Burgers, Burgers and more Burgers!!

Chicken Philly Burger!

Those who know me, know that I'm a huge fan of burgers, especially speciality burgers. I tend to go out two to three times a week just for my burger fix. I really like burgers! Over the next 30 days Tenemos Hambre staff is venturing out to eat at the top 10 recommended burger places/restaurants here in Tijuana, Mexico. Each place we set out to visit offers something a little different and each was highly recommended by the Tijuana locals.

The places we visit will be graded on our personal FIVE STAR system based on NINE categories: SERVICE, CLEANLINESS, ATMOSPHERE, LOCATION, FRIENDLINESS of STAFF, MENU OPTIONS, FOOD QUALITY, PRICE and WOULD WE RECOMMEND COMING HERE. In the end, we here at Tenemos Hambre are out to see if these nine highly recommended burger places/restaurants live up to their hype.

Our first stop took us to Playas de Tijuana where we heard a newer burger restaurant offered several types of burgers for their guest to feast on at a very reasonable price to go along with a great dining experience. Welcome to Mark's Burgers and Frappes, located on Paseo Playas #440. This establishment is small in appearance, but big on the size on the burgers they offer their guests. Known for their American style speciality burgers such as their Bootylicious Burger (my personal favorite), Champion Burger and Chili Cheeseburger, Mark's Burgers and Frappes has quickly become a hot spot to visit when in Playas de Tijuana. And after visiting them this past weekend, now we know why. So many delicious burgers to choose from and each having their own unique appeal. It just all depends on what you are craving at the moment. And for us at Tenemos Hambre the choice on what to pick on the menu wasn't easy. 

Chili Cheesburger (amazing)!!

1. SERVICE -

We arrived at Mark's Burgers and Frappes around 2pm this Sunday afternoon. The place was half full when we entered and we were quickly greeted by the staff upon entering. Two thumbs up for quickly greeting us! After finding a table our waitress provided us the menus and answered a couple of questions we had for her regarding the food selection; and she did it with a smile. Another two thumbs up! From there things changed just a bit. After looking over the menu (which everything looked so good), we placed our orders. A couple of burgers, chili cheese fries and a shake. The waiting began. And it sure did take awhile before our food began to come out. Overall it took just short of 30 minutes before we received everything we ordered. Not so good with a half full restaurant and only two people ordering. We noticed a few other tables placed their orders a few minutes after us and they too had to wait nearly a half hour before receiving their food. Some guest at certain tables were served their food while others at the same table had to wait and watch their friends chow down before getting their food orders. This I would say was the biggest negative regarding Mark's Burgers and Frappes service. In the end, the overall service was very pleasent and the most important thing was it was well worth the wait. Our opinion FOUR out of FIVE stars. 

2. CLEANLINESS - One thing I am is very picky when it comes to eating at a restaurant. Having a filthy dining area is a major turn off and most likely would be the cause of me never returning, no matter how good the food and service is. Mark's Burgers and Frappes gets FIVE STARS when it comes to cleanliness. The small restaurant was just about spotless in the dining room, and the bathrooms were well taken care of. This was impressive to us at Tenemos Hambre because most restaurants that specialize in fast food that are not chains don't put to much emphasis on maintaining a clean restaurant. A huge turn off. Not to worry at Mark's Burgers they make a huge effort in keeping their restaurant clean. 

3. LOCATION - Located in Playas de Tijuana just 2 minutes from the beach if driving or 10 minutes if walking. A pretty easy place to find, but you have to keep your eyes open because Mark's Burgers and Frappes isn't surrounded by many businesses. If you are not paying attention you can easily pass it up. Once you are familar with the location it isn't that hard to find. We hear at Tenemos Hambre would say THREE STARS for the location. This isn't a bad thing whatsoever, it's just that there are very little amount of businesses around Mark's Burgers and their only sign is a mid size banner indicated who they are. 

4. FRIENDLINESS OF STAFF - Well to put it bluntly, Mark's Burgers staff gets FIVE STARS for they way they treat their guests. Since the moment we walked in to Mark's Burgers to the moment we left we were treated very, very well. We were greeted quickly, our waitress gave us excellent service and with a smile (which does happen often when eating out in TJ). Even the kitchen staff greeted us and thanked us for stopping bye. Now that's what we call a friendly staff. And what I respect most about the staff is that they were very aware that they were running behind on orders and they addressed it with their guest apologizing, while also guaranteeing that the wait will be well worth it in the end, they were dead on. GREAT FRIENDLY STAFF!!

5. ATMOSPHERE - The atmosphere at Mark's Burgers and Frappes is laid back. There isn't much to look at, so there isn't many distractions. You can enjoy your meal inside or outside and watch the cars driving by. Mostly what you will get is the noise of other guests talking as they wait for their food to arrive. Something that we at Tenemos Hambre would suggest is an old school jukebox to go along with their American style themed burger restaurant. We give them THREE and a HALF STARS based on atmosphere. Play some music and keep the television on and the atmosphere rating would easily be four stars, and possibly 5 stars; atmosphere does matter.

6. MENU OPTIONS - Now this is what really impressed us at Tenemos Hambre. Mark's Burgers and Frappes offered a lot of delicious things to eat on their menu, which ot made it difficult to decide on what to actually select. They offer your traditional American cheeseburger, several speciality burgers and even offer a vegetarian friendly burger for those none meat eating folks. To go along with their burgers, Mark's Burgers also offers several other mouth watering items such as: Buffalo wild Wings, boneless wings, nachos, chile cheese fries, carne asada cheese fries, hotdawgs, pizza, breakfast (hotcakes and breakfast sandwiches), shakes and desserts. The only thing lacking was beer on their menu, but we managed to overcome that obstacle.   Based on our five star ranking system we give Mark's Burgers and Frappes FIVE STARS when it comes to their menu. Now that is impressive!

The Bootylicious Burger!

The Macho Burger!!

Pizza Dawg!!

7. FOOD QUALITY - The quality of the food at Mark's Burgers and Frappes surpassed our expectations. The food comes out hot and delievered to you just like you ordered. Now some people may say it isn't that difficult to cook a cheesburger, but what so many forget is that making a burger is a peace of art work being put together, ingredient by ingredient before the final outcome is completed into a masterpiece. Mark's Burgers has masterd this to the fullest. The way they put together their dishes is like a piece of art. And the final outcome is a wonderful presentation that you can't wait to bite into. Based on taste, presentation and cooking the food the way it was asked for, we give another FIVE STARS but this time for food quality!

8. PRICE - Price always matters when going out to eat this is something we all can agree on; no matter if you have money or on a fixed budget. At Mark's Burgers their prices were more than fair, were our thoughts here at Tenemos Hambre. The most expensive burgers was priced at $100MX ($8.00dlls), and they were not many of them. The average cost for a burger was $60MX ($5.00dlls). Definite not expensive because of the quality of burger you receive. Everything else on the menu was also priced very fairly for the public. Nothing stood out as being overpriced. Mark's Burgers offers several combos that come with a burger, fries (onion rings) and a soda. And the combos start as low as $55MX and go as high as $130MX. Again we found nothing wrong with the pricing, even when ordering a combo. Overall we give Mark's Burgers and Frappes 5 STARS on the menu pricing. Excellent way to take care of your guest Mark's Burgers!

9. OVERALL EXPERIENCE - What was our overall experience at Mark's Burgers and Frappes? Well our overall experience was TWO THUMBS UP. The food was great, the service was very good and we enjoyed just about everthing Mark's Burgers and Frappes has to offer. We would highly, highly recommened others to visit this fine establishment. We see a bright future for Mark's Burgers and Frappes. One thing for sure is that we will be back very soon. There is still a lot of great burgers to try out. Out of five stars we give this business FOUR STARS. Thank you for a great dining experience. 

Palaymi Burger!!

Chili Cheese Fries!!

Photos are courtesy of Ariana . Thank you for all your help and the GREAT photos!