We started Burger Week on a lark back in 2017, not entirely sure of Santa Barbara’s collective appetite for America’s favorite sandwich, nor of the willingness that restaurants would have in offering their hamburgers at discounted prices. 

We were happily surprised to learn that burger fever is very much alive on this health-conscious stretch of the California coast, best evidenced on the hashtagged social media posts of juicy, stacked burgers from all around town. And we’ve watched the ranks of participating restaurants grow each year, with 21 involved for 2019, from the shores of Carpinteria to the plains of Cuyama. 

This year, to get a full sense of what’s being served, we tasked our staff to try each burger and write a brief description of what they found. What follows is their admittedly envious efforts, and their belly-filling work serves as your guide to tackling the next seven days of burger exploration, each for just $7 a pop. —Matt Kettmann