By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Food Editor
I had a very pleasant experience at For The Win, a smashburger spot that opened this summer in Pacific Beach. Interesting enough, it actually had less to do with the taste of the smashburger itself and more to do with the fact I had the opportunity to sit down with co-owner Ronald Uy.
He’s total San Diego laid-back and easy going, the type of person you would enjoy having a couple of beers with at a local bar. Because of this, I certainly hope the tiny restaurant on Garnet between Cass and Dawes streets is a smashing success. And if others enjoy their experience as much as did I, then that won’t be a problem. In fact, it already has a solid local following with people lining up on weekends to get a taste of it.
It is not easy to stand out serving smashburgers in San Diego. The Friendly is often cited as a favorite and a pop up in PB next to Open Bar (E.L.E Burgers, standing for Everybody Loves Everybody) has beach locals raving about it. For its part, For The Win – which sounds more like a sports bar than a restaurant – serves its smashburgers with a unique twist.
And that is its Fry Sauce, a kind of Thousand Island spin-off that gives the burgers a unique, almost gourmet taste. That’s not too surprising considering that Ronald’s brother, Santos, owned popular French restaurants in L.A. But then he was forced to pivot because of the pandemic and did a near 180 spin by opening For the Win in Los Angeles. That proved to be such a, well, smashing success, that it quickly expanded to 10 locations. And since Ronald lives in San Diego, it only made sense to open one here.
The brothers could have hardly picked a better location. First of all, it’s in Pacific Beach, which has all kinds of hungry (and thirsty) locals. Being on busy Garnet just 3 1/2 blocks from the beach means there’s a lot of foot traffic.
Ok, so I like the place and the owner. But get to the smashburger review, right!?
The first thing I noticed was its size. It was as big as my hand and the meat was sticking way out of the bun, which is a special potato bun. And then there was that sauce. I was not quite able to describe the taste but I really liked it. I also enjoying tasting the onions and pickle, which provided a nice contrast to the sauce and added extra flavor. It’s bigger than the ones at E.L.E Burgers and, in my opinion, a bit more flavorful. Tho this is certainly not a knock at all on the popularity of E.L.E Burgers. I enjoyed it, too, as I was having beers at Open Bar.
Now, of course, you can’t have a good burger without quality meat. Ronald Uy tells me the meat is never frozen and they have it delivered four or five times a week so it’s always fresh. That’s evident from the first bite.
So welcome to San Diego, For The Win smashburgers. You have a winner!
For The Win San Diego Details
• Address: 1037 Garnet Ave.
• Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Note: it is open late night on weekends)
• Menu & Prices: Single hamburger/cheeseburger: $8/9; double $11/13.50; triple: $14/$16. Fries: $4.95. Fry Sauce (which comes on the burger but you can get on the side to dip into the fries): $1.25. Shakes: $7.25. Lettuce and tomato, bacon and jalapeno can be added to the burgers and there are additional sides and sauces.
Ordring Process: Go up to the window. The food will be brought to you in a bag with the burger in a box. There are couple tables for seating or it’s ready as a to go order otherwise.
• Website: forthewinla.com
Kevin Wilkeson reviews food & drinks around San Diego and beyond for PubClub.com. This article was written by a humanw with no assistance from AI or ChatGTP.
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