yeah yeah the location is a problem, but the Waterfront is ALWAYS crowded, and their burgers are measly and blah. Although last time, we saw a guy come in from the Waterfront to eat by himself, then he headed back when he was done. I was rather excited to see that. :) Let's convert more to do the same!
I had the burger with BBQ sauce both times; it's excellent. Don't order the regular fries- you gotta have the zesty ones. They remind me of Arby's curly fries- YUM!
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What's the 3 most important factors in real estate? Answer: Location, Location, and Location.
This poor restaurant doesn't have any one of them. Before it was "Just Burgers" it was "Bud's", a gumbo, po boy joint. Decent food and loyal customers, but they lasted maybe 2 years. Before Bud's it was a little Italian shop that served great food but always seemed empty. I got the impression that no one wanted to let the word out in fear of crowding their favorite lunch spot.
Now we have Just Burgers, and I'm sorry but I'm not impressed. The 1/4 pound burger WAS NOT HUGE and really wasn't very tasty. It took almost 15 mins to make and was expensive. Best burger in San Diego....ugh, no. If I served San Diego my ass on a bun it would taste better than this. Nah, I wouldn't go that far, but you get the picture.
I definitely wouldn't go out of my way for this place, parking is hard to come by. If you want a good burger, I suggest Western Steak Burger, Canada Steak Burger, Tioli's Crazee, Fudruckers, DZ Akins, Rocky's, hell even Jack 'n Box.
It does pain me to write this since the owners/workers seemed really friendly. Maybe they'll listen and rework the menu. I hope so, or they're sure to suffer the same fate as Bud's and the secret Italian kitchen. It seems like they might have listened to Curtis M., because my bun was sesame, not rosemary.
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****Rosemary Bunmer****
This burger had one of the best patties I have had in a while. It was 1/2 pound and cooked to perfection. The burger was juicy and all the condiments were very fresh. This could have been one of the best burgers I have ever had, BUT I could not get over the bun. To me the bun is an important compliment for a good burger. The burger I ordered, the JB Burger (the normal burger), came with a rosemary bun. It was cold and the rosemary just kept overpowering the burger. If this burger was served on maybe a nice egg wash white bun that was slightly grilled this place would probably be a 5 star for food. There was a good creative selection of burgers to choose from.
The burgers are a bit pricey for the type of service, order from the counter and served in baskets, but you can barely finish it, so it ends up working out. Service was very good when I was there, but it was pretty empty, but very friendly and attentive.
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The service was excellent and the organic, high-quality products made for a tasty burger. I find myself thinking that "Just Burgers" will not be a place that I frequent, however. The food was decent, but if I'm on Kettner and want a burger, I may just opt for a Texas burger from the Waterfront, one door down.
As a former fan of both Bud's AND the italian shop which preceded it, I must admit that "Just Burgers" had some large shoes to fill. Though I have no complaints, I can't give this establishment that elusive 5th star. Certainly worth a try though. Here's a hint: head one block north of Hawthorne street - there's usually plenty of parking to be had.
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This place used to be a Cajun restaurant called Bud's. Great Cajun. They're reopening in Tierra Santa soon. Just FYI. Just burgers serves all organic veggies, grass fed beef, served by hippies. Just Kidding about the hippies. The folks are cool here. (Not that hippies aren't cool.) Basically everything is all Natural, even the ketchup is organic. I had the fourth of July Burger. I was disappointed, but only because the blue cheese was so overpowering it killed the flavor of the burger. I'm willing to give it another chance though, minus the Blue cheese. That's why I only gave it three stars. Average. On the issue of price this place is a bit on the spensive side. When you go organic you're going to pay organic prices. On the other side you get alot of beef. The 4th of July is a 1/2 lb. patty. Just keep that in mind. This is going to be a review to be continued. Oh yeah, on a side note, where the heck is the lounge! Deceptive advertising.
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I really didn't know what to expect from this place, but was nicely surprised! Our service for two burger combo meals (1/4lb) was quick and very friendly. The owner/guy who worked there had no problem striking up a conversation with us! They promote all their ingredients as organic, but who doesn't these days. The price for Combo 3 was reasonable, I thought. $6.50 for a burger, fries, and drink. It's not McDonald's-cheap, but not gourmet-expensive either. The burger was really juicy and tender - cooked just right. The JB sauce reminded me of ketchup-mayo concoctions in Europe that I LOVED!! When I picked up my burger, the grilled onions slid out - don't know if that was grease or sauce or what. Anyway, it was finger-lickin' good. The fries could use some work; I think I would give JBnL 5 stars if the fries were fresh and hand-cut. I consider myself somewhat of a french fry connoisseur... please don't tell my health-nut of a mother.
I agree with Joey, though, I don't think this place will last very long. It's been open about a month, and is not in a very accessible or noticeable place. It SHOULD get some of the Waterfront's business since that place is usually crowded, and JB's food is much better, in my opinion, but it probably won't. Sad day!
Check it out if you're in the area.... no other burger places in Little Italy come to mind. But why are you in Little Italy if it's burgers you're craving?
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