I will go to the ends of the Earth for a good burger.  People are picky about what kind they love as the types of burger places vary almost as much as different cooking styles of said burgers.  Whether it’s the dare-to-be-different game meats of Crazee Burger or the wildly overrated In n’ Out.  Yeah, I said it.  I’m not a fan.  I hope we can still be friends but if you’re from California, I guess I just gambled big time on our theoretical friendship.  Pure Burger, located in Carlsbad, doesn’t mess around when it comes to “All natural”.  They grind up the meat every day, use locally sourced produce and make their sauces from scratch.  The set up is a familiar one; you go up to a counter, place your order, they bring it to you and you commence to getting your burger on.  I did just that and brought some of my favorite burger aficionados with me:

Durwood-Best friend, comedian, San Diego’s go-to young black non-singing actor

Ky-Rocky Horror performer, Disneyland enthusiast, Roommate of Brad

Matt-My co-star in “Five Course Love”, Runner, Lover of beer

Molly-Recent San Diego transplant, jewelry maker, The new girl

Stephanie-Blogger, runner, fellow Disneyland enthusiast

Suzanne-My Italian soul sista, Can throw down in the kitchen, the cultured one who pronounces everything correctly.

Tomy-Fashionista, Rocky Horror performer, an original Kathryn

Props to the guy who came up to us and asked if we were an improv group. We get that a lot. Yet, no one asks about our team ribbon dancing…

Pure Burger was determined to test our commitment to being open minded when were told almost immediately that they were out of bacon.  We handled this news well.  I’m kidding, we all looked like kids that just got told Santa died choking on the cookies we left out for him.  No bacon?!  “Why don’t they keep an extra pig in the back for times like this?!”  Molly asked.  Crestfallen, we bravely soldiered on and tried not to focus on what a world without bacon could potentially be like.

Suzanne ordered a medium rare Pure Burger meal, adding fries, cheddar, mushrooms and grilled onions.   She said the burger was pretty standard with good quality meat that got kind of lost under the toppings.  She felt the fries were a bit under seasoned and while her experience was good overall, she didn’t find it to be a stand out.  Durwood ordered the Pure Burger (minus tomato), seasoned fries and a Vanilla shake with bananas added in.  Durwood felt, while the fries were not the best, asking for a side of Pure Burger sauce was the best choice.    He loved the sauce so much he wished that there had been more of it on the burger.  He said the Vanilla shake was THE TRUTH.

Matt had the Double Pure Burger, Lettuce Wrap style with cheddar, grilled onions & mushrooms.  he also ordered “Loaded” fries and a Lost Abby Blonde Ale.  Matt found the meat to be quality and well seasoned with perfectly chosen toppings (I’m still unclear if he was offering up kudos to Pure Burger or himself for that.)  He said the fries were good but not as good as In n’ Out fries, which negates everything he’s had to say so far.  Moving on…  Stephanie had the Pure Burger on a whole wheat bun with no cheese, instead choosing pickles, sprouts, mustard and Pure Spread.  Stephanie found her meal “gluttonous” but in the best possible way.  “Delicious!”.  She (and I) appreciated the offer of a whole wheat bun.  While she did say that this wasn’t the best burger she’s ever had, it was good enough that she would certainly come back.  She also praised the fact that they had Lost Abby Ale on tap, which I guess is a rarity.

Ky ordered the Pure Burger on a whole wheat bun with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, jalapenos and Pure Spread.  She also had fries, root beer with PURE. CANE. SUGAR.  She seemed really excited about that so I felt I would emphasize accordingly.  She was a bit skeptical as her meal began and she noticed the bun was “ice cold” but once paired with the hot burger: magic.  The McDLT lives on!  She also enjoyed the kick from the jalapeno and really loved the fact that Pure Burger offers Vanilla Cream Soda on tap.  Can’t lie, I kind of love that too.  Molly had the Pure Burger on white with cheddar, lettuce, pickles, tomato, mayo, mustard and Pure Spread on the side with seasoned fries and a root beer float.  She said the quality of the meat was excellent but found it prepared a little more well done than offered at most organic burger places.  She thought the cheese amount was perfect and praised the versatility in having everything on the menu so customizable.  Points off for a trace amount of freezer burn on the ice cream.

Tomy ordered the Pure Burger on white with lettuce, sprouts and teriyaki sauce with seasoned fries & a chocolate salted caramel milkshake.  While he enjoyed the meal overall, Tomy found his fries a little over seasoned.  He loved his burger and also praised the options to customize.  Comparisons to Burger Lounge were inevitable as Tomy and I both live right down the street from one.  He wished Burger Lounge could be more like this place; less money and more options.  I ordered the Pure Burger on whole wheat bun with Swiss cheese, Pure Sauce, raw onion and mushrooms with a side order of fries.  It was everything a good burger should be: tasty, mutli-layered in flavors and textures and messy as all get out.  I found it a bit small.  The fries were good enough but I have to say I am so over this whole shoe string potato craze.  I like a thick-cut steak fry.  I like fluffy potato inside my fries, not this super crunchy thin piece of what tastes like freeze-dried potato.  Not to say that Pure Burger’s fries taste like that, but I have an axe to grind with that style of french fry so it really had no chance with me at all.

I love burgers so much. I’m like Wimpy from Popeye except I’m not an awful, fat Hitler-looking, lecherous, burger-thieving excuse for a human being.  I’m sorry, Wimpy was an asshole.

I went back after my dinner for a chocolate malt, which was legit.  You don’t find malts everywhere but I love it, so I was thrilled to see it offered.  Also thrilling: Cherry Coke on tap.  I could seriously write a whole other entry on how much I love Cherry Coke but I’m trying not to scare off my readers, despite posting my face in every entry.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pure Burger.  With as many things to “Build as your own”, opinions will vary a lot.  But that ‘s really kind of the beauty of this place.  They also offer as selection of vegetarian AND vegan burgers!  I like it best when everyone has options.  While I don’t see myself driving up to Carlsbad solely to come here, I can certainly see myself coming back if I wind up in the area.  Good food, great options and it won’t break the bank.  Good stuff.

Further reading: http://pure-burger.com/

Be sure to follow The Boy Who Ate San Diego on Instagram to see all of the food ordered on this trip!