Forkelo ranking · Updated September 2026
7 cheeseburgers across San Francisco, ranked on what people say about the dish itself — never the restaurant's overall rating.
Sam's Burgers · North Beach
13 dish-specific mentions · 69% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Old-school late-night cheeseburger with shredded lettuce and nostalgia on the Broadway corridor.
Pearl's Deluxe Burgers · Lower Nob Hill
4 dish-specific mentions · 75% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Half-pound deluxe with cheese in a red basket — Pearl's no-frills Lower Nob Hill cheeseburger staple.
Causwells · Marina
5 dish-specific mentions · 80% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Messy double smash with American cheese and house sauce; Infatuation calls it the reason to order at Causwells.
Gott's Roadside · Embarcadero
4 dish-specific mentions · 50% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Ferry Building classic with American cheese and secret sauce on an egg bun — polished California roadside style.
Beep's Burgers · Ingleside
13 dish-specific mentions · 54% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Juicy medium Angus patty with melty cheese and Beep's sauce on a squishy bun — the Ingleside drive-in's late-night classic.
Nopa · NoPa
3 dish-specific mentions · 33% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Wood-grilled Stemple Creek cheeseburger with pickled onions and aioli — still iconic, though Infatuation now rates it merely fine.
Super Duper Burgers · Union Square
4 dish-specific mentions · 25% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Double Brandt Beef with cheddar and Super Sauce — SF-born fast-casual cheeseburger built for Market Street lunch.
Every score is built from evidence about the specific dish: how often locals recommend it, how strongly, how recently, and whether independent sources agree. A restaurant's overall star rating is never converted into a dish score.
Quality and confidence are reported separately. A dish two people loved can score high, but it is marked limited data until more evidence backs it up. The whole calculation — every constant, and three dishes worked through line by line — is written out on the methodology page.
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