Super Duper Burgers — Restaurant in San Mateo

After living near a Super Duper for almost a decade, it was finally time to try it out. We've heard that Super Duper focuses on the premium burger segment with fresh, high quality ingredients, and leaning more towards a sit-down restaurant. This directly competes with Habit Burger and Five Guys. As lovers of burgers, we excited marched in.

The burger is well made. They cooke the patty smashed and with fresh, unfrozen beef. This was absolutely clear. The lettuce and tomato were fresh as well. The burger looked really nice when it came out. But this is where it sort of missed the mark.

First, the patty was well seasoned but nothing else in the burger fit or could dance with it. Somehow it was missing the "sauce" that brings it together. All the individual ingredients shined through. But they didn't harmonize.

Second, the bun wasn't soft. They claimed this was artisanal buns and they indeed seemed to be well structured. But it just wasn't soft enough and it distracted me from enjoying the burger . Third, the burger was just too small. It feels like the full burger's diameter is about 80% of all other burgers. It jsut feel's small and even after the entire double-patty burger, I wasn't quite full.

And all of this burger, for over $10.

The fries were a bit bland as well, even the garlic fries. Somehow it missed the salt.

I understand that Super Duper might be aiming high. And it's intentions absolutely comes across. Openly selling brews as well is a great welcome, in addition to the fantastic Straus soft serve. But again, intentions always don't translate to a great experience. I think Super Duper needs just a bit of fine tuning. But they better do it fast. Cause at this price point, you must hit it out...

I've waited years for a Super Duper to open on the peninsula, and this branch does not disappoint.

Very clean, great staff and service, and burgers are as excellent as the Marina and SOMA locations. We love being able to modify burgers to fit dietary restrictions and preferences. I love how I'm reminding of the quality and freshness of the beef patties with every super duper burger I've had.

My standard order: cheeseburger with aged cheddar, extra veggies, jalapeños. sometimes i sub the bun w/ ciabatta keto cheeseburger, extra veggies cheeseburger without veggies (kids' request) fries ice cream shakes or cones

I appreciate them using compostable packaging , stainless steel trays and zero plastics (or as little as possible).

Parking was fine on a recent Saturday around 12:30pm

Manager walked around regularly to check on tables , and gernrally make sure things were running smoothly (I think I even saw him water one of the potted plants outside).

Music playlist on point with a variety of genres, and there were even some Snow Patrol and Duran Duran songs I haven't heard in a while. Oh nostalgia!

[Edited to add - they do in fact have beer and wine, so I guess that'll be included in my order next weekend!] The only thing missing for me is this location does not have beer / wine (which SOMA location has), but it's a small aspect that maybe isn't needed for a large portion of their clientele

Thank you , Super Duper, for making my burger...

The chicken was very chewy. I returned it after the second bite and asked if I could get a mini hamburger instead. The staff was very nice and obliged my request. They get 5 stars for service because of that for sure!

For the burger, the meat patty was really fresh and juicy. It tastes noticeably different from the other popular burger joints in California. That is a good thing, since it makes their burgers unique. The garlic fries were not that great. They were too garlicky and I didn't see any fresh garlic on them. I think they may be using garlic oil or maybe garlic spices, but certainly no fresh garlic, which was another disappointment.

I also discovered that you don't have to pay tip if you order by yourself at the self-order kiosk instead of ordering with a person at the cashier. Not sure why tip is expected in a self-serve burger joint!!! The service is this particular location was really good though with very nice staff, so that more than made up for the weird chicken burger and disappointing garlic fries experience.

Plenty of free street parking and nice residential area in San Mateo with parks and some running mini...