Rave Burger Restaurant Review, San Mateo

Rave Burger is a new burger joint that opened October 2008 in downtown San Mateo. We were walking by and decided to give it a try to see how it rated. The provide sit down service in addition to to go food. They tout their Niman Ranch gourmet natural meats with no antibiotics and hormones. Niman ranch was sold so their quality may have changed. They serve hamburgers, vegan burgers, hot dogs, and salads.  We have been to Rave Burger several times over the last year.

Decor, Vibe – Modern clean decor with some nice cartoon wall art, crusty rock music. We ate during lunch and found most people giving the new place a try during their lunch break.

Menu Pictures (Click to zoom on any picture)

Menu

Rave Burger has beef,  chicken fish, and vegetarian burgers with lots of cheese, topping, and sauce options to personalize your burger. Daily specials were Kobe burger, ribs, and more.

Picks:

Western Burger with BBQ Sauce and Onion Rings ($9.89) and found it Good to Very Good.  Cooked to a requested medium rare and covered with good BBQ Sauce. They dish out free home fried potato chips now, which were a bit burned.

Cheeseburger ($6.75) with Natural Niman Ranch Hamburger patty, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Bacon.  They did ask us how we wanted it cooked, which is a good sign. The medium rare burger was of decent size, a tad overcooked for medium rare, and slightly juicy. Big thick sesame bun was almost too fluffy, making the patty look small. Cheese and bacon were fine but not extra special. Fresh condiments, slightly above average meat taste.

Two Chicken Tenders ($4.95 kids) with fries had two nice sized deep fried wonders that should satisfy the kids.

Two Mini Cheeseburgers ($4.95 kids) with garlic fries were good looking sliders with lots of cheese.  Garlic fries had mild garlic and lots of cheese.

OK:

Pear Salad ($6.95) with honey glazed pears, caramelized walnuts, spinach, crumbled bleu cheese, cranberries, served with balsamic vinaigrette dressing is there for non meat eaters.  It was fine but not special.

Pans:
None

Their business at Lunch was pretty busy. Service for refills and ordering was friendly but slow. They also forgot to answer a question that we had asked. The burger reminds me of Burger Joint’s as both use Niman Ranch meats. While this is good stuff, it is not a guarantee of the best burger around. Jack’s Prime and Jeffery’s are a nearby rivals offering similar quality.

Solid food if you are nearby. This is better than the usual fast food joints, but not as good as top places like Burger Bar, Pearls, Custom Burger, or even The Counter. Kid’s menu available.

Overall Rating: (Good)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Good)
Service Rating:	(Above Average)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Good)
Value Rating:	(Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Beer, Wine
Attire:	Casual
Hours:	Sun-Th 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm
Parking:	Street
Reservations:	No
Prices:	$5.89 - $10.89

Related posts:

1. Burger Joint Restaurant Review
2. Godfather’s Burger Lounge Restaurant Review, Belmont
3. Custom Burger Restaurant Review, San Francisco
4. Jack’s Prime Burgers Restaurant Review, San Mateo
5. Urban Burger Restaurant Review, San Francisco