The Abridged version:
- Gami Burger will expand to Midtown Sacramento by the end of November.
- Owned by the chefs behind Origami Asian Grill, it will fill Burger Patch’s former space at 23rd and K streets.
- Smash burgers are Gami Burger’s specialty, though the sandwiches have their fans as well.
Sacramento County’s hottest fast food spot, Gami Burger, is already onto its second location.
The Carmichael restaurant will expand to Midtown Sacramento by the end of November, replacing Burger Patch at the corner of 23rd and K streets, according to co-owner Scott Ostrander.
Burger Patch was entirely vegan, while Gami Burger has still yet to develop a vegetarian burger. But the two restaurants’ infrastructure needs are nearly identical, making the remodel quick and cost-effective.
“We’re literally slapping (on) paint and changing out a few pieces of equipment, nothing like major or crazy,” Ostrander said. “We’re talking apples for apples, and that just made it so much more of an approachable decision.”
Ostrander and business partner Paul DiPierro left fine dining behind to open Origami Asian Grill in East Sacramento in 2018, then launched sister restaurant Gami Burger in late June at Arden Way and Fair Oaks Boulevard following a series of sellout pop-ups. While Gami Burger’s initial hour-long waits have subsided, it’s filled the sizeable shoes of its predecessor, Willie’s Burgers.
Gami Burger pulled some Japanese elements from Origami — housemade sunomono pickles, togarashi-dusted fries — but revolves around straightforward smash burgers with American cheese on Truckee Sourdough Co. brioche buns. Sandwiches with pastrami, ahi tuna steaks or fried chicken have proved popular as well in Carmichael.
Gami Burger’s menu will essentially stay the same between both locations, Ostrander said. There’ll be more touch-screen ordering at the midtown restaurant, and it’ll follow Burger Patch’s model in staying open late — perhaps as late as 2 a.m. on weekends, Ostrander said.
Ostrander and DiPierro serve a wide-ranging list of beer and wine in Carmichael, and have applied for a license to do the same in midtown. Gami Burger will continue to make use of Burger Patch’s shake machine, though it’s being retrofitted to take dairy.
Like Gami Burger, Burger Patch debuted with wildly popular pop-ups before moving into a brick-and-mortar space in 2019. It eventually grew to four regional locations with plans for Bay Area expansion, but shut down the original midtown spot on Sept. 1.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.