One of the things I put on my list of “things to eat” when on our recent trip back to Hawaii was a good burger. Fortunately, there are a few establishments that contend for “best burgers in Honolulu”. After reading this piece on The Gathering Place called “Battle of the Burgers”, I decided to try Teddy’s Bigger Burgers at their new location on Beretania Ave in Mo’ili’ili near University. Annie’s friends took us there for dinner one evening.

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers – University Location

The original Teddy’s location used to be on Monsarrat Avenue in Kapahulu, and there was very little (on-street) parking. This new location on Beretania is very convenient and has lots of parking in its own parking lot. The inside is lit up with neon and the decor is evocative of a 50’s style diner with checkerboard designs everywhere.

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers Interior

Their menu is all about the burgers. If you want, you can get a chicken or a fish burger, or even a pastrami sandwich (WowGrinds says it’s good). But for me, I’m here for the 100% ground beef.

You can get an original burger and dress it up with any combination of toppings. Or you can order a specialty burger from among the many choices posted up on the wall next to the counter. Don’t forget the fries, sodas and extra thick shakes! Reminiscing about the peanut butter malts from KC Drive Inn, Annie ordered a Peanut Butter shake as her drink.

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers Menus

After placing the order and getting our drinks, it’s a bit of a wait as the burgers are all made to order (nothing sitting around under a heat lamp). The kids got a Kid’s Combo burger (with Cheddar cheese) and onion rings instead of fries. Our friend got a Fish & Chips combo which is 3 deep-fried pollock fillets between the buns.

Teddy’s Kid and Fish Burgers

As for me, I got a 5 ounce Teddy’s Original Burger and Cajun fries. For my toppings, though, I had a special, off-menu request. Seeing as Annie had ordered a Peanut Butter shake, I asked if they used real peanut butter in their shakes. The cashier replied that they did.

Then I asked if I could put peanut butter as a topping on my burger. The cashier had to ask someone else if it was possible and found out that it is. Score!

Have you ever put peanut butter on a burger? It’s good!

Teddy’s Original Burger with Peanut Butter

The best part of the burger was that it was juicy and cooked perfectly medium in the middle. There is nothing worse than biting into a lifeless, grey hockey puck. The peanut butter merged with the sweet and tangy special sauce to give it an alluring unctuousness. However, the potato bread bun was too soft and couldn’t hold up to all of the moist ingredients in the sandwich.

Bigger isn’t necessarily Better

Don’t get me wrong; Teddy’s Original burger is a decent burger. But I think it suffers from being big, while the potato bread bun can’t stand up to all the ingredients.  I think the burger I had at Rider’s Cafe in Singapore was better. In fact, I probably would have preferred an In-n-Out burger to this.

But, beggars can’t be choosers, and we were thankful that our friends treated us to a good burger.  It’s better than anything we could have gotten in Kuching.

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Other reviews of Teddy’s Bigger Burgers: Tasty Island (Waikiki location), Honolulu Eats (University location), Legit Beef and Sonja’s Kitchen (Washington location)

Aloha, Nate

We still have lots more posts about our eating adventures in Hawaii, so stay tuned! Subscribe now and get all our latest posts sent to your Inbox or your RSS reader.