Mourad Lahlou Is Obsessed With Burgers

“Good meat is 95 percent of a good burger. It should be well-seasoned with salt and pepper; Nopa seasons their beef well in advance, which makes a huge difference. I order mine medium-rare and smear it with a side of their feta-harissa dip. They use brioche-style soft buns, which I like. Zuni’s burger is really good, with the house-made ketchup and pickled onions and zucchini, but there’s one problem—it’s on focaccia, which gets soggy. You end up having to eat it with a fork and knife. The burger at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher is close to perfect. I get it with raw onions—I like the crunch—and a slice of American cheese. Yup, American. It’s simple, it melts well and it forms a blanket over the burger, turning it into a little bundle of goodness.”

Nopa, 560 Divisadero St.,  415-864-8643
Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, Ferry Building Marketplace, 866-328-3663
Zuni Café, 1658 Market St., 415-552-2522

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