Photo: FatburgerWestern Bacon BBQ
Fatburger’s smoky, crunchy burger: fresh beef with barbecue sauce, two onion rings, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato. The Swiss is a nice twist on the usual cheddar, adding a nutty note that plays well with the sweet sauce. Messy in the way good barbecue burgers should be.
The story
Barbecue sauce, bacon and onion rings on a beef patty is a Southern Californian formula. Carl’s Jr. made it famous when it added the Western Bacon Cheeseburger to its menu in the 1980s, and the combination became a standard on the West Coast. Fatburger, which Lovie Yancey started in Los Angeles in 1947, built its own version around a fresh beef patty, with two onion rings, bacon, Swiss cheese and barbecue sauce, plus the lettuce and tomato its burgers usually carry.
What’s inside
- fresh beef patty
- barbecue sauce
- 2 onion rings
- bacon
- Swiss cheese
- lettuce
- tomato
- bun
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Western Bacon BBQ yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
Onion Bomb Burger - Shares beef, barbecue sauce, crispy onions and cheese
Copycat Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger with Onion Straws - Shares beef, bacon, crispy onions and cheese
Fat Mimolette Bacon & Fried Onion Burger - Shares beef, bacon and barbecue sauce
Duff Beer Sloppy Dog
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Western Bacon BBQ.- Ruby's Diner · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
SignatureHickory Burger - The Counter · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
Bacon BBQ - Peter Pane · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
Onion Jack - Friendly's · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
Honey BBQ Burger
More from Fatburger
About Fatburger
Lovie Yancey opened a small burger stand in Los Angeles in 1947, originally called Mr. Fatburger, and dropped the “Mr.” in 1952. In an era when almost every burger business was run by men, she built one of the most famous burger names in the city, and she kept cooking to order long after fast food had become about speed.
Around 180 locations in about 20 countries.
Not affiliated with Fatburger. Trademarks belong to their owners. The photo is credited under it and is used to illustrate this menu item; it comes down on request.