Big Chef Tom's Brings Pork-Belly Burgers to SOMA

Big Chef Tom's Belly Burgers
1550 Howard St., SOMA
Phone: (415) 513-1331
Web: bctbellyburgers.com
Status: Open

Tom Pizzica, the Food Network Star runner-up and former host of Outrageous Food, has opened his first restaurant in SF today—and it happens to be the only one in town where you can get a burger made out of 100% ground pork belly. Pizzica, who originally hit upon the idea while doing a cooking demo for the National Pork Board, has turned his creation into a long-running pop-up and catering business, and now Big Chef Tom's Belly Burgers is entering prime time in western SOMA, where he hopes to serve both the existing stable of auto-body shops and the burgeoning tech offices.

In addition to the pork-belly patties, Pizzica offers diners their choice of ground chicken thigh or housemade veggie burgers, with a variety of creative toppings like the Banh Baby Banh (jalapeño, cilantro, Vietnamese caramel, hard-boiled egg) or the Philly Porker (herbed mayo, sauteed broccoli rabe, sharp provolone). Special "trending" burgers will be voted on by customers via social media. Buttered buns and lettuce wraps are available, and sides include housemade crinkle-cut fries, onion rings, roasted kale, or lime-cumin cabbage slaw. Once the beer and wine license comes through in a couple of weeks, Pizzica will offer PBR and three rotating craft brews on tap; for now, there are fountain sodas, Mexican Coke, and SmartWater. Hours are daily, 10:30 am-9 pm.

Here's the full menu:

· Eater Scenes: Belly Burgers at The Window [~ ESF ~]
· Tom Pizzica Launches Belly Burgers Pop-Up [~ ESF ~]