Bar Food Burgers in Ocean Beach, California
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Step through the doors of this Ocean Beach burger joint and you'll feel a '90s punk rock vibe.
A Slasher magazine is taped to the wall, glowing neon purple under the blacklight.
Skateboards are lined up in edgy decor, along with alternative art and stickers that tweak familiar cartoon characters.
There is also a red landline phone for taking orders.
It's called bar food. This spot is the latest creation from local entrepreneur Ryan Cunningham, aka “Chef Pennywise.” He and his wife, Karina, launched the business as a sister restaurant to Burger Cook, an event catering company they started during the pandemic.
“OB already had a lot of burger joints, but this gave me the opportunity to expand the menu to other foods that I really like,” Chef Pennywise told FOX 5. Until we can open a Burger Cook location, we would like to provide a commercial kiosk for catering and events. ”
The menu can be described as, well, bar food.
Mozzarella sticks, jalapeño poppers, corn dog bites, chicken wings, cheese fries, tater tots, as well as specialty burgers and chicken sandwiches.
Many people don't think of “quality” when they think of bar food, but Chef Pennywise has made it his mission to turn that concept on its head. With a background in fine dining, he wanted to take his bar food menu to the next level while keeping prices affordable.
“I know quality and wanted to bring more quality to the burgers, po-boys, and other bar foods that we all love, but are usually overpriced and just crappy,” Chef said Pennywise. “All of our fried foods are cooked in beef tallow. All ingredients are carefully selected.''
For example, he sources his French bread from a popular New Orleans bakery called Leidenheimer Baking Company. As for the meat for his burgers, he sources it from his 125-year-old San Diego company, Central Meat & Provisions, which makes his custom steak blends for his burgers. Have food on hand.
“Everything is really thought out, but just very simple and the best quality I can bring to the table,” Chef Pennywise continued.
Hungry locals can enjoy this spot's burgers and snacks at affordable prices.
For example, a simple burger with ketchup and pickles, called “McDonald's Style” on the menu, starts at just $2.50. The next level up is “Like In-N-Out, But Better” for $5.55, and his “A Nod to White Castle” for $9.75.
“In terms of what we provide to the community, it's a great place to eat really, really great quality food at a price that won't break the bank,” said Chef Pennywise. “I have four children and my girlfriend has four children, so going to McDonald's can cost him over $100 for a family of six.”
“Here we have quality food at all price points and something for everyone,” he continued. “You don't have to pay a lot of money to eat quality food.”
The Ocean Beach native previously worked as a graphic designer in Los Angeles before returning to his hometown and now running two businesses.
“I didn't actually choose Ocean Beach. It chose me,” said the local entrepreneur.
Bar food is open Wednesday through Sunday from 7pm to 2am. The location is 5026 Newport Ave.
