America’s best burgers

Find them in greasy-spoon diners or hip eateries from S.F. to NYC

Anne Hamersky

Burger Joint in San Francisco is a retro, '50s-style indie chain with five locations in the Bay Area. In keeping with the righteous Northern California foodie movement, the old-fashioned burger here is grilled to order with hormone- and pesticide-free natural beef from Niman Ranch.

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By Shane Mitchell

updated 12:19 p.m. ET May 25, 2009

It’s consistently one of the most contentious food topics across the nation. Who makes the best burger? In New York City alone, the classics — Peter Luger, Corner Bistro, P. J. Clarke’s — must defend their meat cred from sizzling newcomers like Black Iron, Back Forty, Five Napkin Burger, and Shake Shack.

In the final analysis, the beauty of a burger depends on personal preference for patty size, toppings, and sides, but we still scoured the 50 states for our list of the top 10 ways to serve beef in a bun. Doing our two-fisted (and multiple-napkin) diligence, we ordered our burgers loud-and-proud in greasy-spoon diners, late-night taverns, hip downtown joints, indie chains, and even a few haute cuisine temples where the homegrown chefs know their Wagyu from their Black Angus and occasionally add foie gras or short ribs to the meaty mix.

We’re flexible: regional toppings like chile con carne, fried eggs, and artisanal bacon are just fine with us, though a plain, good old-fashioned cheeseburger also appeals to our appetites. Of course, a champion burger also deserves heroic sides. Golden-brown fries always hit the spot, but we also enjoyed the sizable pickles, grits, and even scrapple that showed up on our plates.

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Tradition must be taken into account, even if the tradition in question might taste strange to outsiders. At Dyer’s Burger, a Memphis institution since 1912, the all-beef patties are dunked in a cast-iron skillet of boiling hot vegetable oil. Out in Hawaii, Oahu’s Kua’Aina Sandwich Shop has been offering enormous charbroiled burgers topped with slices of fresh, island-grown avocado or pineapple for the past 25 years.

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America’s best burgers

When it comes to the Big Apple, the burger battle becomes more contentious. It also becomes more difficult to pick a clear winner, which is why we chose two. The no-fuss, no-attitude Black Iron Burger Shop’s house special is a delectable version involving two patties topped with grilled onions and horseradish cheddar. And our other pick? Well, as tough as it is to spurn restaurants with a proud hamburger history, this one is also a newcomer to Gotham’s burger circuit.

Here is Travel + Leisure’s highly opinionated, highly subjective, and high-calorie take on where to find the best burger in America.

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