SCV’s 12 best burgers for National Burger Month

The Craft Burger is Newhall Refinery's best selling burger, and according to general manager, Aaron Wood, customers rave about it. Emily Alvarenga/The Signal
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May is National Burger Month (yes, it’s a thing) and to celebrate, some of The Signal staff have compiled a list of their very favorite local burger spots in no particular order.

Newhall Refinery

Created by head chef Dustin Boole five years ago when he took over the restaurant, the Craft Burger is “definitely one of our best-sellers,” said Aaron Wood, general manager at Newhall Refinery.

The burger is served on a brioche bun with melted havarti cheese, a bacon and onion jam that is made in house, a confit garlic aioli, which is made daily with California Olive oil and fresh farm eggs, Nueske’s bacon, and arugula. It comes with their signature Sriracha-ketchup and a side of french fries or a salad.

“People say its best burger they’ve had — they rave about it,” Wood said.

Newhall Refinery is located at 24258 Main St. in Newhall.

Cousins Burgers

With a variety of burgers on the menu, both big and small, Cousins Burgers has often been dubbed the “best burger in town.”

Their burgers are all “build your own,” allowing you to choose the toppings of your choice from the bar with options such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, jalapenos and yellow peppers.

All meals come as a combo, served with your choice of fries, which are cut and made fresh in house, onion rings or a green salad and a drink. They’ve also got a garden burger, which is a great vegetarian option.


Cousins Burgers is located at 19318 Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country.

Salt Creek Grille

Served with aged white cheddar cheese, arugula, house spread, caramelized onion and tomato marmalade and bacon, the Creek Burger is “definitely a favorite,” according to Jennifer Chadwick, director of sales and marketing at Salt Creek Grille.

The difference is this burger is made from a different meat, instead of typical hamburger meat, it’s made from ground short rib, chuck and brisket, making it more of an “elevated burger,” Chadwick said.  

The burger comes on a toasted King’s Hawaiian Sweet Bun and is served with Salt Creek Grille parmesan garlic fries. You are also able to add on avocado, sauteed mushroom or, a more recent addition, a fried egg, which a lot of regulars enjoy, according to Chadwick.

The Salt Creek Grille is located at 24415 Town Center Drive No. 115 in Valencia.

The Creek Burger, made from ground short rib, chuck and brisket, is a favorite at Salt Creek Grille. Emily Alvarenga/The Signal

The Old Town Junction

The Old Town Junction has not one, but two distinct burgers.

Their Impossible Burger delivers all the flavor and aroma of meat, but it’s made entirely of plants. This burger comes with shredded lettuce, tomato, smoked caramelized onion, brillat-savarin cheese and their house ketchup.

Their lamb burger is unique, but also a favorite. It is served with a harissa hot chili pepper paste, pickled persian cucumber, yogurt, roasted red pepper, feta and spring mix on a brioche bun.

Both burgers include a choice of skin on fries, house chips or house salad.

The Old Town Junction is located at 24275 Main St. in Newhall.

The Halfway House Cafe

The 1/4 lb. Buffalo Burger is a healthier alternative burger. No, this burger isn’t called buffalo because it’s spicy or has buffalo sauce, it is in fact made from real buffalo meat, according to Sally Lima, owner of The Halfway House Cafe.

“People were looking for healthier options, so we started to serve this,” Lima said. “It’s funny when people realize it’s real buffalo meat, they are shocked, but you can’t taste the difference in the meat.”

The burger comes with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on a sesame seed bun. Every burger comes dry and they ask what you what condiments you’d like on it or if you’d like cheese. It is served with a choice of homemade potato salad, coleslaw or steak fries.

And although it may be know for its food, the diner is also a famous filming location and can be seen in thousands of movies and TV shows, including recently “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“We have a TV with a reel that shows what we’ve been,” Lima said. “And all of our waitress are very unique — we’ve got good service and fun. You come in and you get a meal and a show.”

The Halfway House Cafe is located at 15564 Sierra Highway in Canyon Country.

Black Bear Diner

Bob’s Big Bear Burger is Black Bear Diner’s biggest burger, and was named after co-founder, Bob “Papa Bear” Manley.

This 10 ounce beef patty is specially seasoned and served with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, dill pickle chips, mayonnaise and Thousand Island dressing. You can also add your choice of cheese and two slices of thick-cut hickory and applewood smoked bacon.

It comes with your choice of french fries, sweet potato fries, made to order coleslaw, a green salad or cup of soup.

Black Bear Diner is located at 23626 Valencia Blvd. in Valencia.

Hook Burger

Hook Burger, one of the only chains that made it on the list, was founded by the creator of The Habit Burger Grill six years ago. Brent Reichard, or chief burger flipper as he calls himself, considers Hook Burger The Habit “on steroids.”

Not only do they serve beer and wine, but the burgers are bigger and it’s more upscale, according to Reichard, yet even though it is high quality, it is still reasonably priced.

The Hook Burger, the California Burger and the Hickory Burger are the top three favorites, Reichard said.

The meat is ground fresh in Northridge, and every burger is served on a brioche bun, baked fresh daily at Wildflour Bakery in Agoura Hills and delivered to each location, with homemade sauces and a special seasoning blend.

“All I’ve ever done done for the past 42 years is flip burgers,” Reichard said. “There’s six locations right now, and I’m not growing it quickly. I’m just doing it because I love it.”

Hook Burger is located at 24369 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia.

The Backyard Grub n’ Brews

The Backyard Burger is their classic burger, served on a brioche bun and topped with bacon, jack cheese, fried onion strings, battered jalapenos, avocado, lettuce, tomato, a homemade chipotle aioli and a sunny-side-up egg.

It comes with your choice of fries, coleslaw, baked beans or salad. You can also substitute your side for truffle fries or fruit.  

The Backyard Grub n’ Brews is located at 26509 Golden Valley Road in Santa Clarita.

Bergie’s Bar and Grill

The Cowboy Burger at Bergie’s comes with not only grilled onions but also grilled mushrooms, as well as bacon and monterey jack cheese.

All of their burgers are eight ounces of fresh ground beef, served on your choice of toasted white, seeded, onion or wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles.

You also have a choice of regular or seasoned steak fries, potato salad, coleslaw, cottage cheese, onion rings, a side salad or soup as your side.

Bergie’s Bar and Grill is located at 16404 Delone St. in Canyon Country.

Bricks

Bricks is a specialty burger restaurant, featuring 18 different burgers, including the always popular Bacon Bleu Burger and Bricks Burger.

The Bacon Bleu Burger comes deep-fried cheese curd, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles and Sriracha-ketchup while Bricks Burger has bacon, caramelized onion, swiss cheese, grilled jalapenos and arugula. Both burgers are served with fries.

They’ve also got various shake flavors to choose from where you can even mix two if you’re having a hard time deciding.

Bricks is located at 23820 Lyons Ave. in Newhall.

Everest Burgers

Everest Burger has two burgers that stand out, according to general manager George Kokoris.

The 1/3 lb. Avocado and Bacon Cheeseburger comes with half of a fresh avocado, three pieces of bacon, American cheese and their regular toppings.

The 1/3 lb. Special Cheeseburger with Pastrami is “something different from everything” and one Kokoris personally loves to treat himself with. It is simply a regular cheeseburger with pastrami and mustard added.

All of their burgers come with dressing, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion. You can make any burger a combo with fries and a drink or upgrade to zucchini fries, onion rings or chili cheese fries.

Everest Burgers is located at 18645 Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country.

BurgerIM

BurgerIM offers its customers “customized hamburger flavors, toppings, sauces, fries and more,” according to its website, but perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the more classic options is the most popular, according to owner Gagan Talwar.

“The most popular one is the angus beef,” Talwar said.

“My favorite is the falafel burger,” Talwar said, which he takes with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and tahini sauce (tahini seeds, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper). But of course, that’s the beauty of BurgerIM — order it however you’d like it.

BurgerIM is located at 23740 Lyons Ave. in Newhall.

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