There are definitely an endless choice of burger joints in Hawaii. Besides the fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Jack in the Box, there are also many burger restaurants like Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, The Counter, and the previously reviewed (and disappointing) Burgers on the Edge.
Today’s review will focus on the almost hidden burger gem on S. Beretania St called Honolulu Burger Company. If you’ve ever traveled down S. Beretania, the restaurant is located directly across Times Super Market and adjacent to Beretania Florist.
In fact, they actually share the lot with Beretania Florist and other businesses in that area. Once you pull into the lot, the first 5 or so parking spaces on the left are reserved for the restaurant, which are designated by an orange sticker with their name.
Unfortunately, all the parking was taken, so I continued down to the end of the lot where I basically parked on gravel. OK, not sure if this was legal, but a bunch of cars were also parked there and there were no reserved signs, so we took a chance.
Anyways, the restaurant is fairly small. I think there were only about 6-7 tables that seat 2-4 people. There were a few tables on the outside as well. Though small, it was actually a very clean restaurant which is a very big plus.
There were 3 girls at the counter who were all very nice. They were very helpful and patient when helping other customers decide on which burger they wanted to eat. After looking at their menu, which is mounted above and behind the counter on two separate LCD TVs, I decided to go with their special of the day which was a pastrami burger for $8.99, and my girlfriend opted for the portobello veggie burger for $7.89. We also got an order of truffle friends and a drink. We heard rave reviews on the fries, so we decided the $4.99 for the fries had to be worth it.
Our fries were served first and probably took only about 5 minutes after ordering our food. As the name says, the fries are cooked with truffle oil, but they are also topped off with Parmesan cheese and dusted with some herbs. Boy, these fries were absolutely delicious!
Not only were they fresh and hot, but the fries were perfectly cooked and crispy! The size of the fries were slightly thicker than McDonald’s fries, but smaller than Teddy’s. I’m not sure if it was the truffle oil or the cheese, but it was really out of this world. Worth ever penny.
The burgers came probably within 1-2 minutes after receiving our fries. Let’s start with my pastrami burger. Basically, I got a 1/3lb range fed beef patty which was topped off with slices of pastrami and pepper jack cheese. Of course it also comes with the usual toppings like lettuce, onions, and their house sauce. The beef patty was fairly thick, and was very juicy.
It was cooked medium, the way I liked it (they ask how you want your burger cooked), and was not dry at all. The bun was also pretty warm and toasty and did not have a hint of sogginess. The pastrami was very flavorful and was not as chewy as some places, which is actually a good thing. The pepper jack cheese did not have enough kick, but it was still delicious. This had to be somewhere in my top 5 burgers that I’ve had in Hawaii.
I didn’t get a chance to taste my girlfriend’s sandwich, but according to her, this was the best burger she ever had on the island (just dethroned Teddy’s!). Her portobello veggie burger includes a whole portobello mushroom lightly seasoned with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, truffle oil, Parmesan cheese, zucchini and sauteed sweet onions. The day I decide to not eat meat, I may have to try this veggie burger. Feel free to comment if you had this burger!
Honolulu Burger Company has many burgers and sandwiches to choose from. They also have a variety of fries I’m dying to try, but I’m not sure if it’ll compare to our piping hot truffle fries! The next time you have a craving for a burger and are in town, make sure you stop by Honolulu Burger Company. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
