Gott’s Roadside Now Serving Plant-Based, Meat-Like Impossible Burger

There’s now another place in San Francisco to try the meatless but convincingly meaty Impossible Burger: In the Ferry Building at Gott’s Roadside. Starting today, Gott’s will serve its version of the “bloody” but actually plant-based burger patty at its restaurants in St. Helena, Napa, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, bringing the meat substitute further into the mainstream.

Founded in St. Helena in 1999 with a throwback drive-in vibe, Gott’s has been expanding its territory recently. The chain opened a location just last week inside San Francisco International Airport, and two more restaurants, one in Walnut Creek and another in Greenbrae, are on the way.

Meanwhile, the faux-beef maker Impossible Foods is also scaling up, opening a larger production facility in Oakland. The company’s Impossible Burger debuted last year at higher-end restaurants like SF’s Jardiniere and Momofuku Nishi in New York, but has started its descent from restaurant burger to more mass-market, “better burger” chains. Just this past Friday, Umami Burger began serving its own take on the Impossible Burger at Bay Area locations, as it already does in Southern California.

While Umami Burger’s double-patty Impossible Burger costs $16, Gott’s version is more affordable at $10.99. That comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and Gott’s “secret sauce” served on toasted egg bun — like Umami Burger, Gott’s Impossible Burger isn’t vegan by default, just vegetarian (it’s also not gluten-free). Come to think of it, the Impossible Burger wouldn’t taste bad with bacon, either.

• Umami Burger Adds Meatless Impossible Burger To Bay Area Menu [ESF]
• Gott’s Roadside Lands at SFO on Tuesday and More A.M. Intel [ESF]