San Ramon has no shortage of America’s quintessential culinary fare: the cheeseburger. We tasted every burger place in the city and found the best burgers.

We tried drive-thrus, sit-down restaurants, and even some golf courses. Some are classics, and some are hidden gems that you might not have heard of before or expected. We considered taste as the primary factor. For the vegetarians out there, we also found the three best plant-based patties in our city.

No. 3: Firehouse 37

Found in the Marketplace shopping center, Firehouse 37 sells a wonderfully delicious burger, with all the juice and moisture one could want. The Station Burger, at $10.99, is on the middle-higher end of burger pricing in the local area, but the taste makes the burger worth it.

There was an enjoyable buttery taste, though we aren’t sure if it was from the sesame bun or from the juicy patty. The burger comes with the standard toppings: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and “secret spread”, which was good but a little bit too sweet. If you’ve never been, we recommend you try this burger at least once.

No. 2: In-N-Out

Need we say more? The not-so-secret sauce, the crisp lettuce, and the low price beat out the competition. San Ramon knows that In-N-Out is one of the best burgers here. The drive-thru lines at In-N-Out are consistently long almost to the point of forming a traffic hazard.

After getting our fare at the drive-thru, parking our car, and taking a bite… it wasn’t as good as we remembered. Granted, it was still a top-tier burger, but it’s not at the tippy-top. Something was just… missing. All the ingredients are superb, and the “secret” sauce combines with the spongy yet crispy bun to create a heavenly experience. Of course, In-N-Out also deserves mad props for managing to make processed cheese taste amazing.

No. 1: Roam

This City Center restaurant is, of course, known for the relatively high price of its menu items – burgers start at $9.99, with fries and certain toppings costing several dollars extra. But the quality is such a cut above other local burgers that it earns itself the title of best burger. The patties are cooked perfectly, with the burgers not being too overcooked, and with an abundance of juice and flavor. The basic burger, what they call “The Classic”, comes with butter lettuce, homemade pickles, tomato, onions, and a house sauce.

Bonus:

Mendocino Farms sells the best veggie burger in the city. If you happen to be in the City Center to try the best burger in town, you also happen to be in the perfect place to try the city’s best plant-based burger. Called “The Impossibly Good Impossible Burger”, the name says everything you need to know about it. Consisting of a seasoned Impossible patty on a vegan brioche bun paired with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onion jam, tomatoes, romaine, and roasted garlic aioli, this burger, though a hefty investment at $12.85, is well worth the high price tag.