Hearty pub fare and a come-as-you are atmosphere

By Frank Sabatini Jr. | SDUN Food Critic

Just south of Old Town’s hubbub is an unassuming little tavern (or pub, if you will) called Bergie’s, where beer, burgers and other standout dishes land under the chins of a diverse patronage.

From the outside, Bergie’s gives the impression of a festive watering hole that you might encounter on some off-road in Cabo San Lucas, its humble exterior defined by Corona banners and a couple of neon signs. Just inside, a large chalkboard greets you with a riot of beer choices—Black Rascal, Hess Select, Arrogant Bastard and the 100-plus-year-old Pabst Blue Ribbon (which evokes fond memories of bowling with a buzz right after I turned legal). A smattering of wine is also available, and Julian hard cider was just added to the lineup. But the hearty food offerings speak loudest to beer.

I visited with a friend who recently became a condo dweller a few blocks away. He’d raved about the salads and Bergie’s fine, homemade dressings. The “man salad,” for instance, mingles fresh organics (from Specialty Produce) with a choice of meats such as chicken tenders, Philly-style cheese steak or a chopped-up bacon cheeseburger—a complete meal for those who can’t live on veggies alone. Clinching the deal is a terrific, sweet-citrus, lemon-caper dressing that I sampled on the side with a different salad. (I wasn’t feeling manly enough to kick off our feast with this particular salad.)

We instead chose “the wedge,” which breaks the cliché of iceberg lettuce with leafy boats of romaine. Sun-dried tomatoes also appear in the scheme, and the standard blue cheese dressing that tends to get “milked” down everywhere else passes the purity test here. It’s creamy and robust and demands that you spring for an order of Buffalo chicken wings.

These diverge from their classic character via a seasoned, somewhat salty batter. They’re soft rather than crispy, peppery rather than tangy, but satisfying nonetheless, especially when dredged in the blue cheese.

Owner Mike Berg is no stranger to appeasing the palates of those on the hunt for casual grub. He grew up with his parents running a restaurant in Avila Beach, Calif., and he later did the cooking for Old Mission Beach Athletic Club’s Road Kill Café. For Bergie’s, he’s upped the ante with quality ingredients, such as grass-fed Angus for the burgers, seasonal produce for the salads and Bread & Cie rolls used even for the bacon-wrapped hotdogs on the menu.

The burgers find their place among the “best of the best” in San Diego, although don’t let the sight of flames from the semi-open kitchen fool you into thinking they’re charbroiled. The fires are reserved for chicken, while the beef patties get slapped onto an adjoining griddle.

My friend opted for the double bacon cheeseburger, an artery bruiser by all accounts,reeking of fatty goodness and flavor. The bacon topping is like a burger in itself, a tangle of crispy strips taking the shape of a puck. Since he was barely able to get his hands around the whole thing, we couldn’t imagine the girth of Bergie’s triple burgers. I chose a single third-pounder and found it juicier and cleaner tasting than the famous burgers at Hodad’s and Rocky’s—and the service that comes with it is exceedingly more personable, too.

Vegetarians and pescatarians an take refuge with either a chipotle-infused black bean patty or a salmon burger. The menu also extends to pizza with a myriad choice of toppings, as well as a Chicago-style deep dish pie that ranks as the most expensive item in the house ($21.99) and feeds up to four.

From the sandwich category we tried the “chicken Philly,” which had us easily forgetting about the traditional chipped beef used in these hoagies. The chicken was tender and chunky and the peppers and onions perfectly sautéed. By default, we ended up with American cheese, although sticklers of Cheese Whiz (and steak) can request those instead.

The unpretentious vibe and good eats at Bergies attract a sundry crowd. We witnessed young couples with kids, average goes looking for a cold beer and a well-heeled couple who settled comfortably into the tavern atmosphere. Berg seems to know everyone, and if there was a welcome mat placed at the entrance of this Old Town outpost, it would likely read, “Come as you are.”