Hammer Burger — Restaurant in Santa Ana

LIFE CHANGING BURGERS.

This place has been on my bookmarks for quite some time and I finally had a chance to stop by. Located near the somewhat busy 4th Street, this place is a hidden gem.

Once you walk in and just a short step to the right you'll be in line to order food at the register. To your left is bar seating. To your right is a bunch of indoor seating.

We glanced at the menu and ordered the following: Chili Cheese Fries, Fried Pickles, Shoestring Fries, and a Spicy Smash.

Here's how they tasted:

Chili Cheese Fries: The fries itself was good, but I was not a fan of the cheese. I guess beer cheese on fries is not my cup of tea. The chili wasn't bad, it had a nice little kick to it. Some of it was crunchy which I liked. The portion is very large.

Fried Pickles: Good, but could be better. Large pickle chips lightly battered.

Shoestring Fries: These were good. You can't go wrong with plain fries. I dipped them in the Hammer Sauce and Jalapeno Ranch.

Spicy Smash: This burger was amazing. I got it triple and probably could have gotten away with getting a quad. Flattened patties with cheese, onions, jalapenos, and sauce between two little buns. It tasted so freaking good.

Parking wasn't so bad as I managed to get a spot on 4th Street within a good walking distance. Most of the spots are metered.

Service was excellent. We were greeted as we entered and the woman taking our order was extremely nice.

I'm going...

Food - well, mostly burgers and they do a great job at it, but also they do have a few non- beef based items as well. But hell, you come to joints like this coz you are a closet burger connoisseur! And I am indeed imho. And to date, have been looking for smash type burgers and this joint certainly does it for me! I ordered the spicy smash as is. Comes with 2 patties and this smash is uniquely its own as it leaves the patties smashed like a car ran over it, albeit a definitely great and unique feature that sets it apart from other smashes. And the bun is tender soft! All in all a great burger!! Also had skinny fries and side of chili. Fries were good and chili was as well.

Service - order at the counter and get a buzzer. But even with the buzzer, they deliver to your table! Very friendly folks too!!! Can't say anything less with my experience!

Ambiance - it's a great hangout place for a burger and they also have a small bar place on the side as this place also offers spirits.

Area - it's in the heart of downtown Santa Ana and street metered Park Mobile enabled app pay parking.

Verdict - in a word, smashing! Price is slightly more but for a handcrafted burger, ain't so bad! Most definitely a must try and possibly a...

Stopped in here with seeing this place listed on a best burger competition. After trying many of the items on the menu I can see why they were in competition for best burger. Is Hammer Burger the best burger I've had in Orange County? In SoCal? Ever? Yes, yes it probably is.

On our first visit here I tried the Classic burger and my friend had the limited time Butter burger. Now I've had smash burgers before at restaurants and I've made smash burgers at home but these at Hammer Burger are something special. The patties are smashed literally paper thin causing a beautiful maillard reaction which leaves them with a crispy crust. We also got sides of fried pickles and onion rings, both were exceptional. The fried pickles had just the right amount of flavorful batter and the onion rings are beer battered with a perfect crunch. They also have a sauce bar here and it's not your boring ketchup squeeze bottle, they have ranch, jalapeno ranch, garlic aioli, white bbq sauce, their house Hammer sauce and the most amazing hot sauce, so amazing that I had to buy a bottle to take home.

We loved it here so much that I had to grab and try the spicy burger and sweet potato fries to go home. We will be back here many...