St. George, Utah Burgers

Ok, so, those of us who live here in St. George, Utah have this odd habit of invading new restaurants, even to the point of pushing the St. George and Washington City police into the roles of crowd control.  In the 11 years I’ve lived here, I’ve witnessed many new restaurant openings, but none with so much unbridled (and IMO undeserved) Hoo-Haa as the newest In-n-Out, in front of the Bed Bath Beyond and Best Buy.

After hearing my co-workers and friends rave and go on about the In-n-Out burgers and the “fresh” fries, I thought to myself, “well maybe 4th time’s a charm”.  Having partaken of their burgers on 3 other occasions, down in Vegas, and been less than impressed, I nevertheless let myself get caught up in all the hype and decided to give it another try. Before I knew it, I was standing about 50 yards at the end of the line, waiting with the other “sheep”, to get a burger, fries, a coke….... and maybe a shake…... NO, NO….. I must resist….. no shake for me.  30 min. later and 20 feet closer, I can still see the line of cars for the Drive-thru wrapping around the parking lot, around the Bed, Bath Beyond/Best Buy building and out to Telegraph Road, where police were busy directing traffic and controlling the line to the In-n-Out. “This is Crazyness”, I thought. “The burgers aren’t THAT good, that I would stop-n-go in my car and waste the $3.50 a gallon gas? And isn’t today EARTH DAY??” Jeez.

So, finally getting to the dude taking my order, I have to yell over the crowd and employees, “Gimme a #1, Animal style, to go, please”. The little dude, yelled something indeciferable back, and so I gave him the $5.39 plus tax.

A Medium Coke and a half later, they called my number, I grabbed my food, fought my way out, and took the grub back to the office to eat.  Another co-worker was too worked up after smelling it as I walked in, that he couldn’t wait any longer and headed out for his own.   

Needless to say, it wasn’t all that I was expecting. Neither was it even close to being everything everyone was claiming it was. So, I decided that someone needs to stand up! To break away! To snap out of the mass mind-control and make a Guide to the Best Burgers in St. George, Utah!!!

Diners, Drive-Ins, and To-Go?

Burgers: Fast-er Food style

Ok, so If you’re looking for a quick meat-fix, or needing some burgers FAST to feed to screaming kids in the back of the van, here’s a quick list of some of the better burger places in town. I’m gonna list them in order of best to worst, and maybe a comment on what’s the best thing to get there.

1. Carl’s Jr. – Any of their Six-Dollar Burgers and the bomb, but I really like the Guacamole Bacon one.
   
2. Capriotti’s - maybe not as well known as their Sanwiches, but whenever we go there, my kids ALWAYS want the cheeseburgers.
   
3. Marv’s – Their burger’s I guess would be fast food, but you pay more than you should for what they give you. But they are pretty tasty.
   
4. Burger King – Flame Broiled? Hello? Need I say more?
   
5. Wendy’s – Their Jalapeno Baconator? Whoo!!!
   
6. Frost Top and Charlie’s – As Local Drive-In’s, they take pretty good care of ya, burger-wise.
   
7. In-n-Out - Burger’s are alright, of course I havn’t tried the infamous ”4×4” style. 
   
8. McDonald’s – of course, who can resist the $1 menu?

Or Fancy-Schmancy?

High End, Sit-down, Restaurant Burgers

Ok, now if you’re going to a nice romantic dinner or maybe out with the In-laws, or the Bosses from Denver, and the desire for a good burger once again takes control, then here are some places that will both impress your guest(s) and impress your growling belly. Listed in order from Best to Good:

1. Painted Pony – they have an AMAZING Sirloin Burger to die for, and the restaurant and menu are equally impressive.
   
2. Shroomies – the ONLY reason they’re not #1 on my list is the location. And the only reason it’s not #1 on my Fast-er Food section is ‘cause it’s in a whole ‘nother league. The portion sizes vs. price ratio is the Best!  – Side note: Their beer-batter fries are sin-fully good.
   
3. AppleBee’s – Update!! – Just had their Brewtus Burger and holy cow it’s a Total Brute! Huge and yummy!
   
4. Outback Steakhouse – Great Huge Burgers – I could only eat half of their Macho Burger. Ha-ha, I know.
   
5. Iggy’s – Also, they have really big burgers.
   
6. Winger’s – Holy Amazing Wing Sauce Burger Batman!!
   
7. Chili’s – Another great place for Mushroom Burgers.
   
8. Fairway Grill – Not bad. They have a nice aquarium. ‘Nough said?
   
9. Rococo’s – Go there for the view. Not the burgers. Sorry.