Home of Saipan’s biggest burger

Contrary to popular belief, the famous 3-lb burger at Inas’ Kitchen is not on the Sadog Tasi restaurant’s regular menu.

Chef and co-owner Francisco “Sonnie” Sablan said the monster burger is actually made-to-order.

“It happened when someone called us up and asked if we can make them a 3-lb burger for a special occasion…we can actually make any of our burgers—grilled cheese, swiss, and pika—into a monster burger…We just need a day of prep time,” he said during an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Sablan said they make the buns of the monster hamburger themselves and the giant patty takes as much as 30 minutes to grill.

The burger comes with a side of French fries—all 5 lbs of it—and bottled water. Sablan said three to four hungry people can wolf down the monster burger.

Aside from burgers, Inas’ Kitchen has also become a favorite hangout for its carne asada, tacos, and plate lunches.

And while on the topic of plate lunches, Sablan volunteered that the restaurant has actually introduced a lunch plate absolutely perfect for the times.

It’s called APL, short for Austerity Lunch Plate, and consists of Inas’ Kitchen’s meat dish of the day, a cup of rice, side salad, and bottled water.

Sablan doesn’t want to label Inas’ Kitchen as Tex-Mex cuisine because at its core, the restaurant is a culmination of his journey in the culinary world that has saw him hone his gastronomy skills in restaurants in Oregon, Arizona, and Saipan soon after completing culinary school in Portland.

Currently, the restaurant has been a go-to-place for Federal Emergency Management Agency staff on island still helping out with post-Super Typhoon Yutu recovery. Locals and a smattering of tourists make up the rest of Inas’ Kitchen’s clientele.

Inas’ Kitchen has also gone green as witnessed by its use of paper bento boxes for lunch and actual dinnerware in the evenings. They are also looking for an alternative for single-use plastic straws, which they currently only provide on customers’ request.

Hands on in the kitchen and very focused on good customer service, Sablan said even Inas’ Kitchen’s signage has a real meaning to it—the stylized “I” symbolizes a chef’s knife, while the “K” is shaped like the islands’ iconic latte stone.

Sablan’s family has always been into food service long before Inas’ Kitchen opened in March 2018. His grandfather, Ignacio DLG Aldan, used to operate a mini café and gas station where McDonald’s Garapan along Beach Road now stands.

In fact, Inas’ Kitchen is named after the family patriarch and the burgers and plate lunches are sort of an homage to Ignacio’s old business.

Inas’ Kitchen is open lunch time, from 11am to 2pm, Monday-Saturday; and dinner, from 5pm to 8pm, Monday-Wednesday. It is closed on Sunday. It is located next to the Mobil gas station in Sadog Tasi on the road going up to Capitol Hill and comfortably sits 28 people, but can accommodate a party of 50. For orders and reservations, call 488-1627.

MD: Contrary to popular opinion, the famous 3-lb burger at Inas’ Kitchen is not in the Sadog Tasi restaurant’s regular menu.

KW: Inas’ Kitchen, Francisco “Sonnie” Sablan, monster burger.