History
Nick Katsanevas and brother-in-law John Katzourakis opened Crown Burgers in 1978, converting a downtown hot-dog stand and putting the pastrami burger on their menu. The dish itself was first served at Minos Burgers in Anaheim by James Katsanevas, who learned the build from a Los Angeles cook; Crown Burgers brought the Greek-American pastrami-on-cheeseburger to Utah and codified it. The hybrid (pastrami plus American cheeseburger plus fry sauce) defines Salt Lake's casual food canon. By the 2020s, seven Crown Burgers locations served the dish across Utah; Apollo Burger built a competing pastrami burger empire at a lower price point.
Book a food experience
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 quarter-pound ground beef patties, 80/20
- 4 slices American cheese
- 100g sliced hot pastrami, warmed
- 2 sesame seed buns
- 4 leaves iceberg lettuce
- 2 slices tomato
- 2 slices red onion
- 2 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
- Fry sauce (50/50 mayo and ketchup) to serve
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Season ground beef patties generously with salt and pepper. Heat a flat-top or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until smoking.
- Cook patties 3 minutes per side for medium. Top each with 2 slices American cheese in the final minute to melt.
- Warm sliced pastrami in the residual fat in the pan for 1 minute. Toast bun halves face down on the flat-top.
- Spread Thousand Island dressing on the bun base. Add lettuce, tomato slice and red onion.
- Place cheeseburger patty on the bun, then pile warm pastrami on top of the cheese. Crown with the top bun.
- Serve immediately with fry sauce on the side for the fries.
Tip from the editors. Use deli pastrami sliced thin and warmed in the pan fat; the warm pastrami melting the cheese is the Crown signature.
Where to eat crown pastrami burger
Crown pastrami burger in Salt Lake City
Crown Burgers ★ 4.5
Crown Burgers on East 200 South runs until 22:00 Monday through Saturday, anchoring late-night counter service for the pastrami-burger crowd downtown.
TryPastrami burger and gyros at the late-night counter
Apollo Burger ★ 4.0
Apollo Burger on Redwood Road, the local Utah burger chain since the 1980s, runs charbroiled pastrami burgers and Greek-American sides for under $11.
TryPastrami burger and souvlaki combo
Red Iguana ★ 4.7
Red Iguana on West North Temple runs lunch combinations for $13 to $19 at the bar, with the same mole sauces as the dinner menu at a faster mid-day turn.
TryCombination platter at lunch
More cities are in research. Want crown pastrami burger covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.