The Tavern Burger, Pilot Butte Drive-In

I already have a post on the Tavern Burger but I just had another one last week for lunch. It was really good! It may be coming back up my list to #1. Check out these photos, it is the classic Taven Burger. Well worth the $10.50. Grilled ham, bacon, swiss, cheddar, grilled onions, and to raise your cholesterol, a fried egg, sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles. You gotta try one of these!

Pilot Butte Drive-In, Bend, Oregon

The Pilot Butte Burger! One of the better big burgers you will find anywhere. It is quite big, the burger is 18oz. The Pepsi glass in this picture is a 32 oz. It will cost you $19.00! A really good burger to split. Check out their menu and website at: http://www.pilotbutte.com/burger.htm

Bistro Burger - San Francisco, CA

Another California burger joint, this one a San Francisco establishment. They serve burgers with Estancia Free Range Grass fed beef. Their slogan is, "Your Burger on Grass." My wife and I stumbled upon this place on Drumm and California in the heart of the financial district. VERY good hamburgers with quality beef and sustainable practices. I ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger Royale ($7.29) and my wife ordered a Bistro Burger ($5.79). These prices are truly remarkable when you consider where this place is located. The Bend Burger Company could learn a few things about pricing at this place, including offering fries and onion rings separately. OK, the draw back? The service was OK but not very friendly but I will give them a break since we are "tourists" and it was our first visit. One of the best deals in SF. The best burger and place in SF? Try the Bell Tower on Jackson and Polk Street. I have been going there for almost 20 years. More on that later...

Moo Moos Burger Barn - Stockton, CA

I know that my blog is Oregon Hamburgers but I was in Lodi, CA visiting my parents and they took me to this place. I decided to branch out since I don't get to try too many burgers outside of Central Oregon unless I travel to the Willamette Valley or to California. I was pleasantly surprised by this place. Very friendly service, clean and very reasonably priced, especially compared to the Bend Burger Company. The burgers are good but not great. Some people may think the whole Moo Moo thing is too much but it works for this place. I ordered a Chili Moo ($5.95) which was really good. Good chili, great presentation, and it came with a corn bread bun which I liked. Overall I was very happy. My only negative was that the burger itself was not of the highest quality (i.e. frozen patties) and a little overcooked. All the others in my family ordered the Classic Moo ($4.50) which was a good classic hamburger and they were all satisfied. Their onions rings and shakes were very good as well. Please tell me what you think. This place is located just off of I-5 on the north side of Stockton and there is also one in Lodi, CA. A great place to stop for Duck or Beaver fans on the way to the Rose Bowl! Check out their website and menu at: http://www.moo-moos.com/menu.php.

Bend Burger Company - Bend, Oregon

I have been to the Bend Burger Company twice now. Their burgers are quite good, however I spent $11.95 on a Bend Burger with bacon and cheese, fries and a soda. That's too much money for me to spend on a lunch, let alone a hamburger. Their menu is what I would call "gourmet", meaning there are lots of choices of toppings such as blue cheese, garlic, fry sauce, and ham with pineapple. I can't get over the cost when I can get a burger that is just as good (AND in my top 10) for half the price. I know I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge french fry fan and all the burgers at the Bend Burger Company come with french fries which drives up the cost and leaves me feeling guilty for not finishing my entire meal. Suggestion - make really good french fries or onion rings and don't include them with the hamburgers. In closing, if you want a good burger in downtown Bend and are willing to pay over ten dollars per person for lunch, this is a good spot to go!

Updated Top 5 List

1) The Clogger, Jody's, Redmond
2) The Special (aka The World's Greatest Hamburger), Stanich's, Portland
3) The Lumberjack, Winston Drive-In, Winston
4) The Tavern Burger, Pilot Butte, Bend
5) The Grand Dandy, Dandy's, Bend

#5 the Grand Dandy - Dandy's Drive-In, Bend Oregon

I took my son to Dandy's Drive-In last week! I can't believe I have never been here before since I've been living in Bend for over 15 years. Of course I ordered the Grand Dandy ($5), the largest burger on the menu. Pretty much a simple yet excellent bacon-cheeseburger with good pickles on it. You can tell a good burger joint by having a look at the menu. Very simple with 4 hamburgers, 1 chicken sandwich, a grilled cheese and that's it! I knew this burger was going to be good when I saw the menu. This is a classic drive-in. The waitresses (or maybe they are called "burger girls?") come out on skates to take your order and deliver your food. You either get it to go or eat in the car, no tables or anything. My son ordered a lil' Dandy ($2) and claimed it was the best burger he had ever eatin'! While this place is a Bend institution (since 1968) and somewhat of a novelty, the burgers are really good and I would recommend this place to any burger lover. Right in the middle of business 97 in Bend between Neff and Greenwood. Enjoy.

Blacksmith Sliders - Great Happy Hour

I finally made it to the Blacksmith Restaurant for Happy Hour yesterday. Folks have told me it's the best Happy Hour in Bend. Their Sliders are $5 and are pretty good. I don't think they qualify for a top 10 ranking but they are worth noting. There is a burger ($7) on the Happy Hour menu that looks really good and I will need to get one and report back! Many first time visitors are surprised by the "swankyness" of this place but it's a Happy Hour, totally casual and I wasn't the only person wearing jeans and a baseball cap.

Home of the #1 ranked "Clogger" Jody's Hamburger's, Redmond, Oregon

The Clogger is the best thing on the menu in my opinion. While this is not a blog about anything other than burgers (hint: I don't usually order fries, onion rings, etc with my burgers), Jody's tots are the best tator tots I've ever had! I haven't yet ordered the Belly Buster but I'm dying to go here with a friend so we can split it.


Such a great little building for a burger place. I would highly recommend stopping here if you ever drive through Redmond. You can't miss it on the South-side of Highway 126 on the way out of Redmond to Sisters, on the opposite side of Hwy 126 from Chevron. Check it out and let me know what you think! See below for picture of the Clogger!

#2 "The Special" Stanichs, Portland, Oregon

"The Special" is a classic burger at a classic burger joint. I've been going here since 1988 and it hasn't changed since then. The Special (aka the world's greatest hamburger) nearly lives up the its alias. It is the definition of the tavern burger, fully loaded with bacon, ham and a fried egg. Something about the joint I think makes the burger even better. Stanich's is a tavern with pennents all over the wall, they only take cash, and they love to give shit to folks who order their burger cut! One of the best perks is you can order beer on tap with your hamburger! Yes, this is my kind of place and I take everyone I know here for a special. Has never fallen below #3 on my top 10 list and has been a steady #2 for about 5 years. I have never ordered anything else on the menu (except french fries)and never will. I have eatin 2 of these on a couple different occasions but I'm getting too old to do that anymore! Picture coming the next time I get to Portland.

#3 "The Lumberjack" Winston Drive-In, Winston, Oregon

A very good burger at a very good burger joint that me and my family just happened to stop at on our way to the coast. How lucky we are that we chose this place. A classic burger joint with a 50s theme with lots of cars on the wall. Very kid friendly...this helps for road trip with a 4 year old! My son's hamburger came in a car that he played with for the rest of the trip. To the burger though that's the point right. I always go for the "tavern style" burger with all the fixings, plus bacon and a fried egg if they have one. The lumberjack was really not a tavern burger but was very, very good, with bacon, cheese and all the fixings (aka: loaded!) I love pickles and this burger has very good pickles and was just the right size! I was smiling all the way to the coast!

#4 "The Taven Burger" - Pilot Butte Drive-In, Bend, Oregon

"The Tavern Burger", Pilote Butte Drive-In, Bend, Oregon

This is a very good hamburger that was #1 in my top 10 for about 3 years. The joint was sold about 2 years ago and the quality has slipped a little bit in my opinion. It is still in my top 10 though, which says a lot! This place is home to the famous Pilot Butte Burger (16oz burger) and the wager winner burger for me, the "64oz. burger" - the menu says that it feeds a family of 4! I have won several hundred dollars making bets with friends who have never seen this burger before, yet still claim (and bet big) that they can eat it. Its big!

"The Clogger" - Jody's Drive-In, Take-out, Redmond, Oregon.

"The Clogger", Jody's Drive-In, Take-out, Redmond, Oregon.

-This is a really good tavern style burger that costs only $7.75. It is not too big, but no pushover either. It's a 1/3 pound burger with grilled ham, bacon, cheddar and jack cheese, and all the trimmings (except tomatos which I don't care for). I know that I am biased because I work in Redmond, so I eat this more than any other burger. Maybe that's why it sees time at #1 on my all time list, because I can keep eating them and they just keep gettting better. Also, I know there are other great burgers on the menu, but the only other burger I have ordered is the cheeseburger. The Clogger started off at #5 on my list when I first had one in 2007.