San Diego’s Best Burgers: Slater’s 50/50 Review
Slater’s 50/50 is a growing high-end hamburger chain with a focus on a custom bacon burger. However, this only starts to describe the appeal of Slater’s 50/50. In Fun Diego Family’s quest for the best burger in San Diego, Slater’s 50/50 starts right near the top. Here is our Slater’s 50/50 review.
WEBSITE: https://slaters5050.com/
The first Slater’s 50/50 opened in Anaheim Hills in 2009. We are regulars at both Sam Diego locations, by the airport in Liberty Station and in North County in San Marcos. There are 7 locations in California, one in Hawaii, 1 in Nevada and 2 in Dallas.
One issue is that the original owner, Scott Slater, ran into some issues with over-expansion. In late 2017, Slater’s 50/50 was sold to the Elite Restaurant Group. There are now some major plans to expand the chain and add franchisees.
Our concern is that expansion may mean a decline in quality. We have visited several times since the acquisition and have not really noticed any major changes. There is still usually a large crowd waiting at the Liberty Station location.
The focus at Slater’s 50/50 is on bacon. The 50/50 refers to the core hamburger patty which is 50% ground bacon and 50 50% ground beef. To be honest, I have tried this and it is not my favorite. Luckily Slater’s 50/50 has a lot more options.
My son loves Slater’s 50/50 because you get a sheet where you can customize your burger. You pick your size 1/3 pound, 2/3 pound or a pound. Then you choose your meat. Meats include the 50/50 patty, a Black Canyon Beef Patty, Bison ($3 extra), vegetarian Impossible Burger ($5 more), Turkey, chicken breast or a quinoa patty.
The burgers are on the expensive side starting at $12 for a 1/3 pound, adding $4 for a double or $8 for a triple. This price includes one type of cheese. Additional cheese is $1. For an extra $2 you can top your burger with a variety of types of bacons, a bacon jam, 50/50 sloppy joe or even bacon chili. You can pick from a variety of sauces including bacon ketchup and bacon island.
The burgers come with a choice of French fries, sweet potato fries or a salad. There is also a large selection of custom burgers. This includes a burger of the month, some of which have crazy themes. On the wall by the bathroom you can see past monthly specials. My favorite was the Roo burger. This was a 50/50 patty with kangaroo meat and bacon. It was topped with more bacon, brie, and huckleberry ketchup (no I did not try it). There is also a super spicy burger that you must sign a waiver before being served.
Beyond burgers, there are salads, spaghetti with bacon meatballs, chicken wings, flatbreads, and hot dogs. There is even Nashville hot chicken. Appetizers include a bacon flight. There are milkshakes, including a mint chocolate Guinness shake for the 21+ crowd.
Our most recent visit to Slater’s 50/50 we had to wait for about an hour. There is a large waiting area, including several full-service bars with a huge number of beers on tap. You can also walk across the street to Liberty Public Market while you wait.
What impressed me was that I ordered my burger medium and it actually came out medium. That is a rarity with most places. Considering how busy they were that really said a lot.
Slater’s 50/50 is a great experience and they make some great burgers. Hopefully, as they expand under new ownership the quality will remain. I have hardly made a dent in the menu and hope to try more. Unfortunately, I only get here once a year or so. It is on the expensive side, but I can almost really find a good coupon (like $15 off or 20% off). The main issue is my waistline simply can only afford it as a rare treat.
I just hope Slater’s 50/50 can retain its quality as it expands and becomes more corporate.
UPDATE: Slater’s 50/50 made our list of San Diego’s Top 10 Burgers.
Go here for more of Fun Diego Family’s best burgers in San Diego.
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