Seattle Burger Review: Scooter’s Burgers succeeds amid stiff competition

I’m on a mission to find the best burger in the city of Seattle. I travel to various burger joints within city limits and rate the establishment’s most popular burger on a scale of 1-10. Of all the measures I use, taste is most important. 

Scooter’s Burgers was a much-requested location, so I decided to venture to the only location in Ballard. I immediately took note of the configuration of the dining area. A huge menu with large letters covers the wall, leaving little confusion to what they offer. Directly below is a station that hosts hand sanitizer, your choice of Tabasco sauce or Heinz salt vinegar, seasoning packets, and utensils. The layout couldn’t be more convenient. 

Their best seller is the bacon cheese deluxe burger. It comes with scooter sauce (Thousand Island), shredded lettuce, pickles, tomato, bacon, and onions by request. It’s a thin, wide beef patty served on a sesame-seed bun with American cheese.  

The menu at Scooter’s Burgers. (Tom Amato, KTTH)

This burger does many things right and few things wrong. Albeit thin, the patty is charred and crispy with some flavor to it. Not a ton of juice, but the Thousand Island spread does enough to keep it … well … that one word that begins with the letter M.

The bacon is on the chewy side, and some bites were flat-out tough. That might be an anomaly, but back-molar use could be crucial.  

Pioneer Square’s BRGR is your typical ‘bar burger’

The vegetables were fresh enough and the sesame seed bun kept it all together. The fries were a good complement, salted well and tasty to mix in.

It will cost you $8.49 and an extra $2.29 for a small fries. It’s filling, so you’re getting your money’s worth. Scooter’s is unique because it’s one of the only, true local burger joints in the area, as most other stops in Ballard have alternate locations in Seattle.

To see Scooter’s still succeeding in an area housing 8oz Burger, Giddy Up Burgers, Red Mill, and others is a compliment to the eatery. They also have a wide variety of sandwiches and, supposedly, a pretty good milkshake.  

Biggest strength(s): Sauce, charred meat, size 

Biggest weakness(s): Tough bacon, “wow” factor 

If you’re hungry, Scooter’s Burgers in Ballard will hit the spot. However, it doesn’t separate itself from the pack of quality burgers in the city.

I’ll give the bacon cheese burger a 7/10.  

What do you think of their burger? Where should I go next? Tweet me, @TommAmato on Twitter.  

Past reviews: 8 Oz Burger (7.5/10), Little Big Burger (8/10), Uneeda Burger (5/10), Li’l Woody’s (7/10), CaliBurger (6/10), ShakeShack (8/10), Red Robin (7/10), BurgerMaster (4/10), Sam’s Tavern (7.5/10), Great State Burger (6.5/10), Zippy’s Giant Burgers (8/10), Red Mill (7.5/10), Henry’s Tavern (Bellevue) (9/10), Impossible Burger (1/10), Katsu Burger (7.5/10), Rain City Burgers (6/10), BRGR Bar (7/10), Kidd Valley (7/10), Loretta’s Northwesterner 5/10.