I don’t have a problem spending $14 on a burger, so long as it is a really, really good burger. The Draughtsman Burger is just that.

The recently opened Draughtsman offers up a variety of sandwiches on the menu, along with comfort food entrees like pot roast and pot pie, and six burgers – one of which, the Draughtsman Burger carries the name of the establishment – always a solid sign – so, after a morning spent hiking in Murray Canyon, the wife and I decided to saddle up to the Draughtsman bar, order a couple of beers, and split the 1/2 pound burger.

You can tell that they have put a lot of thought and work into the ingredients of this hamburger – which include: red chile pepper bacon, mezcal ketcup, griddled onions, cheddar cheese, artisan lettuce and pickles. These all pair together so nicely and they are all served on a really tasty pretzel bun.

The Draughtsman Burger at the Draughtsman in downtown Palm Springs
The Draughtsman Burger (Casey Dolan)

The Black Angus beef was cooked perfectly to medium rare and I could not get enough of that red chile pepper bacon – which was a nice thick cut, not that thin cut bullshit some other places top your burger with. I was not familiar with mezcal ketchup before having it on the burger, but I am a fan now. It’s good. Let’s put it in stores already!

You get fries on the side or a choice of a salad. We got the fried because it’s a burger and that is the only natural thing to get with a damn burger. They were solid. Not great. Not bad. Just solid.

Draughtsman has plenty of beers on tap to pair with your burger. I got a nice IPA, the wife opted for a brown ale. Splitting the burger turned out to be a wise decision as half of it turned out to be all we needed for lunch and Draughtsman is cool and doesn’t charge that awful splitting fee some restaurants do.

In the end, the Draughtsman Burger is just a really solid burger. Definitely one of the best in the city of Palm Springs.

Draughtsman, 1501 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, (760) 507-1644