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Nessy Burgers is Good Burgers (top 2 of SD)
When I was a kid I was enchanted by Nessy, the Loch Ness monster, as well as UFOs, Bigfoot, Ghosts, the paranormal, and Aztec sacrifices.
I am happy, among other reasons, that Nessy Burger, the North San Diego burger eatery that people love, has little maps of Loch Ness and small newspaper clippings about the Loch Ness Monster.
I don't know why. Maybe it's because it's so esoteric? Maybe it seems heartfelt, rather than a marketing ploy, for some reason. Like something personal and meaningful is behind it.
Whatever the reason these people make a kickass cheeseburger, tied in my opinion with Rocky's cheeseburger for best in San Diego. Why are both the most uncomfortable places to eat at in the city I don't know. (Rocky's is a tiny bar in PB packed with open-mouthed frat boys and other assorted white people watching golf on their 10 million sports channel flat panel tvs).
Nessy is a stand on the side of the road, next to a gas station.
You have to eat at one of the laminated tables (is that the right word?), linoleum? Laminated? And usually have to share with someone, or eat it in your car. I ate mine standing outside the car.
They use good meat for their burgers, and season it lightly, but perceptibly. You can taste their cheese, and they have a special thousand island type sauce, and ketchup, and onions, and tomato, all freshly cut, that add up to be one of the best tasting cheeseburgers you will ever have.
Again, I'm pissed about food blogs and food writing that usually just say: this meal was excellent, very tasty.
But what can you say? Their burgers are damn tasty, well cooked, they taste like a burger should, hot off the grill, etc. Eating them is like experiencing a sudden chill of inspiration, a sublime intensity that stays with you for years, one of those moments you can't shake off lightly, one that keeps you going back to see if you can recapture it and you can.
They also serve the burger upside-down for some reason, or have every time I've been there, I mean the bun is upside-down, the burger is sitting on the top part and the bottom part is on top. You get it.
You need to eat them as soon as you can.
The place is usually packed with Mexican laborers, truck drivers, red faced fat white guys with Ford F600 trucks hauling their stupid Off Road Vehicles to the desert, and a few tourists who just happened to eat there.
It's a jaunt from San Diego. It's about 40 mins. up the highway 15 (North, duh) from SD, right at the junction with the 76 (which is what you take to go to Pala Casino so you can inhale second hand smoke and lose all your money to corporations posing as being helpful for the Native Americans).
Their burger is like $4-5. Their fries aren't that great, however, but the burger more than makes up for them.
They are closed during holidays and Sundays, and don't have a phone as far as I can tell.
Open 7-7 M-F and 9-4 Sats.
I think they take cash only, though there is a ripoff ATM (charges you "fee" of $2 and your bank charges you $2 too) at the gas station.
Located:
Take 15 North, take 76 exit, go left (the Mobil gas station is visible from here as it's the only thing around), you can park in the big parking lot and walk to Nessy and get in line.
Enjoy.
-George
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