Coming up strong as a leading contender for local burger fame is Carmen’s Burger Bar (1612 Terrace, Santa Rosa. 707-579-3663). Located near Pacific Market, neighbors caught onto Carmen’s charm quickly, packing the shoe-box-sized restaurant with kids and families and ensuring a 10 to 20 minute wait most evenings.
Top honors at Carmen’s goes to the Triplets ($10.50): Three small burgers, each with a different flavor–cheddar with bacon, nothin’ at all, and blue-cheese. Though the small patties can sometimes suffer from overcooking on really busy nights, in general the mini burgs are cute as a bug, and quite a bit tastier. Homemade milkshakes (which I think top the ones at Gayle’s) are a required add-on, along with shoe-string fries.
