Where's the beef?

fp646464 from Honolulu - May 31, 2009 at 3:20 AM

I know this is late, but I have to give my vote to The Counter. They get extra points for humane treatment of cattle that are naturally fed without those nasty hormones, antibiotics and grain. On taste alone, still The counter over Kua Aina. They couldn't even tell me where their beef came from and if it was naturally raised or polluted with antibiotics, hormones and grain. Anyway, gourmet burgers should come from naturally and humanely raised cattle, otherwise just go to Buger King to build your own burger.

Nakolo from Honolulu - April 17, 2009 at 8:44 PM

If you like The Counter, you've got to try Burgers on the Edge in Kapahulu. Imo, they're in a tie for second place. For the absolute BEST burger in town, you gotta come my house!

aaronavilla from kalihi - April 17, 2009 at 4:18 PM

burgers you missed: -Kiawe Grill's buffalo, kobe, and other exotic burgers -Ruby Tuesday's Triple Prime -cheeseburger In Paradise's Turkey Portuguese Sausage burger -The Shack's Shack Burger -The Pineapple Room's Pineapple Room Burger (lunch only) -Mariposa's Mariposa Burger (lunch only) -Bob's Bar-b-q's Fat Boy burger -Bob's Big Boy's Big Boy burger -Big City Diner's Magic Mushroom burger i could probably name 10 others that should be considered. The Triple Prime at Ruby Tuesday can go head to head with any burger anywher and must be part of any best burger discussion.

Imua89 from Kaimuki - April 17, 2009 at 1:40 PM

Great job holding the tasting! You had an opinion, it was bashed by naysayers and you attempted to settle the dispute. You did pick the top five. I have not tried The Counter yet, but now I will. I tried Burgers on the Edge and was disappointed. W&M is a different class, so I have to go with Kua Aina then Teddy's, until I try The Counter. Very good reporting and who knew that the best burger on the island would draw so much emotion.

elvisdiddy from Kaimuki - April 17, 2009 at 1:25 PM

The problem I have with this review is that you didn't take in consideration pricing. To be completely honest, when the someone is paying for a meal, most people take in consideration how much it costs to dine just as much as the taste. Another factor is the experience for the diner. For example, a burger better taste damn good if I had to wait for an hour to be seated and then another half an hour to be served, cost double the price of other places, and then have the service of a take out joint. A truely great burger becomes just ok when I factored in price and experience when sampling your #1burger. Everyone has different factors when crowning the best burgers. The tasters were right. The Counter burger is the best one out of all the burgers since they were all "free" for tasting. They may think differently if they were given the tab.

Grouch82 from kaimuki - April 17, 2009 at 1:15 PM

Your 'taste test' didn't include Keawe Grill's burgers. What's up with that?

syn from Kaimuki - April 17, 2009 at 1:05 PM

Would like to include 220 Grille's burger @ Kapiolani Community College 220 Grille Bacon ,Cheese and Avocado Burger 6 oz. ground beef patty seasoned with Cajun spices, garlic and sweet basil served with grilled potato bun with smoked mozzarella cheese, baby romaine lettuce, Kunia tomatoes, red Onion, avocado, and bacon priced at $6.95 Catherine Toth wrote a great right up recently with photos of our absolutely fabulous burger! You should try it sometime! syn

toddrothbard from northern california - April 17, 2009 at 1:04 PM

Your survey suffered from flawed methodology. By limiting the ingredients, you prevented the individual restaurants from putting forth their best product. While I understand your desire for uniformity, the fact is that what sets certain restaurant's burgers apart is their ingredients. For example, Teddys trademark is its special sauce, which apparently wasn't included on the burgers tasted in your survey. With the special sauce and onions, I have no doubt Teddys would have won hands down. Next time, let each restaurant submit its most popular burger as it's most frequently ordered, and use tasters who have not, like Milford, expressed a preference in advance. I suspect your results will be radically different.