The menu at 1st Street Burger House in Santa Ana offers nearly 20 different hamburgers, some of which differ from the others by merely a single ingredient. Grilled onions versus sliced sweet onions, for example. Or shredded lettuce instead of leaf lettuce. For a slow reader like me, this quickly becomes quicksand. 

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Luckily there’s no one waiting behind me as my eyes bounce from line to line of the menu, struggling to make sure I don’t miss anything. I waffle between the “signature burger” and the “homewrecker” and settle for the latter, less out of conviction than relief of finally having made a decision. The big selling point between the two is the “homewrecker” comes with a half-pound beef patty instead of one-third pound. And it’s not until I’ve finally placed my order that I spot an altogether different burger special on a hand-written sign that also sounds intriguing. But it’s too late for that. I must now sit and wait to see if I made the right call. 

1st Street Burger took over the old Johnny’s Burgers shack a couple years ago. And while the restaurant still maintains a drive-thru, this is not fast food. Nothing here is quick. It’s more like an old-school diner with a mishmash of decor leftover from previous tenants. Ten minutes goes by, and here comes the manager with my burger. As soon as he sets the basket on my table, I know instantly that I did, in fact, make the right call. It’s a beautiful burger, and it smells the way a good burger is meant to smell. The bun glistening from a thin shellacking of butter, it looks messy, but everything is very neatly wrapped. 

The grilled beef tastes of very high quality, the misshapen patty is obviously hand-formed in-house. The garnishes are very retro: iceberg lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, deeply caramelized onions and “special sauce,” which is of course is really just thousand island, and lots of it. This is a really great burger. 

1st Street Burger House

Where: 2029 E. 1st St., Santa Ana

When: Lunch daily

Cost: $8.79

Phone: 714-543-6078

Online: 1street-burgerhouse.com

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