Swagyu Burger Poway — Restaurant in Poway

Overall pretty disappointed. I've been to this location twice now.

A couple months back we tried it for the first time. We went through the InKind App for a $20 discount on a $60+ order. Never actually got the discount. Wife and I were picking up food at the restaurant. Tried to complain to InKind but basically got told I'd have to order again. The restaurant didn't seem to know how to assist. Just decided to let it go. Not a big deal, but disappointing on a first time $75 order with a $20 off advertisement. Seemed like a gimmick to get us to use the InKind App.

Went to this location a second time with coworkers who wanted to give it a try a couple days ago. Skipped the InKind App this time. Thought the second time through might be better.

Both experiences were lackluster. The location is fine, the staff were courteous even though they couldn't help me with the InKind discount the first time around.

But over-all the price doesn't really match the quality. First time my wife and I split the 1/2LB OG Smashburger and Swagador, their most expensive items. The flavor is good, the pork belly was restaurant quality, but for the price I expected something 'more'. The secret sauce is solid, but doesn't stand out against similar sauces. Taste wise it doesn't seem much better than Five Guys or In-N-Out. A small step above, but not the type of thing that keeps you coming back to spend $50+ regularly.

The portions are probably my biggest disappointment and not what I expected for the high prices. That goes for both the burgers and the fries. I know the burgers are "smashed", and the beef quality is higher, but the burger was mostly toppings and bun. This was the case on the Swagador/OG Smash. When I got a regular sized burger on the second visit, the lack of meat was more noticeable, and still a fairly costly price.

I've had both the sidewinder and shoestring fries. Again, tasty, but not a significant leap from other options nearby. You also don't get a lot. Portion sizes are surprisingly even more glaring on their fries, and the prices are pretty high. If they don't pile on the meat, you'd think they'd pile on the fries. I didn't try any of the desert.

In a vacuum, the food is pretty good. But when you look at the portions and the prices and then look anywhere within 5 miles you start to see the problem.

Compare to Five Guys that loads you up with more fries than you can eat and fat burgers for about $10 less, and it's hard to justify paying more for something similar. In-N-Out is definitely a step down in taste/quality, but you'll pay 1/3rd the price.

Compare it to Smokin J's a couple miles down the way and it really doesn't stack up. You can get a mountain of meat and other food on a sandwich or burrito there for about $10 less, and the quality and taste at Smokin J's is on par, with larger portions and lower costs.

The competition in the area means this place doesn't stand out. Wagyu beef is attractive on paper. But it doesn't really fill any niche in terms of taste, portions, or price.

Portions need to go up, or prices need to go down. Maybe I just had two bad visits, but not sure I'll bring any other...

I would like to explain my experience with Swagyu and the drastic decline in the quality of this restaurant. To give some context, I have watched Swagyu evolve from a food truck to a multi-restaurant chain. As for my background, I have spent years in the restaurant industry, studied food science, and have worked in Michelin star kitchens.

This summer I had an excellent burger from Swagyu Poway. The meat was ground fresh and smashed on the grill by hand from ground burger balls. It was beautifully accompanied by house made pickles, house sauce, American cheese, all on a Sadie Rose bun (a local bakery). The rendered wagyu fat has a flavor like no other and made this burger delectable. I have eaten over 100 Swagyu burgers and each time was much better than any other. Chef Donald (the previous head chef) ran a wonderful operation and had very creative and novel dishes that accompanied this burger well: cucumber salad, kimchi, and even a brownie (made with wagyu fat) milkshake. This quaint little restaurant was producing a level of quality much like a fine dining establishment.

Yet, one week ago I went back for the first time since summer. I was sad to hear that Chef Donald had left, though there was other evidence of change. The menu was drastically simplified with only a few burger variations, a few milkshakes (non wagyu-fat), and a grilled cheese(?). I ordered my standard ½ lb wagyu burger; however, this time, it was not the earlier version. The burger was dry, lacked that beautiful smash crust, and the overall flavor of the beef felt and tasted like a good ground chuck. I approached the employee working and asked if there was possibly an error. Was I perhaps given the standard American burger, not the wagyu version? I was told, that in an attempt to commercialize the business, Swagyu stopped grinding beef instore, and instead had it ground, prepackaged into patties, and shipped to them, likely from overseas. For anyone who knows about food science, vacuum sealing destroys a lot of natural flavor, especially fats. This burger was a sad comparison to the heyday of Swagyu and the burger is no longer worth $23. I will not...

The burgers at Swagyu range from $8.50 (Single Cheeseburger, American Wagyu smash patti) all the way up to $28 (El Swagador Burger, two 4oz swagu smash patties). (Prices as of April 2024).

Upon entering we were given a rundown/education/upsell about the items on offer and the different types of wagyu. Add another $8 for sides such as fries or onion rings. Milkshakes, soft drinks and bottled water are available as well as a container and cups for complimentary water.

The restaurant has indoor and outdoor casual dining, albeit the outdoor tables are right next to busy Twin Peaks Rd. Inside, the restaurant has attractive trailing plants set against black and natural accents, bringing a touch of the outside in.

Inside was a little smokey from the grilling for my liking and I would have preferred to sit outside, but my husband didn't want to sit next to the busy road. I think a line of bushes planted along the patio/road wouldn't go amiss.

Our burger was good and well appointed with 'extras' like lettuce, tomato and pickles, although I personally felt the patti was on the skinny side. The sidewinder fries and dips were delicious.

We had wanted to try Swagyu for long time, haven driven by several times. While I would have liked to have tasted the top-of-the line burger, we weren't about to spend in the region of $50-$60 on two burgers and fries at a fast casual restaurant. The $8.50 burger we had was good enough and did the job of filling our bellies. For us, this was likely a one-time dining experience.

Free parking is available in front of the restaurant which is located in a small (dying) strip mall. Check the Swagyu website for other locations...