Crazee Burger
4201 30th St. (North Park)
619-282-6044
Happy Hour: 3 to 6 p.m., daily, with the addition of 9 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Come On Get Happy! | Dr. Ink
When manning the grill once at a backyard barbecue I asked a friend what he wanted on his burger. He answered, “A cold beer. And hold the onions.”
As many like him will agree, serving burgers without the suds is as sacrilege as nibbling from a gourmet cheese board sans a glass of wine. The folks at Crazee Burger obviously understand this, per their daily happy hour when prices on all draft beers are slashed from $4.99 to $2.99 and various burgers drop to $4 or less. And for the amateur wino who occasionally wanders into this slightly kicked-out but welcoming joint, the bargains include a few so-so wines by the glass for $3.99 each.
The afternoon happy hour technically runs from 3 to 6 p.m., although it’s posted on the large chalkboard as 2:23 to 6:17 p.m. An employee told me that it gives the staff some wiggle room to start a little earlier and end a bit later based on how many customers are hanging around. Crazee Burgers caters also to 30th Street night crawlers on the weekends, offering the same food and drink deals from 9 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The tap selection, chalked legibly on the board, features brews by Stone, Avery, Green Flash and other low-commercial craft choices. Their listings conveniently note alcohol percentages and whether the beers are served in 13- or 16-ounce glasses. Regardless of volume, they remain locked in at $2.99.
Ours were 16 ounces, a meekly cloudy Thunderweizen German “hefe” by Lightning Brewery in Poway for my cohort and a Czech-style Nomad Pilsner from Denver’s Great Divide Brewery for me. The honey tones that beer aficionados have described in Nomad weren’t so evident, though the beer’s distinct herbal flavor duly compensated. On this muggy late afternoon, we were thankful that our choices were well carbonated and served cold enough to trigger brain freeze.
The abbreviated burger menu features veggie, turkey and Angus options. I chose the latter, which I’m guessing was a third-pounder. Priced at only $2.99, the meat was lean, decently charred and lightly seasoned, exactly the way it would slide off my own spatula.
My tag-along chose a plump Polish sausage for the same price, which included a mound of fluffy sauerkraut cooked seemingly with an Eastern European touch. For an extra $2.49, we kept a basket of “frings” nearby featuring a combo of sweet potato fries and hefty onion rings.
Crazee Burger cranks out more than 30 different types of burgers, some made from uncommon meats such as kangaroo, alligator and ostrich. All are available at regular prices during happy hour, should you decide to splurge a little extra for a walk on the wild side.
RATINGS
Drinks: 4
In addition to nearly 12 craft beer choices from local and national breweries, the list extends also to specialty ciders and a few wine choices.
Food: 5
A variety of flame-grilled burgers take center stage, although other discounted food includes bratwurst, Polish sausage, pork loin sandwiches and wonderfully crunchy onion rings.
Value: 5
Pretty much anything you eat and drink here is under $5.
Service: 4
The employees are adept at multi-tasting as they take customer orders at the counter, pour beer and deliver the goods to your table.
Duration: 5
The daily afternoon happy hour repeats a second time on Friday and Saturday evenings, which means you can essentially eat, drink and go home for a nap, and then return at nighttime to try a different beer and burger.
