Budget Burger Showdown: Guloo Burger vs. 66Burger

By Sophie Steiner, October 14, 2023

Shanghai’s got burgers. We know this. We tried to do the legwork, but gave up after 17 (and even that was too many burgers). You know, health and stuff.

And then – two newbies popped onto our radar: – Guloo Burger...

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

... and 66Burger...

66Burger. Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

... clocking in at the same price, with essentially the same backstory and concept, and a similarly tight menu.

You know what that means – it’s showdown time: Budget Burger Edition!

There is nothing we love more than a head-to-head comparison, dissecting the most innocuously minute of details that matter to no one but those select few foodies who are as cuckoo for cocoa puffs as we are.

And we are more than happy to let you – our dear readers – benefit from the fruits of our back-breaking… errr… stomach-crushing labor, so you know where to hit (and where to skip) when that burger craving comes a-knocking.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

How is this showdown going to work exactly? We rate each venue on subjective categories of our choosing, where the points are meaningless and the only rules are that there are no rules.

Let the ranting begin!

The Burger

Let’s start with the reason we're all here: the burger.

First up, and most importantly: The Meat.

The foundation of every hamburger.

The maker.

The breaker.

That sweet, sweet beef.

Guloo Burger made it a point to tell us that all of their meat is certified U.S. Beef and they even have these nifty U.S. beef-branded toothpicks that you can stick in your burger to flaunt it.

Guloo Burger. Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

And the meat quality is solid, presented in smash burger form and griddle-charred on a flattop, a slice of gooey cheddar on each patty gluing the lettuce, tomato, housemade pickles and 'guloo sauce' – a homemade ketchup of sorts – together inside a stellar brioche bun.

Shoutout to those buns, y’all!

Like all good buns of the world, you just wanna wrap your hands around them and squeeze. 10/10.

Our only gripe: the meat is on the softer side, and should be cooked on a hotter flattop grill to seal in more of those juicy drippings that, instead, end up soaking into the bottom of the container it’s served in.

You hate to see it.

On the spectrum of burgers, it falls more towards that omni-texture Shake Shack-style. But fine, we’ll allow it because the meat still crisps around the edges, is well-seasoned, and boasts that necessary smoky charred flavor.

Much more so than our second contender, 66Burger. Again, meat quality is high and all, but it’s way too soft, almost spongy – not an adjective we ever want associated with a burger patty – and lacking salt.

And flavor.

And char.

And texture.

So yeah, just kind of all around lacking.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

But this fact gets buried – literally – under a laundry list of other ingredients: bacon onion jam, red miso garlic aioli, cheddar, tomatoes, lettuce and homemade pickles.

Said aioli is egregiously slathered on, turning the burger experience into a sloppy one. We get why it’s served with gloves.

From start to finish, you can’t set this burger down – and not in that good turn of the phrase way. You just actually can’t set it down because the plush brioche bun disintegrates under the weight of the mayonnaise.

Get a bucket and a mop, that’s some wet ass patty.

Guloo Burger: 8

66Burger: 2

The Snacks

Ok, we know fries and wings can’t be directly compared, but in the same vein of this nonsensical face-off, we are doing it.

Come at me, bro.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

Guloo Burger’s matchstick-y Fries (RMB15) are crispy, crackly, crunchy and optimally seasoned with both salt and pepper, like they stole the recipe from Ronald McDonald’s arch nemesis – the Hamburglar – himself.

Plus, they have Heinz ketchup packets – the uncontested king of all ketchups. Score.

Over at 66Burger, the Fries (RMB18) looked legit – topped with parmesan, scallions and spicy powder – but we were more enticed by the Wings (RMB15/2, RMB28/4, RMB39/6), available in Original or Buffalo flavor – as if that was even a choice.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

So the buffalo wings arrive lightly battered and fried, all flats – the more coveted end of the wing – with an expert crisp and tender succulent meat.

For Buffalo sauce traditionalists, this is most definitely not Buffalo sauce. It leans sweet rather than spicy with a tangy vinegar kick. Not bad, just not Buffalo.

But, when a menu says wings are served with ranch, and it comes instead with something resembling a lemon scallion aioli, heads will roll.

False advertising.

The sacred entity that is ranch dressing must never be substituted.

If you want to serve it with aioli, fine, no issue, but you just can’t call it ranch.

We lost all trust in 66Burger from this point on – all faith in humanity gone.

Guloo Burger: 6

66Burger: -4 (Never insult ranch)

By the way, should any of you be foolish enough to question our wing-ranking chops. Stop. Right. There. And read this:

The Drinks

Guloo Burger offers Americanos (RMB15), but also homemade Lemonade Americanos (RMB18) and Waxberry Soda Americanos (RMB18) – worth an a.m. revisit.

Especially for their Breakfast Sandwich & Americano deal – a brioche bun stuffed with egg, chopped up burger pieces and scallions, or a 36-hour brined pastrami sandwich with coleslaw, plus an Americano for just RMB17, any day between 8-10am.

Worth getting out of bed for.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

And the lemonade is standout. Not sweet, pressed-in-house from real lemons, and with refreshing slices of cucumber thrown into the mix.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

But 66Burger takes the cake (for the Harry Potter reference alone), slinging cups of Butter Beer (RMB20) – a nonalcoholic butterscotch candy soda with a puffy cream topper that tastes like a 10-year-olds dream.

There’s an underlying sarsaparilla spice – the same key ingredient in root beer – an in-your-face saccharine slurp, and some serious Hogwarts dark magic that makes you black out during a sugar rush rage immediately upon finishing.

Guloo Burger: 5

66Burger: 11

Bonus: The Accoutrement

Pickles make everything better.

Facts.

And Guloo Burger knocks it outta the park with their homemade spicy daikon pickles (seasoned with a hint of huajiao pepper), and homemade sweet pickles. And they are free flow at the pickle and hot sauce bar.

Win.

66Burger has homemade pickles that are a good showing, but nothing to write home about, setting you back RMB5 for a serving.

Lose.

Guloo Burger: 29

66Burger: 0

The Vibe

Opening its doors in mid-May on Beijing Xi Lu, Guloo Burger can fit 7-10 people at counter space that perimeters the joint.

The kitchen is open so you can watch (and smell) your meat frying, all while listening to hip hop in this overly bright spot.

Not necessarily a place to bring a date; fine for a quick lunch. But the focus is clearly waimai.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

Similarly – but in an even smaller closet-sized outpost on Xikang Lu – 66Burger fits two people inside and another three outside for that coveted 'exclusivity' feel, all while blasting some heavy rap and trap.

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

There's some kitschy 1950s American diner-style decor that we appreciate, and the kitchen is open enough to scope the owners tweezering pickle ribbons atop burgers, for that 'gourmet' esthetic.

Despite these suuuuuper appealing draws, your average diner also goes for delivery from here.

The Details

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

Guloo Burger sells a Single Burger (RMB29.9) and Double Burger (RMB49.8) available in three options: Classic (mentioned above), Guloo (swap out the lettuce and tomato for caramelized onions), and – for an extra RMB10 – Chef’s (pickled daikon, perilla, kimchi, and bulgogi sauce).

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

66Burger only offers up the Double Burger (RMB48) size with add-ons like Gruyere (RMB10), Truffle Pecorino (RMB12), Crispy Bacon (RMB10), Fried Egg (RMB5), and Sauteed Mushrooms (RMB5). They also have rotating flavored burgers – currently the Pineapple and Fried Shiso Burger (RMB58) – a Hot Dog (RMB30), and Chicken Sliders (RMB36).