Tanner's Prime Burgers — Restaurant in Oceanside

Tanner's Prime Burgers has finally opened up in Oceanside California and making their debut as the resident smashburger joint in the neighborhood.

A lot of hype has built around this brand since they originally showcased their burgers at the Del Mar Thoroughbred's Club as a pop-up and now they're making South Oceanside their new home.

At first glance, their branding can come across as a mega-chain, but upon closer inspection, one will discover that they are actually a "small brand" that have "big-brand" vibes (think In & Out).

Their marketing team is excellent and their founder, Brandon Rogers, comes from a fine-dining background in San Francisco and has worked with Michelin star restaurants.

There are some unique attributes that Tanner's brings to the smashburger scene. For one, the beef and bacon are sourced from famed Southern California ranch Brandt Beef.

Secondly, they keep their menu VERY simple & direct with a heavy focus on the use of beef tallow as a staple ingredient (made from beef fat). Their beef tallow fries are amazing and they even have an icecream patty made from the stuff and it is scrumptious! Not entirely healthy, but that's not why you come to a place like this. 😉

The interior decor is very straightforward and simple, just like their menu. It's VERY spacious, with plenty of group/family seating AND they also have big flatscreen TVs to watch sports on. The bar-seating is also available, as well as, outside patio seating that also has heaters 😊.

I appreciate that their menu is direct, giving the option for a single or double burger and their fries can also be ordered deluxe-style (this is my GOTO).

The ONLY item I wish were on their menu would be a vanilla milkshake that is made with their famous beef-tallow... GOSH! That would be epic! (Management said they liked the suggestion & it's feasible for the future 😉)

I also recommended that they could incorporate a local hotsauce brand such as 7 Siblings and it would help to accentuate their meats flavor AND still provide a nice heat to the meal.

Overall, Tanner's Prime Burgers is a fantastic addition to South Oceanside and I'm proud that they made this their very first landmark homebase 😎 Their excellent service, simple-and-tasty menu, along with wine & beers on tap, will make this a local favorite for...

The burgers are clearly among the best in the area. The beef is high quality and cooked perfectly; not overly smashed and seasoned, and still a bit pink in the middle. The bun is very tasty, the ratio of bun to interior ingredients is good, and their house-made orange sauce excellent. The fries cooked in tallow are tasty and perfectly crispy.

On the downside: The bun is not toasted on the inside--an extra step that adds nice flavor and a bit of crunch to a burger. The lettuce is limp and the tomato tasteless, which combined with the untoasted bun results in a mushy burger with no textural contrast. The service is fine but indifferent, bordering on arrogant as if they are doing you a favor by taking your order and dropping off your food. No smiles, no thanks. The POS tip screen buttons start at 15%. Any such quick-serve place that doesn't have a 10% button automatically gets 0% from me, as I can't be bothered to enter a custom tip amount. Why should service that only includes one person literally sitting down taking orders, and one person curtly dropping off the food get 83% as much as a server who hustles for 30 minutes or more taking care of all of your needs?

The single cheeseburger is $9.95, which is a fair deal given the high beef quality. But the quality of Prime beef simply does not shine through when ground and grilled, so the premium price is not really worth it. The small order of fries is overpriced at $5.95. While it may be unfair to compare the place to In-n-Out, I'll do it anyway. An In-n-Out double single cheeseburger, with only about 1 ounce less (slightly lower quality) beef is around $6.00 with the same accoutrements as Tanner's. But the burger has a much better texture with a toasted bun, crunchy lettuce, and two slices of tomato that actually tastes like tomato. You can also choose your onion type: whole raw, whole grilled, or chopped & grilled. Their sauce is not quite as good as Tanner's though. I like the fresh cut fries (well-done) better than Tanner's heavier tallow-cooked fries, and are only $2.80 for a larger serving. And there in no attempted tip extortion despite the fast, friendly, and efficient service in a super-clean...

I'm a big fan of smash burgers. A friend recommended this place and said they were just listed on the Michelin Guide. That's pretty impressive, but I had my initial doubts. Those doubts were WRONG.

Food & Menu - Overall, I'd say this is the best smash burger spot I've been to! Their menu also screams amazing. They give off an In 'n' Out flavor to smash burgers and fries. And mind you, almost everything is made with beef tallow. It gives off SO much flavor in everything, even their dessert! Beef tallow really does make a difference. The smash patty was crisp enough to where it still held it's shape, it wasn't OVERLY crispy to being burnt, and the flavor was awesome. The condiments that go with everything was great as well. Their Tanner's sauce was like In 'n' Out spread with a little kick to it, and their fries seasoning was great too.

Service - The one lady taking orders (I believe her name was Christy) was truly a star. She was friendly, she was funny, she was personable, she was out there, and she knew what she was doing. Vibes of "ALRIGHT! LET'S GET READY FOR ANOTHER BUSY SATURDAY NIGHT DINENR RUSH! WE'VE GOT THIS!". Such a pleasure. And she greeted our dog too :) They give you a number to place at your table (if you're dining in) and they bring the food out to you.

Ambiance - A group of 8 of us came in on a Saturday night for dinner. We already saw a line when arriving, but it surprisingly didn't take long. Seems like the line goes by faster than it looks. They hand out menus while in line so it speeds up the ordering process. Finding seats was a little struggle because we're a large group and you can't sit in the next door's establishments' tables, but we managed to get 2 tables next to each other. I love that they're dog friendly and they even have a dog patty option!

Overall, I love this place and it's a new top smash burger option for whenever I'm...