North Tahoe’s Best Burgers

STORY & PHOTOS BY KAYLA ANDERSON

Spindleshanks’ Western Style Burger

EDITOR’S NOTE: Kayla Anderson revisits her three-part series from 2018 on Tahoe and Truckee’s Best Burgers. Read the first series at TheTahoeWeekly.com.

Now is the season for hiking, biking, boating, paddling and sitting on the beach. After a day in the Tahoe sun, you crave a big ‘ole juicy burger. Thanks to our readers who shared with us their favorite burgers via social media, I was able to try out some new ground-beef sandwiches — and a vegan counterpart.

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This friendly restaurant at Old Brockway Golf Course in Tahoe Vista provided a much-needed escape from construction traffic. Thanks to a tip posted by a reader on The Tahoe Weekly’s Facebook page, I learned that not only is Spindleshanks open for lunch, but serves a nice variety of burgers, as well. I ordered the Western Style Burger as recommended and the 2-inch-tall burger came out complete with onion rings, melted cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and house-made barbecue sauce, complemented by pickles and thick-cut fries on the side. I bit into the lovely-looking burger; the barbeque sauce was sweet and tangy, the onion rings perfectly crispy and not too heavy. The well-done, thick patty meant that I tasted the burger in every bite and thick slices of bacon brought it all together. | spindleshankstahoe.com

Char-Pit is conveniently found on the east end of Kings Beach on the main drag. Based on the smell alone, you know it’s a burger joint. Around since 1962, it offers a variety of quarter-pound and half-pound patties in different combinations. Inside, a few employees were hovering around a grill in an open-air kitchen flipping burgers and dressing them up as a big orange flame shot up occasionally. The burger came out smelling incredible, consisted of a fresh-baked, sesame-seed bun topped with avocado, bacon, onion, tomato, mustard, dill pickles, mayo, lettuce and a lightly charred beef patty. | @Char-Pit

While participating in the 18th annual B4BC Skate the Lake, I decided to switch it up a bit and order the vegan burger at 22 Bistro in the Village at Palisades Tahoe about halfway into my trek. I didn’t want to eat something too heavy before pushing the last 10 miles on my skateboard. The vegan patty made of quinoa, black beans and roasted beets was slipped onto toasted sourdough bread with lettuce, tomato, grilled balsamic onions and 22 sauce. It looked like a sandwich, but maybe to hold the contents together more easily. The patty had the consistency of shepherd’s pie, but my appreciation of the burger had a lot to do with the fact that I like beets a lot. The bartender said that it’s good with avocado and cheese, too. | 22bistro.com

My favorite burger in North Lake Tahoe is still an Inclined Burger at Inclined Burgers and Brews in Incline Village, Nev., but I’m always open to suggestions about what to try next. | inclinedburgersandbrew.com n

Kayla shares her favorite South Shore picks in our next edition.

Amigo | Village Pub Carnelian Burger | CB’s Bistro Farm House Lamb Burger | Fat Cat Bar & Grill The Rocky Mountain Elk Burger | Bridgetender Tavern and Grill The Southwest Burger | The Grid Bar & Grill

Cajun Blackened Burger | Jax at the Tracks The Dirty Bird | Burger Me

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Visit Cedar House Pub this summer for comfort food with a gourmet twist, refreshing specialty drinks, and mountain-casual indoor and outdoor seating at Granlibakken Tahoe Resort.

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