Little Big Burger

The Quest for the Best Burger in Portland – Part 4

Have I forgotten about my Quest for the Best Burger in Portland? No, I haven’t. Like any good quest, there are highs and lows. I took a break from trying some new places simply because we weren’t eating out as much and we were getting used to going to the same places when we craved it.

The Quest began with the Slow Bar–an amazing burger with a crispy onion ring on it. Laurelhurst was a trendy, awesome summer place to get a burger. Toast was quaint, different kind of burger with really great flavor. Foster Burger is a messy, fulfilling burger that is often our “go-to” joint. Gruner? I think it’s getting knocked off the list.

Burger Quest Ranking:

1. Slow Bar

2. Laurelhurst

3. Toast

4. Gruner

5. Foster Burger

We’ve had some burgers lately that were pretty good. East Burn had a deliciously messy burger. Nob Hill Bar and Grill was decent but didn’t make the cut. So which place knocked Gruner off the list? Little Big Burger.

It was a rainy, cold, dreary Sunday afternoon and I’d gotten home from the pool with a craving for anything that wasn’t in our fridge. Nothing sounded appealing so when Michael suggested we got o Little Big Burger, I agreed. I’d never been to LBB before, but I’d seen it in the Pearl District downtown and it seemed really popular. They opened a new restaurant on SE Division so we went to check it out.

It was a cute little place and it had a Five Guys feel to it–the kitchen was out in the open and you could watch your meal being prepared. I also like how simple the menu was. 6 items. Simple. Satisfying.

The other cool thing–they are tiny burgers! They are about the size of a slider on a brioche bun. I loved how small they were. They were definitely my size–big enough to be satisfying but not as big as a regular burger that could potentially be over 1,000 calories.

Michael and I split one order fries. The fries and the slider were the perfect amount of food. I enjoyed everything about the burger and the fries were crispy and cooked in Truffle oil. Yum! So, sorry Gruner. Little Big Burger is taking over.

New Burger Quest Ranking:

1. Slow Bar

2. Laurelhurst

3. Toast

4. Foster Burger

5. Little Big Burger

If you ever visit Portland, I recommend trying one of the above restaurants–even if you’re not craving a cheeseburger and fries. Since lunch was fulfilling, we were good and had a lighter dinner that night–from the fridge too.

QUESTION: What’s your go-to food when you’re not really feeling cooking at home?