Quotes Optional: Thai “Burger” Company in Clairemont

Recently I’ve been on the fence the it comes to food smash ups. What I thought was once was a cool, must-try dish now seems to act as a lure for diners who are looking for the next hot thing. That’s where I stand with Thai Burger Company, Home of the Original Rice Burger.

I’ve been passing by this ramshackle of a shopping center to and from the dog park and noticed late last year a sign above an abandoned shop for Thai Burger Company. Quick internet sleuthing pointed to an Oceanside-based food truck planning to set up a brick and mortar. My life consists of countless trips to and from the dog park, and one day I noticed it finally opened and stopped in.

It’s snug shop with barely enough room to fit four people without door seating. It’s next to a salon so the long tables appear to be dedicated to the restaurant. Per it’s name, the main attraction are their Thai burgers. There’s the popular classic Thai pork burger (my choice) plus three others: chicken satay, fried tofu and panang curry priced at $6 per a “burger.” Despite the name, you won’t find fries here. Instead there’s a choice of shrimp, calamari or imitation crab balls served on sticks plus fried tofu or chicken pot stickers. If you’re looking to grab a deal, any rice burger, appetizer and soda is offered for $11.

Once the order is placed, they set to making the buns by taking two scoops of rice and forming flat discs. The chopped pork is handled the same way and cooked on a top grill. Be prepared to wait: it took about 20 minutes to get my Thai pork burger.

The product is exactly what you expect: a pork patty dressed with a soy-tinged sauce all squeezed between two rice “buns.” Delicious and works as a handheld I suppose. Since there’s only meat and rice, I’d like to see some sort of pickled veggies on the burger. I recommend staying away from holding the “burger” without the paper wrapper to keep your hands clean.

Thai Burger Company
3520-A1 Ashford St
San Diego, CA 92111