I dont know what it is, but lately all I want to eat is burgers. juicy yummy burgers......
so here is a short list of where to eat burgers and where they are goood.

Zeitgeist
http://www.sonic.net/~wwpints/zeitgeist
199 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94103

The good: Price for burgers + potatoes = $5 (no tax!!!)
The burgers here are quite good. The patties are not frozen and are molded by hand from huge mounds of meat. They are grilled outside and have that great char taste. They are reasonably thick. The plate comes with yummy potatoes.
The bad: this is hipster paradise. I really really hate crowds. This place has more of a cookout feel then a sit down place, so you might not even find a chair or table to sit at. Sooo many drunk people. There are also tons of people waiting in line for food, and it is really confusing because you order at one spot and then have to go wait outside until they call you.

Burgermeister
http://burgermeistersf.com/
86 Carl Street
San Francisco, CA 94117 (plus two other locations)

The good: These burgers are FAT and sooo fine. They come in so many delicious combinations. They feature a hand-formed 8-ounce Niman Ranch beef patty flame-grilled and served on a soft sesame
seed bun.
The bad: a burger and fries can run you about $10.00, plus beer on tap is $3.75, bar prices!
The burgermeisters are small, so they can be crowded for lunch and dinner. I also am not too hot about their fries... they are the wide cut yellow kind (I think.. i cant really remember).

Flippers Gourmet Burgers
482 Hayes
San Francisco, CA 94102

The good: very fat and juicy. the bread seems to be freshly made. These are real california style burgers with tons of toppings and veggies and things. I think I got the one with a huge scoop of bean sprouts on it.
The bad: $10 + for burger and fries.. though you do get a whole lot of burger. I cant remember what their fries are like. I should go back

Hukilau
5 Masonic Ave.
(SW Corner of Masonic and Geary)
San Francisco, CA 94118
http://www.dahukilau.com/

The good: Decent burger, and a bunch of other "interesting" food involving spam and mac and cheese. Burger and fries = about $7.00. There aren't very many choices, but it is a good solid burger.
The bad: Its good, but not anything to get excited about. The burgers are pretty standard and are tasty, but they dont use fresh bread, and I remember not thinking the fries were so great-- but dont get me wrong, it isnt gross or unacceptable.

In-N-Out Burger
333 Jefferson St
San Francisco, CA 94113

The good: Its sooo freaking cheap! You can get one of those meals with fries and drink for $4.00. I actually really love their fries too - I think they are my favorite fries (I love the thin ones). The bread is soft and freshly made, nothing is frozen.
The bad: So crowded. You always have to wait so long. The meat isn't very big, and on the whole, they are tiny burgers. I always want another. You still cant beat the value. The only one in the city is in the worst commercial, tourist HELLLL.

Metro Burgers
247 Fillmore St. @ Haight
San Francisco, CA 94117
http://www.metrocaffe.com/

The good: very reasonably priced, burgers and fries are $6.00. The burgers are large and use niman ranch meat and is flame grilled. The cheesesteaks are good too. Very nice environment, its cozy but not too crowded, and very close to my house...
The bad: This, like hukilau burger, is pretty standard. While the patty itself is delicious, the other stuff isn't so great. The buns are store bought (though they do toast them a bit to make them taste better). The fries are really not good at all. They remind me of cafeteria fries, they are those frozen crinkle-cut kind. Some one else ordered the garlic ones, and those looked a lot yummier, Ill try them next time I go. They are tasty though, way way better than your other lower haight burger option (burger joint, which I think is so so so gross).

Favorite burger so far:
It's Tops Coffee Shop
1801 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94103

The good: These I think are my favorite burgers so far. They are large (huge, actually) and juicy, with a good amount of toppings, flame broiled patties, fresh-tasting bread (though I dont know if they are). I think what makes them so good is how good the other food is too. When I go I always sample everyone elses food, so I dont know if I am so happy after the meal because of just the burger, or because of the other food too. The pancakes are amazing, the shakes are so good, and everything else I have tried there has been so delicious. The atmosphere is great, it seems like the last real diner in the city. Comfort food all the way.
The bad: It is often very crowded, especially on the weekends. You will often have to wait for hours to get a seat. Its very small.. The prices arent so bad, but can be pricey.

I know this isn't in the city, but I think close second for favorite burger:

Peninsula Fountain and Grille
566 Emerson St. at Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, California 94301

The good: I am salivating just thinking of these burgers. They are HUGE for one, and with soft sweet fresh bread-- so juicy and delicious. Everything there is american comfort food... you can switch in mashed potatoes for fries, even. They supply a good array of greens, flame grill their patties, and have yummy milkshakes to compliment your meal,
The bad: Its a but pricey. I work across the street and i cant eat there very often because of the price. it pains me so. Its in Palo Alto. That is the worst part about it, by far.

oh geez.. im so hungry for a burger now, I think im going to die!! Please let me know of other burger places to try! please please!

My brother came to visit this weekend and he was homesick for some mexican food - he is a burrito connoisseur. I myself, am extremely picky when it comes to Mexican food. We had settled on going to either pancho villa or taqueria cancun - both of which are quite tasty and reach my food approval. My brother was scandalized by the idea of buying an 8 dollar burrito and refused to eat at pancho villa. we settled on los coyotes because of the "Birria Todos Los Dias" sign (which is yummy yummy goat meat). First good sign was that the restaurant was clean and spacious with food environment. Cancun is often crowded, and villa feels like you are in a hot-box cattle line. Second good sign was that Ammon was the only white guy there. As my brother put it, the more dirty men (mexicans), the better the place will be. (we are allowed to say things like that when talking about our own...). Third good sign was that only 1/4 of the menu overhead was in english... then the BONUS -- Pozole, and Menudo everyday of the week! That is seriously hardcore. Most places only serve it on weekends. The food definitely lived up to our first impressions. There were THREE style of tortas to choose from. The burritos were so packed tight with goodness that they stood up by themselves. It was well put together and not greasy. ALL the aguas frescas were made fresh. They in fact, had juicy fruit chunks floating around. One sip and I was totally hooked. The tortas were twice the size of cancun's tortas. Anyway, I was very impressed by the food quality. I am dying to go back to try their birria dinner plates - Villa and Cancun don't even compare.

Address: 16th Near Mission (I don't know the exact address). Just look for the goat meat sign.

----------------
Update:
Tried the pozole.. was not exactly what I had hoped for. Too many pigs ears, and not enough salt... but I would still recommend the other food... just not the pozole

I was still craving pho, so went to another place today for lunch- Hung Ky (which Ammon thought sounded a little dirty). The place was very vietnamese centered-- meaning, everyone who was vietnamese got their food before us... but they also don't know english very well. The pho seemed to have too much of the anise taste, though a tiny bit bland. I had to add rooster sauce. They did, however, give lots of meat-- the most of any other place I have been to. The sirloin was a little tough-- overall the pho was quite good, but no where near turtle tower quality. The staff was very friendly, despite the language barrier tried to make conversation to make sure we were happy. There is also a big screen TV with surround sound and we got to watch the ms vietnam pageants.

Hung Ky, 337 Jones St. (between Eddy and Ellis); (415) 674-8278. Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.

I have always been a big fan of Pho-- At one point in my life I would eat it once or twice a week. An excerpt from an sf gate article explains the perfect makeup of pho quite well:
Good pho can be delicate or rich-tasting, spicy or subtle, loaded up with condiments or unadorned. Its success lies in a balance of well-made broth, noodles, beef and accents. And it has to be hot enough to steam up your glasses. In both traditions, a great broth is clear, almost transparent. Star anise and other spices shouldn't dominate, but serve more as undertones, says Mai Pham, Chronicle columnist, author of "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table," and chef-owner of Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento.

The broth should be balanced so it's not too sweet or salty. Sweetness is often the telltale sign of MSG, the flavor enhancer Vietnamese call "sweet powder," and this was evident at several restaurants we tried.

The noodles that dwell beneath, tangling around everything, also have to be just right. Pham says a true pho should consist of 1 part noodles to 4 parts broth, but Americanized versions tend to load up on the noodles, even though that can make for a bland bowl.

And good pho, should NEVER have clumpy noodles!

SOO anyway, on New years day, i had a huge craving for pho. We went to little saigon to turtle tower. MY GOD. I have never tasted pho so good, and I have been to many pho places. The noodles were wide, soft and slippery, the broth clear, but flavorful. There were no bean sprouts and mint on the sides, but that is because it is of the northern vietnamese tradition to just have lime and chile. I could drink the liquid for days and days-- this is the type of thing where I wish I could puncture a hole in my stomach and insert a refuse tube so I can guzzle uncontrollably. The beef was of very high quality and looked to be ribeye rather than the usual sirloin that is used in other places.

Turtle Tower, 631 Larkin St. (at Willow Street, between Eddy and Ellis); (415) 409-3333. Open 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. daily (closed on tuesdays).
There is also a new location on Geary Street near 22nd.

After the pho, I went to watch the aviator, which was an excellent movie, Ammon's friend Buzz wrote a review, and I am too lazy to write my own.

After the movie we went for more pho at Pagolac. Pagolac was more of a full service restaurant, rather than a pho place. We ordered catfish in a clay pot, which was just the right amount of sweet and salty, as well as a bowl of pho. There were only two choices of pho- we had the beef. The meat was thinly sliced but somewhat tough. It had a good flavor, but was not as high quality as the meat at Turtle Tower. The noodles were of good texture, and the broth flavorful. It had a slightly too salty taste so we did have to put in some rooster sauce and all the herbs, but it was very tasty. The other food on the menu seemed to be very good--- you could roll your own spring rolls, and they had the 7 course meat meal for 13.95 a person. The ambiance of the restaurant was very simple and elegant. It was modern, and of good taste-- a good place to take a date if you felt like pho but didn't want to seem cheap (though it was very cheap there anyway). It is also open until 10pm! I will go there again for some good vietnamese cuisine, the catfish was delicious.

Pagolac, 655 Larkin St. (near Ellis); (415) 776-3234. Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.

All you mission district denizens probably know this place. Christine and Ken and I went to the one closer to 16th St. on Valencia last night. The sushi there is about as good as at places in Palo Alto that charge twice as much. Seriously, even the uni is good.

After Christine placed her order, the waiter said "OK, that was for everyone, right?" He clearly underestimated the depth of her sushi pit. We pretty much split the sushi evenly between us, but while I was clearly in pain, she made it look easy.