Off of HWY 50 is a quaint, glorified food shack with a large sign alongside the road that says “IZZY’S BURGER SPA” along with the words “Charbroiled” underneath. It caught my eye when we first rolled into town, but I didn’t think to inquire about Izzy’s until a couple of days later. My inquiry was met with extreme praise by both locals and visitors alike – with multiple warnings not to order the French Fries, though.
Burgers = Great!
French Fries = Spew.
The way the burgers were described to us – juicy, plentiful and massive – it’s no wonder Natalie and I didn’t just drop everything and go straightaway. We waited, however, just to check online and make sure they had options other than land-meat, as Natalie has a pescaterian diet. They offered a vegetable burger and I breathed a sigh of relief, happy I’d be able to go guilt-free as I was imagining Natalie just glowering across from me with a side order of onion rings and a milkshake.
So, Natalie ordered a veggie burger with a side of onion rings, heeding the warning from her cousin’s not to order the fries.
As you can tell by the above photo, their vegetable burger is a standard, store bought Gardenburger patty. Which made her meal a bit less exciting and more lackluster because we were both hoping that a place as jumping and “fresh off the grill” as Izzy’s is they would be more mindful of vegetarians. Natalie noted to me later that she saw them place another woman’s vegetarian patty directly on the same grill used by the meat patties. She did not witness her own patty cooking this way as we were in the outdoor patio by then. She was okay with it just this once, as the char-grilled texture added much needed flavor.
She loved everything that accompanied the veggie-burger inside and said it was still worthwhile.
The onion rings were tasty. Crispy on the outside and sweet, tender onion on the inside. Not even a whisper of greasiness or burnt exterior.
As for myself, I tried to do some quick mental math to see how I’d get cheese, mushrooms and avocado all in one burger for the least amount of money. I decided to order the California burger and add cheese and mushrooms (both for just over $1.00, my total coming to something under $8.00).
The burger patty was 1/3rd lbs., piled high with fresh, crisp lettuce, sweet relish (I added pickles, provided for free and in abundance) a smidgen of mayo, gloriously melted cheddar cheese, a plethora of sauteed mushrooms and, best of all, an abundance of ripe, fresh avocado! There was absolutely no skimping on any ingredient; this was a seriously loaded up cheeseburger.
My singular quibble was that the bun, while squishy and fresh, was absolutely no match for the contents wedged between it. The innards kept spilling out (nice visual, eh?) and needing to reassembled. No true complaints, though, as I was only too happy to lick my fingers and mop up any leftovers. This burger tasted like summer and I could have have been more satisfied.
There is minimal seating inside along with two tabletop Arcade games. Outdoors is the place to be in Izzy’s expansive patio, shaded under tall trees and umbrellas.
Would I recommend/return to Izzy’s Burger Spa? It’s not even a question worthy of asking; yes! Vegetarians might be a bit disheartened, and I invite Izzy’s to take a stand and make a vegetarian burger as delicious and praise-worthy as their meat burgers.
Izzy’s BUrger Spa
2591 Lake Tahoe Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
