BURGER fans, make some noise—your national holiday is here! May 28 marks National Burger Day, a day to celebrate the juiciest, freshest, meatiest burgers across the country.
On island, Marianas Variety checked in with local favorites Inas’ Kitchen, American Pizza and Grill, and Wild Bill’s to ask them how they throw down when customers are in the mood for fresh ground patties served hot and delicious.
Say hafa adai to the great burgers on order at Inas’ Kitchen.
At Sadog Tasi’s Inas’ Kitchen, Chef Sonny Sablan and crew have you covered if you want to celebrate NBD the right way.
Their Swiss Burger takes a half-pound Certified Angus ground Beef, grills it to perfection, then tops it with garlic aioli, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and of course, Swiss cheese.
Need something spicy? Pick up the Pika Burger, which is pika cabbage slaw, roasted Thai chili, and pepper jack cheese all piled high on a half-pound CAB patty.
All kinds of great options await customers at Inas’ Kitchen for National Burger Day.
By the way, Inas’ Kitchen has you covered if you’re a vegetarian too, because their menu features Swiss Burger, Pika Burger, and Inas’ Cheeseburgers that use Beyond Beef patties as an option. They can also hook customers up with the Veggie Burger, which is a brown rice, black bean, and red beet patty topped with cumin slaw, Pepper Jack cheese, and garlic aioli.
Left, a Swiss Burger. Right, the Kaksaka Burger.
Marianas Variety thinks Loco Mocos should get love on Burger Day too! Inas’ Kitchen just so happens to offer an Ancho Loco Moco and Keto Loco Moco for those wondering.
The Kaksaka Burger is something Chef Sonny Sablan dreamed up when he wanted a burger that was “fat, upon fat, upon egg.” Dreams do come true at Ina’s Kitchen.
But, of course, the home run hitter of the menu has got to be the Kaksaka Burger, which is a hefty half-pound burger that’s piled high with crispy bacon, sautéed onions and mushrooms, spicy ancho gravy, a sunny side up egg, and Swiss cheese.
Chef Sonny Sablan puts the finishing touches on Kaksaka Burger.
Chef Sonny said the Kaksaka Burger was something that he “dreamt up.” He wanted to create a burger that was “fat upon fat upon egg.”
“It was a lot of levels, a lot of flavors,” he said, speaking of his vision to create a burger that customers would love so much they would keep coming back.
The Kaksaka Burger is one of the “anniversary” burgers Chef Sonny created to mark the company’s milestones. In fact, it was Inas’ Kitchen’s very first anniversary burger and it was so popular they decided to keep it as a permanent menu item.
Chef Sonny tells Marianas Variety he and the crew cook for the love of the game, and because it’s part of his family’s legacy.
“I built [the menu] on something my grandfather did,” he said. “That’s why the restaurant is named after him. He was known for his burger, the ‘gas station burger’ at Mobil Garapan. I wanted to attribute this to him and thank him for showing me that flavor, but at the same time I wanted to do my own version of burgers,” he said.
Chef Sonny said he used to live with his grandfather for a few years while growing up—”and it’s all connected—the gas station, the house, and the restaurant, so you always see the cooking mentality around the house.”
A view from inside the American Pizza and Grill kitchen.
Reggie Orilla, left, and Maria Teresa Caren.
At American Pizza and Grill in Garapan, server manager Reggie Orilla says that serving quality, juicy burgers comes with a smile—part of their core mission to make American Pizza feel like a customer’s second home.
“It’s very important to us to be hospitable to everyone,” he tells Marianas Variety. “…Customers are here for the special service and good food.”
Your BBQ Bacon Burger order is coming to your table hot and fresh with barbecue sauce, Swiss cheese, onion rings, a steak burger patty, and crispy bacon.
For National Burger Day, the good food at American Pizza starts with the house cheeseburger, which is a freshly ground ¼-lb steak patty, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato.
The brioche buns are made in-house daily.
Orilla is quick to point out that the Garapan eatery bakes its own brioche hamburger buns daily, which means customers are never in short supply of the company’s pillowy soft bread.
A favorite with tourists is the bacon cheeseburger—a ¼-lb steak patty with cheddar, bacon, grilled onions, lettuce, and cheese, says Orilla.
The local crowd, on the other hand, is smitten with the Truffle Mushroom burger, which takes that beautifully grilled ¼-lb steak patty, throws on some mushrooms, adds a fried onion ring, some Swiss cheese, truffle oil, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Don’t forget the California Club Burger that is topped with crispy bacon, grilled onion, avocado, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Longtime island residents will remember that Bobby Cadillacs—a restaurant famous for its Reuben sandwiches—once sat in the same location that American Pizza and Grill now occupies. According to kitchen supervisor Maria Teresa Caren, aka “Tess,” American Pizza serves up a jalapeno Reuben burger in honor of Bobby Cadillacs’ Reuben sandwich.
Tess ought to know, as she was a Bobby Cadillacs employee for 20 years before it transitioned to American Pizza.
The jalapeno Reuben burger features a ¼-lb steak patty, corned beef, jalapeno, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and the famous American Pizza and Grill brioche.
Amazing flavor and superb textures make the BBQ Bacon Burger exceptional.
When Marianas Variety visited over the weekend, we made sure to order the BBQ Bacon Burger, which we’ve never had before. It was made fresh to order and was piled high with crispy bacon, onion rings, and Swiss cheese and slathered in barbecue sauce.
We thought the textures were off the charts—the burger was juicy and we were pleased with how the soft-as-a-cloud brioche contrasted with the crispy onion rings and crunchy bacon. It was superb.
As for the flavors, the onions, cheese, meat, bacon, and barbecue sauce were like a well-balanced symphony, melting into one great flavor note after another. No single ingredient overpowered the next.
Their burgers are already the bomb, but Tess emphasized that good service is also a priority at American Pizza and Grill. When asked for her message to their regulars, she said: “Thank you for coming, we appreciate you so much.”
She also invites residents who have never been to American Pizza and Grill to see what the fuss is about.
American Pizza and Grill also offers a lot of “Signature Sides” that include baked potato with bacon and cheese, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, trufflemac and cheese (imagine pairing that with the truffle mushroom burger, yum), coleslaw, and more.
And of course, they also offer pizzas (duh!) like the truffle rib-eye steak pizza, American Combo, meat lovers, and more.
Co-owners of Wild Bill’s, Junya Nelson, left, and Bunruang Brausell.
While you’re in Garapan and looking for the crossroads of where East meets West, you’ll have to make a pit stop at Wild Bill’s.
Everyone knows their pad thai, som tam, Thai tea and other Thai staples are top-notch, but if you’re looking for a burger menu that’s about as long as your arm, you’re also in luck.
Wild Bill’s has an egg cheeseburger, a super cheeseburger that comes with bacon and ham, a chili burger, Bill’s Blue Burger, which is topped with blue cheese and grilled onions, and so much more.
Restaurant co-owner Junya Nelson tells Marianas Variety that hungry patrons can take on the half-pound House Special burger, which is more than enough to satisfy any burger craving.
The Wild Bill’s Death Burger is a hefty burger that is jam-packed with flavor.
And then there’s the wildly popular Death Burger, which comes with grilled onions, bacon, mushrooms, lots of jalapenos, and cheese.
That just so happens to be Nelson’s favorite burger.
“I like spicy, that’s why,” she said. “Also, customers like variety in taste.”
The Death Burger comes with grilled onions, bacon, mushrooms, lots of jalapenos, and cheese.
We caved and took that challenge. Just a bite of a Death Burger and we went straight to flavor heaven—it’s a fully loaded, fully flavored, juicy burger that packs some spice. The burger is just plain satisfying.
Make sure Marianas Variety isn’t the only one living it up on National Burger Day. Although we made it to three of the island’s top burger joints, we know you have your own personal burger favorites. Bring a friend or two and have your favorite burger today!
