Restaurant Review: Superb Burger

     Is there anything as quintessentially American as a cheeseburger? The old cliche may call for apple pie, but ask yourself, which have you eaten more recently: apple pie or a cheeseburger?

     This restaurant review deals with cheeseburgers so let us, right from the beginning, define our terms. First, and most important, is the understanding that I am not talking about the depressing lumps of protein served by the fast food chains under various trademarked names like "Big Mac" and "Whopper." Those things are a slur on cheeseburger’s good name.

     Nor am I talking about "gourmet" burgers, like the kind you find at a steakhouse: too big, too expensive, and made from too high of a quality beef. A cheeseburger is cheap grub, made from the leftover cuts of meat. As any chef will tell you, the flavor is in the fat.

     Those two qualifications aside, there are no rules for what goes on a burger. The ground beef is but a blank palette for a creative and talented grill master.

     I have found the ideal expression of the cheeseburger right here in Sacramento. It is served in a spartan outpost on the corner of Fruitridge and Power Inn Road. The Superb Burger is housed in an unassuming cinder block building next to auto repair shops and other industrial businesses.

     The inside decor is similarly utilitarian but the draw is the food not the atmosphere. The Superb Burger’s basic fare is their $4.99 cheeseburger and fries lunch special. Don’t let the price fool you, it’s a perfect example of how a passionate grill man can make humble ingredients sing. It’s a 1/3 lb. beef patty seared over a flame grill with American cheese and onion, lettuce, tomato and pickles on a sesame seed bun. There is nothing exotic to it but every component is perfectly realized. The meat has a taste of the char from the grill but the middle is tender and juicy. The vegetables are fresh and crisp and the bun is substantial enough not to get soggy without being chewy.

     And then there’s the fries. The french fries need and deserve a mention of their own. Each batch is cooked fresh with the burger and served right out of the fryer, too hot to touch. They are big and crunchy and, unlike so many other french fries, actually taste like potatoes. The truth of the matter is, that with a burger as good as they make, they could get away with serving weak fries, the fact that they make superlative fries is a credit to their integrity. Remember that all of this is at a price point that is competitive with the dreck that the burger chains serve. Superb Burger’s $4.99 cheeseburger is undeniably one of the best deals in town.

     Superb Burger’s menu is split into two parts with half devoted to burgers and sandwiches and half given to Asian influenced dishes. The sandwiches include different burgers like the Western, which has bacon, and the California, which includes avocado. They also serve grilled chicken sandwiches and Philly cheese steaks. The Asian side of the menu includes teriyaki-style rice dishes and sides such as pot stickers. I must confess that I have not tried any of these things. I am sure that they are good but I am obsessed with their cheeseburger.


     In a town like Sacramento, with a plethora of exotic and novel eating options, it can be easy to over look small, nondescript diners like the Superb Burger. Perhaps that’s part of the pleasure however, the sense of discovery, of finding a diamond in the rough.

     Superb Burger is located at 5665 Power Inn Rd. at Fruitridge. They are open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.