Big Brothers Burgers serves up freshly grilled angus beef burgers with locally sourced ingredients in the Farm Hill/Roosevelt neighborhood of Redwood City. Courtesy Big Brothers Burgers.
At Big Brothers Burgers, it’s all in the family. Opened in late August by brothers Ray and Yazan Haddad and their uncle Zaid Fakhouri, Big Brothers Burgers serves up freshly grilled angus beef burgers with locally sourced ingredients in the Farm Hill/Roosevelt neighborhood of Redwood City. Located at the Roosevelt Center shopping plaza, the restaurant sits in the former Masala Desi space.
Step inside Big Brothers Burgers and you’ll find chalkboard menus filled with burgers, sandwiches, salads and smoothies to choose from. If the chalkboard menus look familiar, it’s because Fakhouri – a 30-year veteran of the restaurant business – operated local chain Crepevine, with locations throughout the Peninsula.
The choice to open a new restaurant in Redwood City was simple, according to Fakhouri. “The neighborhood is charming, quiet, and beautiful,” he said. “It’s not in the main downtown area, but it’s a (great neighborhood).”
So far, the most popular burgers have been the Kali burger with avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cheddar cheese and pimento aioli on a toasted brioche bun and Salute the Blue, a burger with bacon, blue cheese, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a toasted Kaiser bun. Diners can substitute house fries with sweet potato fries, tater tots or onion rings and order crispy chicken wings as an appetizer. With the owners hailing from Jordan, diners will find nods to Middle Eastern cuisine on the menu, including a chicken shawarma wrap and the option to add falafel as your salad’s protein of choice. When not cooking up burgers, Ray’s favorite item to make at home is the traditional Jordanian dish mansaf, which consists of lamb cooked in a fermented dried yogurt sauce and served with rice.
Following a successful soft opening, Fakhouri aims to expand the menu and get kitchen staff trained on burger recipes with an international twist. This includes an Asian-inspired burger and a Greek-style lamb burger, plus a vegetarian offering appealing to kids and adults alike. Ray, who cooks alongside his brother Yazan, has enjoyed serving the Roosevelt neighborhood since opening. “The area needed a burger and sandwich spot, and the community has been very welcoming so far,” he said.
Big Brothers Burgers, 2137 Roosevelt Ave., Redwood City; 650-362-3227, Instagram: @bigbrothersburgersrwdc. Open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
