B3

I’ve lived in SF for 18 months, this is the best lunch I’ve had since moving.
Chili, biscuits, beers — perfect.

Worst restaurant experience I’ve had in the city. I ordered a burger medium-​rare, and half an hour later, got a mercilessly overcooked hockey puck of meat THAT WAS SPOILED.
When I sent it back, the waitress (who clearly means well and is just trying to do her job — it’s not her fault she works at a piece-​of-​shit restaurant) was appalled and apologized profusely. But then, the owner came over and tried to browbeat me into believing that actually, the meat wasn’t bad, I just didn’t know how natural, grass-​fed beef smelled, and he’d be happy to give me another one.
Please. I mean, think about this for a second. If I just took a bite of rotten hamburger, what do you think is the last freakin’ thing in the world I want now? Another rotten hamburger I have to wait another half an hour for, that’s what. The real kicker is that after all of this, the guy didn’t have the decency to take my order off the check. This used to be a reliable spot to grab a decent burger and fries, but it is clearly not benefiting from the change in ownership.

Easy spot to grab wine without commotion before embarking on more ambitious plans. I want a burger here next.

Ginger beer & a burger with onions and goat cheese… not too shabby. Add a basket of fries with truffled sea salt and there you go, you flew too close to the Sun. Don’t do it. Just stick with the burger.

The burger was money. Expensive, but money. I tried to rationalize this by sharing half with my girlfriend. But then I ended up eating half of my boyfriends burger. Oops. You might want to get one burger to yourself.
Wines are also reasonably priced and pretty tasty. Note that their menu is pretty limited.

B3 has an identity crisis. Is it a wine bar? no hardly. burger place? not really. brunch? sort of.
We came for brunch. My dining partner liked his burger with bourbon brown sugar bacon but he was not in love with it $ 12. Since higher end places like Marlowe’s in SOMA make burgers now too at the same price, you need to consider either reducing the price or improve the taste/​quality.
The beer selection is fairly extensive and well priced. As a vegetarian this place is disappointing (*I live in The Mission, there is a large population of vegetarians and vegans here DUH), there were two things on the menu. I ordered the waffle, sort of disappointing. It reminded me of the last waffle I ate at the hotel, the Hampton Inn– at the free waffle buffet. We easily dropped $ 45 for brunch at a subpar. Won’t be rushing back here anytime soon.
B3 would make a better pub then restaurant since the beer menu is pretty amaze, but the food was lame.

After a bit of a rocky start, it’s good to see that B3 has continued to improve. They’ve got three things going for them. First, they open early on weekdays — 11 a.m. If hunger strikes a bit earlier than usual and you’ve got a hankering for a burger or mussels, you’ve got your place. Second, a good wine and beer selection. They’ve got a few house beers, which are nice, the usual SF sine qua nons (e.g., Racer 5), and a good wine selection. According to the manager that was running the floor last time I was there, they’re rolling out a series of Wine Master and beer tastings in the next few weeks, which should be fun. Their staff seems to have a good grasp on the wines they serve and will steer you in the right direction.
Foodwise, I’ve only had the burgers and truffle fries. The truffle fries are great; the first burger I had there was a bit on the dry side, but the Mission Burger on my last trip was excellent. Like most things in life, make sure your understanding of what «Medium» or «Medium Rare» mean matches the restaurant’s; a lot of reviews I’ve read center around miscommunication on that front.
All in all, a fun place on the upswing and a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Make sure you specify how you really like your burger because ‘medium’ means rare and after a 2^nd try the same requested ‘medium’ then became well done.
Such a nice waitress but the kitchen seems to struggle to grasp some burger basics.
My friend liked his pulled pork sandwich, no issues with the meat being prepared properly ;)
I can’t brag that I’d return, especially after dropping $ 25 for lunch each.
It’s a nice enough place with a decent menu (albeit spendy). Not to worry but if I’m choosing to pay premium for a burger, it’s pretty simple:
I want a premium burger.

It was a bit disconcerting that service was glacially slow even though the floor was not overwhelmed, they were at about 30% capacity. I could chalk that one up to growing pains, especially since the people serving were generally likeable and not entirely brusque.
Awkward interior, nice from the street. Looked quite inviting, really, but inside it feels as if the space overwhelmed the designers. Unfinished looking, you feel exposed as you try to relax.
Had a simple beer. Burger: ho chi minh. Do not eat the tomato, just awful, frankenstein-​monsanto-​cardboard-​ish. for the price, the condiments should SING, not taste like they fell off a safeway truck in the tenderloin. Burger itself? good, not awesome. With all the options out there for a patty-​phile in the bay area, they need to step up the ingredient quality and the flavor. A better bun. organic, local greens, etc.
The patty itself, the raison d’etre, was just a little unforgiveably bland, and i ordered rare and got medium. I hear this is an issue at this establishment. More attentive kitchen staff seems like the way to go. Do i have to order ‘bleu’ to get rare? However fun selections make up for the blandness. And wine selections make it interesting. But it’s way too pricy for ‘OK’.
Maybe there’s a future if they can get everything working together.

I’ve now been here a few times more,
A note about the burgers: the meat is high-​quality, but do know that if you order something «medium,» it will be practically raw. The burgers here are exceptionally rare, to the point where it’s actually hard to keep them from falling apart in your hands while eating them.
I feel ground beef is meant to be cooked (no matter how high-​quality it is), it’s not a steak. Medium should mean medium.

I came to B3 as part of a Burger Club I am a part of.
Immediately the Guillermo burger called to me. It had Manchego, Bourbon Brown Sugar Bacon and a Fried Egg and was $ 14.
I ordered my burger medium rare and it came out done medium well. There was absolutely no pinkness to my burger. I decided not to be a pain and eat it. I was not a fan. My friend ordered her burger medium rare as well and it actually came out medium rare. My burger was less than spectacular but hers was much much better. I am basing this review on her burger. It was a great assembly of different tastes.
They also had a great selection of beers which is always a plus for a burger place.
I tried some of the foie gras burger and wasn’t that impressed. It was also really expensive at $ 20+

This is more support for a restaurant who is just getting off the ground in an expensive overhead city.
It is ALSO to combat the low rating from VEGETARIANS who complain because a BURGER restaurant isn’t giving them what they want.
As a sister of a die-​hard vegetarian I understand the frustration of going to restaurants and always having to order the butternut squash ravioli.
But going to a BURGER restaurant– someplace that specializes in meat– and complaining that their seemingly several options they offer you (even GF) aren’t good enough.
There are so many specialty eating orders (or disorders) I would imagine it would be hard for every restaurant to cater to them all.
Kudos to B3 for offering several options for all.

4 stars for some decent sized burgers and some good beers
3^rd stop of grub crawl on 10−26−10
I was told we were going to get all a mini burger there was bout 12 – 14 of us, but it seems we got lucky and the staff provided us with all full size burgers for the grub crawl event, for the most part I will have to come back and try one of there signature burgers but on a whole the ones that every person was provided was a lil different some had different cheeses some sharp some light, toppings were of the norm, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, onions and fries on the side, there beer selection was nice alot of choices also they had wine for the ladies haha
for a nite out in the city and also for a filling meal I will definitely have to revisit this spot and try another personalized if not signature burgers and one of there off the wall beers
food **** shared burger with my wife cheeses were different but taste was decent, would have been better if you choose your own, but for a set menu this would be one of the highlight spots for «grubcrawl»
price set menu (GRUBCRAWL)
service **** definitely friendly, helpful
ambiance **** super loud, lil dark, got a good feel to it when you walk in
definitely would come back for a customer if not signature burger

After five forgiving visits to B3, I have decided to never go back. At first I was excited by their impressive local wine selection and their pretty good (but expensive) brunch. I was even willing to excuse the terribly fake and inattentive service for their make your own mimosa menu.
But then each time i went back, there was one less thing on the menu. And then the prices went up, and the service somehow, got worse. Then the ($ 20) burger tasted like a white castle burger (NOT a good thing in my book) and the kitchen was flooded (you have to pass the kitchen to get to the bathrooms and there were dishtowels set out to lead you to the bathrooms-​gross. And when I glanced in the kitchen, the cook was sopping wet– I wont ask), and the cherry on top of the sundae– They have gone and done away with their brunch, because they don’t have «proper refrigeration» DOUBLE GROSS.
All that: poor service, poor organization, poor plumbing, and gross burgers has left me needing to slam what could have been a really promising establishment.

I really wanted to like B3, and there are many things to like. First off, they have a great beer and wine selection. I had a delicious stout and my date had some yummy organic beer. Second, the atmosphere is chill but stylish (OK, except for the god awful grape paintings on the wall) with Oak barrels sprinkled here and there and low lighting with many rich browns and blacks. Also, the French fries were crispy and satisfying with their home-​made ketchup.
But the kicker (as it is with so many restos in this city) was the mediocre veg selection. The two options sounded delish, and not only were they veg, they were in fact vegan. Yet, they seriously lacked in execution. The beet and black bean veggie burger was flavorless and mushy (was hoping for something resembling the stellar beet burger at the Plant Café), and the mushroom sandwich bafflingly managed to taste odd and unappealing. I could seriously eat mushrooms for every meal of every day and be a very happy camper, but this was just somehow funky tasting. Perhaps it was the insane load of limp onions on the sandwich, or the lack of salt or much seasoning of any type on the mushrooms, or perhaps they just weren’t the right mushrooms for such a sandwich. No matter what it was, the sandwich and the veggie burger needed some tweaking.
This is an open letter to all omni restaurant owners in the city: just because it’s vegetarian doesn’t mean vegetarians will enjoy it! Did you put this food in your mouth before you put it on your menu? Did it taste good? If the answer is no, go back to the kitchen and adjust it. If you don’t want to put it in your mouth and figure out how to make it good for anyone (not just vegetarians who are forced to eat it), you can hire me to do it! Why isn’t this a job??? I will gladly go to any restaurant in the city willing to hire me (for a negotiable hourly fee) to taste any veggie options, analyze and offer suggestions for optimum execution. Everybody wins!
The moral of this story is, put it in your mouth! or mine. Everyone will be happier if you do.

As a foodie, I think it’s always good to have options. Which is why I highly recommend B3 — short for Bottles, Burgers, and Bites — the first Mission speakeasy serving… well, if you haven’t figured out by now, don’t ask. B3 introduces you to a variety underground cult wines you didn’t know existed and throwing in some gourmet burgers for good measure. There are a dozen-​plus burger toppings, running from pan-​seared foie gras to house-​cured pancetta and a fried egg. You also have two options for happy hour each night: either from 3 to 6 o’clock or from 10pm to midnight. Both are your chance for a bottle of wine and two burgers for the price of two burgers.
I went, however, to check out the other B — brunch, which I overheard was amazing. The bourbon vanilla french toast was exquisite. And coming from a savory breakfast eater, I highly enjoyed the sweet. Also, the basic breakfast was well done. I’ve had my share of eggs, bacon, toast and potatoes, but this was something else — it was perfectly cooked — a simple treat I will definitely go back for more.
So if you enjoy brunch options like myself, check out Bottles, Brunch and Bourbon-​brown sugar bacon — a different set of cubed B’s you can stand behind.

Craving a burger and a new restaurant experience, the BF and I gave B3 happy hour a try this Saturday afternoon.
Happy hour = $ 1 dollar off beers and free fries. Sounded great to us!
BF tried the burger with brown sugar bacon and cheddar cheese. I had a burger with a fried egg. Service was friendly and pleasant and well-​informed.
So we got our burgers, mine was good, needed salt. No salt to be had and I didn’t want to insult anyone so I ate without. Egg was cooked well and my burger was medium-​rare, as I ordered it. BF’s was better seasoned, probably on account of the salty bacon (bacon is real good), but not cooked to order (more medium than medium rare). The buns aren’t my favorite, kinda bland and could have been toasted more. They must make their own ketchup because it was nice and smoky flavored. The fries are good but we only got a small sad looking handful each. I know they were free but come on– give me more than what’s on the bottom of the fryer…
We were mostly contented until we got the bill. What started out as a $ 10 burger, quickly gets up to a $ 16 one when you start adding toppings, which range from $ 1 to $ 3 or $ 4. For $ 16, I’ll have a burger at Nopa or Slow Club or someplace one tier up.
Bottom line, the place is cool, beers were tasty but it wasn’t good enough for me to go back. If burgers are going to be your thing, you have to do them really really well. And we don’t think B3’s are worth another visit. But I wish the restaurant luck and maybe we’ll try brunch!

For the last 2 months I have been on a burger binge. For absolutely no reason, I’ve had an uncontrollable urge to stuff myself with simple, raw, beefy goodness, and both my friends and my figure have begun to take notice.
And just a few days ago, when I thought the cravings had died down, I stumbled upon B3, the Mission’s new burger-​focused restaurant located a mere 2 blocks from my front door. After my first bite, I knew this restaurant was created purely to destroy me.
If you want the full explanation as to why, read my full-​blown article at
(I can’t post the link, otherwise this review will be taken down).
But, if you don’t want to read the whole story, just know that B3 is serving up the best burgers in the Mission (next to Bar Tartine, which is a completely different dining experience). Grass-​fed beef, high-​quality toppings from local sources, and just enough selection to offer something for everyone.
The only problem is this kind of quality comes at a price, and a burger with standard toppings will cost you anywhere from $ 12-​$ 20.
That said, for a burger of this caliber, it’s worth the price.

Bottles, Burgers, and Bites oh my!
BOTTLES: The wine bar in the back of the restaurant features a lengthy list of wines that you can purchase by the taste, glass, or bottle. The selection of beer bottles was more limited. We tried the Summer Wheat Ale that was light, refreshing, and a little sweet ($ 5).
BURGERS: I was jonesing for a homemade Veggie Burger but no luck. They did have Grilled Veggies and Cheese options though. A Beef Burger will set you back ($ 10) and then you can bling out your burger with everything from a Fried Petaluma Egg ($ 1) to Foie Gras ($ 10).
BITES: I tried the Mixed Greens Salad which came with slices of Black Mission Figs and shavings of Gruyère Cheese tossed in a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette ($ 8). It was fine but a little overdressed. We also tried the Sausage Plate where you pick 2 sausages from 6 options ($ 16). The Chicken Dijon and the Sicilian Pork with Provolone and Peppers were both packed with herbs and flavor but unfortunately overgrilled and dry. The White Beans that came with were nicely cooked but the Braised Broccoli Rabe on the plate was simply cooked so still pretty bitter. Next time we’ll save room for those yummy looking onion rings!
I’m adding a 4^th B to B3.
BREAK: As in give ‘em one! B3 just opened so of course there are some kinks. They completely forgot our order and one server wanted to comp us some Humphry Slocombe Dulce de Leche ice cream for the delay (yes please!) while the other brought us the check without asking if we wanted dessert. However the staff was friendly, apologetic, and proactive about trying to make things right so I’m optimistic that they’ll get into their groove soon.
In the meantime, I’ll stop in to check out their happy hour and grab a glass of wine!

Excellent service from the sweet hostesses to the jolly server. Nice list of wines at extremely reasonable prices. Enjoyed the Forlorn Hope Petite Syrah with my delicious burger. Of course. we also got the Kennebec fries with truffle salt… yum.
I dig the friendly and low key atmosphere. Def will be back for the sausage plate and the white sangria!