The Owl Cafe ★ 4.4
The Owl Cafe on Eubank Boulevard is the green chile cheeseburger anchor on the New Mexico GCCB Trail, modeled after the Owl Bar and Cafe in San Antonio NM.
Signature: Green chile cheeseburger, Owl burger
43 editor-picked burgers restaurants across 21 cities.
The hamburger is, by some measure, America's most globally consequential food contribution: a griddled or grilled beef patty served on a soft bun with toppings, ubiquitous on six continents, the foundation of the largest restaurant chain in the world (McDonald's), and the subject of more cultural argument than almost any other dish in the American canon. The origin is contested (Hamburg-style ground beef in late-19th-century immigrant communities in New Haven, New York, and Wisconsin all claim invention), but the modern American hamburger took shape in the 1900s through the 1920s, with White Castle's first store in Wichita in 1921 standardizing the small-square-bun-and-patty format that became fast food.
The defining variants today span four broad categories. The smashburger is the modern revival of the original style: a small ball of fresh ground beef smashed flat on a screaming-hot griddle, producing a thin, crackly-edged patty with a deeply browned crust. The diner burger or grill burger is a hand-formed quarter-pound or third-pound patty cooked on a flat-top, juicier and thicker. The pub or restaurant burger is a half-pound or larger, often dry-aged or specialty-beef, cooked to a specific temperature, with sophisticated toppings. The fast-food burger is the industrial descendant, optimized for cost and consistency rather than flavor.
Regional variants are real and worth seeking out. The In-N-Out double-double of Southern California; the Shake Shack East Coast version that descended from Danny Meyer's burger stand; the Wisconsin butter burger (Solly's, Culver's); the Mississippi slugburger (beef stretched with bread); the Oklahoma onion burger (smashed with shaved onion pressed into the patty); the Louie's lunch steamed cheeseburger of Connecticut; the New Mexico green chile cheeseburger. Each is a real local tradition.
In-N-Out (Southern California, since 1948), Animal Style (mustard-grilled patty, grilled onion, extra spread, pickles), Double-Double, the secret menu. Shake Shack now national but New York-rooted. California-Mexican burger overlap with green chile and avocado.
Shake Shack (since 2004), J.G. Melon (the unimproved old-school NYC burger), Peter Luger (the steakhouse lunch burger), Corner Bistro (the late-night classic). Slightly thicker patty, often a brioche-bun upgrade.
Wisconsin butter burger (Solly's in Milwaukee, Culver's chain): a patty with a slab of butter on top of the bun. Oklahoma onion burger (smashed with shaved onion pressed into the patty, originated during the Depression to stretch beef). Steamed cheeseburger of New Haven (Louie's Lunch, since 1895, the contested birthplace).
The Mississippi slugburger (beef stretched with bread or soy, fried), the Carolina pimento cheeseburger, the Texas chile burger. Whataburger as the regional chain anchoring much of the South and Southwest.
Green chile cheeseburger: a beef patty topped with roasted, peeled, chopped Hatch green chile and melted cheese. The state's defining variant, with annual competitions for the best.
At a smashburger spot, single or double is the question, with cheese always (American is the textbook choice, not aged cheddar). At a diner, medium-well is the default; ask for medium if you want pink. At a pub or restaurant burger, the chef will guide on temperature and toppings. Specify pickles, raw onion, lettuce, tomato (or 'no veg' for the purist style), and any sauce. Fries are the universal side, with onion rings as the alternative. A milkshake (chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry) is the canonical drink pairing.
The rookie mistakes: ordering a well-done burger at a serious restaurant (the meat dries out and the flavor disappears), asking for a brioche bun at a smashburger spot (the soft potato bun is part of the design), expecting In-N-Out to make a custom Wagyu burger (the menu is fixed; the magic is in the consistency), and tipping less than 20 percent on a counter-service burger (the labor model assumes a tip jar at minimum).
Milkshake (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry) is the canonical American burger pairing, especially at diners and roadside stands. Cold beer (a crisp pilsner or American lager) is the next most common. American whiskey or bourbon for a steakhouse burger. Coca-Cola or a cherry Coke as the soda choice. The wine pairing at a pub burger is typically a soft red (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Gamay) or a structured beer (Belgian dubbel, English bitter, IPA). With a smashburger, a malted milkshake is the move; the salt and fat are balanced by the dairy-and-sugar.
Los Angeles for the In-N-Out and the California burger tradition (Apple Pan, Father's Office). New York for Shake Shack, J.G. Melon, Corner Bistro, Peter Luger, and the bistro burger tradition (Le Coucou, The Spotted Pig legacy). Wisconsin for butter burger (Solly's in Milwaukee). Oklahoma for the onion burger (Sid's, Tucker's). Connecticut for the steamed cheeseburger (Louie's Lunch). New Mexico for green chile (Bobcat Bite was the legendary one; Santa Fe Bite, the Owl Cafe in Albuquerque). Outside the US, the burger has gone global; the best non-US burgers are typically in Japan (Tokyo's Blacows, the BillyQ kitchen) and London (Bleecker, Patty & Bun, Honest Burgers).
The American hamburger emerged in the late 19th century from German immigrant communities, with multiple contested origin stories: Louie's Lunch in New Haven (1895), Charlie Nagreen at the Seymour, Wisconsin fair (1885), Hamburg, New York Erie County Fair (1885), and others. White Castle in Wichita (1921) standardized the small-square format for industrial fast food. McDonald's San Bernardino (1940) and its franchising in the 1950s exported the burger globally. The 21st-century smashburger revival (Shake Shack 2004, the slow proliferation of Bay Area and East Coast smashburger spots) returned the focus to ingredient quality and technique.
A burger made by smashing a small ball of fresh ground beef onto a screaming-hot flat-top griddle with a heavy spatula, creating a thin patty with maximum surface area and a deeply browned, crusty edge. The technique was the original American burger method (Depression-era diners did it this way) and has been revived since the 2000s.
Medium to medium-rare for a thick (half-pound or larger) hand-formed patty; well-done is the necessary endpoint for a smashed thin patty (which cooks through in 60 to 90 seconds and develops its character from the crust, not the interior). Avoid medium-well for a thick patty (dry without the benefit of fully developed crust).
Consistency, ingredient quality (fresh-ground, never-frozen beef; American cheese; soft buns; fresh produce), reasonable price, and the secret menu that makes regulars feel in-the-know. The chain has a cult following partly because it has chosen not to over-expand, maintaining quality control across a limited geography.
The Owl Cafe on Eubank Boulevard is the green chile cheeseburger anchor on the New Mexico GCCB Trail, modeled after the Owl Bar and Cafe in San Antonio NM.
Signature: Green chile cheeseburger, Owl burger
The Owl Cafe on Eubank Boulevard in Albuquerque is the green chile cheeseburger anchor on the New Mexico Tourism GCCB Trail.
Signature: Green chile cheeseburger, Owl burger
Hopdoddy Burger Bar in Austin is the South Congress flagship since 2010, a counter-order burger room that grinds chuck daily and built a national chain.
Signature: Llano Poblano burger, Truffle fries, Hand-spun shake
Order: The Llano Poblano with house-ground chuck and truffle fries on the side.
Tip: The line moves; queue at 5pm or 10pm. The Sack of Sliders is a four-burger flight worth ordering once.
Grabz Smashburger in Cologne's Belgisches Viertel serves American-style smash burgers with crispy patties and house sauces; one of the neighbourhood's best.
Order: Classic smashburger with double patty, American cheese and house sauce
Tip: Open until 03:00 on Friday and Saturday nights. One of the best late-night food stops in the Belgian Quarter.
Cork's most awarded burger counter, running Aberdeen Angus beef freshly minced daily through a classic smash-style format on MacCurtain Street.
Signature: Classic smash burger, Monthly special, Hand-cut fries
Cork's most decorated burger counter, with Aberdeen Angus beef freshly minced daily and a monthly-rotating special alongside the classic smash format.
Order: Classic smash burger with Aberdeen Angus beef minced daily and hand-cut.
Tip: Queue forms early at lunchtime on Fridays; the monthly special sells out mid-week.
Dash Burger on Kevin Street Lower in Dublin 8, Barry Wallace's 2020 smash-burger room that landed at the top of every Dublin best-burger list.
Signature: Double smash burger, Skin-on fries, Buttermilk chicken nuggs
Order: Double smash with American cheese and onion; skin-on fries on the side.
Tip: Walk-ins only at both rooms, kitchen from 12:00 to 21:00 daily. The Kevin Street room is small and turns fast at lunch.
Bunsen on Wexford Street in Dublin, the chef-built burger that built a five-shop Dublin chain on one menu of beef, cheese and fries, the city's reference.
Signature: Cheeseburger, Fries, Milkshake
Order: Quarter-pound cheeseburger with onion, fries and a chocolate milkshake.
Tip: One menu, no specials; the smallest tables turn fastest. Late till midnight at the Wexford Street flagship.
Workingman's Friend in Haughville, Indianapolis is a 1918 lunch counter. The thin-patty smash double cheeseburger is the West Side standard.
Signature: Smash double cheeseburger
Order: The smash double cheeseburger with mustard, onion and pickle.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch counter; in and out. Closed Sunday.
Bru Burger Bar opened on Mass Avenue in 2011 and remains the avenue's standard burger room. Hand-pattied house grinds, scratch brioche, craft-beer list.
Signature: Bru burger, Truffle fries
Order: The Bru burger with sharp cheddar, truffle fries, an Indiana draft.
Tip: Walk in for the bar, reservations on OpenTable for the dining room.
Westport Flea Market Bar and Grill on Westport Road in Kansas City serves a 10-ounce burger that the Food Network's Meat and Potatoes named the city's best.
Signature: 10oz burger, Onion rings, Steak fries
Order: 10-ounce burger built at the condiment bar, with a side of onion rings.
Tip: Cash and card; the bar takes walk-ins. Loud, vintage, no reservations.
Pop's Place is the riverside burger bar run by the same family behind Gostilna As, plating gourmet burgers with local beef and a long craft-beer list.
Signature: Gourmet burger, BBQ ribs, House fries
Hood Burger opened in 2012 in a Vic shipping container and now runs three Ljubljana rooms; the Center counter near Preseren keeps gluten-free options.
Signature: Hood burger, Vegan burger, Sweet potato fries
Pop's Place is the riverside burger bar run by the family behind Gostilna As, plating local-beef burgers and a long craft beer list off the footbridge.
Hood Burger's Center room near Preseren Square keeps gluten-free and vegan options on the daily menu alongside the standard beef stack. A TableJourney pick.
Cassell's Hamburgers inside the Hotel Normandie in Koreatown grinds its own chuck for griddled patties, a recipe in continuous use since 1948.
Order: The third-pound cheeseburger with grilled onions, plus a vanilla malt for the side.
Tip: Cassell's grinds beef in-house every morning; the breakfast burrito is the under-rated order from the same kitchen.
In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, is the chain landmark closest to the Walk of Fame, with late-night drive-through service until 1:30.
Order: A Double-Double Animal Style with grilled onions and extra spread, plus fries well done.
Tip: Late-night Friday and Saturday closes at 1:30, the queue spills around the block by midnight.
In-N-Out Burger near LAX on Sepulveda sits at the end of runway 24R, making it the chain branch that doubles as a plane-spotting picnic spot.
Order: A Double-Double Animal Style and a chocolate shake to eat on the patio.
Tip: The patio is the move; aircraft pass directly overhead on approach to runway 24R every two minutes.
Tipsy Cow on King Street, just off Capitol Square, runs an American burger menu with Wisconsin cheese curds, craft beer and a long whisky and cocktail list.
Signature: Wisconsin butter burger, Cheese curds
Order: A Wisconsin butter burger with cheese curds on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; weeknight 11:00-22:00 hours run quieter than weekends.
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry on North Frances, downtown Madison's burger institution founded by Jeff Stanley, runs a long burger menu with cheese-curd toppings.
Signature: Melting Pot burger, Onion rings
Order: A Melting Pot burger with hand-cut onion rings on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the front bar gets loud on football and basketball game days.
Tipsy Cow on King Street, just off Capitol Square, runs an American burger menu with Wisconsin cheese curds, craft beer and a long whisky and cocktail list.
Signature: Wisconsin butter burger, Fried cheese curds
Order: A Wisconsin butter burger with fried cheese curds on the side.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the bar runs faster than the dining room midweek.
Crafty Cow on West National Avenue in Walker's Point makes smash burgers with Wisconsin cheese, fried cheese curds and craft beer; opened by the Lowlands.
Signature: Smash burger, Cheese curds
Order: The double-stack smash burger with American cheese and a side of fried curds.
Tip: Lunch is quieter; the Walker's Point patio fills after Brewers home games.
Kopp's Frozen Custard on North Port Washington Road, founded by Elsa Kopp in 1950, serves jumbo cheeseburgers and a daily-changing custard flavour today.
Signature: Jumbo cheeseburger, Daily flavour custard
Order: A Jumbo cheeseburger and a small of the flavour of the day with a chocolate cone.
Tip: Lines move fast; counter only and three locations across the Milwaukee suburbs.
Sobelman's Pub and Grill on West St Paul Avenue serves Milwaukee's most photographed Bloody Mary with brat, slider and pickled garnish stack since 1999.
Signature: Bloody Mary, Cheeseburger
Order: The Masterpiece Bloody Mary garnished with a brat, slider and pickled vegetables.
Tip: Lines wrap weekends; weekday lunch is the calmer window. Five Milwaukee locations.
AJ Bombers on North Water Street downtown is Joe Sorge's burger bar with airplane-themed peanut delivery, the Barrie Burger and a deep beer list since 2009.
Signature: Barrie Burger, Peanut delivery
Order: The Barrie Burger with cheese curds and a basket of fries.
Tip: Peanut shells go on the floor by tradition; weekend brunch runs Bloody Marys 10:00 to 14:00.
Solly's Grille on North Port Washington Road in Glendale, founded by Kenneth Salmon in 1936, popularised the butter burger with a pat on a griddled patty.
Signature: Butter burger, Chocolate malt
Order: The original butter burger with stewed onions and a chocolate malt to go.
Tip: Counter only; arrive before 12:30 weekdays to skip the lunch queue.
Graffiti Junktion on East Washington Street in Thornton Park is the burgers-and-beer joint with stuffed burgers, tater tots and a graffiti-walled patio bar.
Signature: California cheeseburger, Tater tots
The Stand Arcadia Burger Shoppe on Indian School Road is a counter-service burger window, griddling smash patties with fries and shakes in the Arcadia strip.
Signature: Smash burgers, Fries, Shakes
Order: A double smash burger with a side.
Tip: Closed Mondays; the patio is the only seating, so it is a take-away room in summer.
Burgatory on the North Shore serves build-your-own burgers and spiked milkshakes in Pittsburgh. A homegrown chain near the stadiums and rivers.
Signature: Build-your-own burger, Spiked milkshakes
Order: A build-your-own burger and a hard milkshake.
Tip: Handy near the North Shore stadiums. The spiked shakes are the gimmick worth trying.
2 Guys on Laugavegur has won the Grapevine's best Reykjavik burger several years running, a smashburger counter with a short menu and thin patties.
Signature: Smashburger
Order: The classic smashburger; add a second patty if you skipped lunch.
Tip: Grapevine best burger four years in a row. There is a second branch on Gnodarvogur if downtown is full.
Tommi's Burger Joint, known locally as Bullan, grills no-nonsense cheeseburgers by the Old Harbour on Geirsgata, a Reykjavik name that went international.
Signature: Offer of the Day, Cheeseburger
Order: The Offer of the Day, a burger with fries and a drink in one set.
Tip: Founder Tommi Tomasson exported the brand to London and beyond. The harbour branch is the original feel.
Chuck Norris Grill on Laugavegur runs a Texas-Ranger-themed diner in central Reykjavik, open late for burgers, milkshakes and an all-day American breakfast.
Signature: Wabamm burger, Diner breakfast
Order: The Wabamm burger, stacked with caramelised onion and chilli mayo.
Tip: Open into the small hours, so it doubles as a late-night feed after the bars. Cash and card both fine.
Rotterdam's most acclaimed craft burger bar on Witte de Withstraat, using dry-aged Dutch beef and house-baked buns. The best burger in the city by consistent.
Order: The signature smash burger with Asian-inspired toppings.
Tip: The shoestring fries with truffle mayo are shareable and worth ordering alongside the burger.
A serious burger kitchen on Nieuwe Binnenweg using Wagyu, Iberico pork, and Dutch ox meat. Located in Rotterdam Noord. Kitchen leans burgers.
Order: Wagyu burger and the hand-cut.
Tip: The Iberico pork burger with chimichurri is the sleeper pick; most people default to the beef.
Burgers and Brew on R Street, midtown Sacramento, is the Niman Ranch half-pound burger counter with over 50 craft beer taps, five-location chain.
Signature: Niman Ranch burger, Craft beer flights
Order: The signature half-pound Niman Ranch burger; the bacon jalapeno cheeseburger; a craft tap flight
Tip: Patio for warm weather. 50+ taps rotate. Sister locations in Davis, West Sacramento, Chico and Folsom.
Squeeze Burger on Power Inn Road, Sacramento, is the long-running counter where a third-pound patty is buried in cheese that fries into a crisp skirt.
Signature: Squeezeburger with cheese skirt, Hand-cut fries
Order: The signature Squeezeburger with the cheese skirt; double Squeeze for the hungry; hand-cut fries
Tip: Counter ordering. Cash and card. Sacramento's original Squeeze Inn counter, on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Skip Kitchen on El Camino Avenue in Carmichael is the suburban gourmet burger counter north of midtown, the chef-driven greasy-spoon institution.
Signature: Gourmet burger, Mini beef Wellingtons
Order: The gourmet burger with the mac puppies; the mini beef Wellingtons; the hand-cut fries
Tip: Closed Sunday. Counter ordering and patio. The signature joker card draw gives one diner a free meal.
Crown Burgers on East 200 South, the Katsanevas family's burger institution since 1978, popularized Salt Lake's pastrami burger at its Greek-American counter.
Signature: Crown burger pastrami burger, Gyros
Order: The Crown burger with pastrami plus fry sauce and a gyro on the side.
Tip: Lunch turns the counter fast; the original downtown location is the canonical seat among the seven Utah branches.
Crown Burgers on East 200 South, the Katsanevas family's institution since 1978, popularized Salt Lake's pastrami burger at its Greek-American counter.
Signature: Crown pastrami burger, Gyros
Order: The Crown burger with pastrami plus a side of fry sauce and a gyro.
Tip: Original downtown location is the canonical seat among seven Utah branches; lunch counter turns fast.
Apollo Burger on Redwood Road, the Utah burger chain since 1984, serves charbroiled pastrami burgers and Greek-American sides.
Signature: Pastrami burger, Souvlaki
Order: The Pastrami Burger with Apollo sauce plus a side of fries and a milkshake.
Tip: Cheaper alternative to Crown Burgers for the local pastrami-burger ritual; multiple metro branches.
Chris Madrid's in Tobin Hill is a since-1977 burger joint where the huge Macho size is built for splitting and the bean-topped Tostada Burger is the order.
Order: The Tostada Burger and the Macho-sized cheese.
Tip: The Macho size is genuinely huge; split one. The Tostada Burger, topped with refried beans and corn chips, is the order.
Hodad's in Ocean Beach is the 1969 Newport Avenue burger shack with surfboards on the walls, the Guy Fieri Diners Drive-Ins and Dives stop and the canonical.
Signature: Double bacon cheeseburger, Mini burger, Onion rings
Order: The Double Bacon Cheeseburger with the works.
Tip: The line moves; queue at the side door for takeout. Park your car blocks away on weekends, Newport Avenue fills up.
Baileys' Range griddles grass-fed burgers and churns house ice cream for boozy shakes, a build-your-own burger spot that moved from downtown to the Shaw area.
Order: A grass-fed burger and a spiked shake.
Tip: Build a burger and chase it with a spiked milkshake. The house ice cream uses no artificial ingredients.
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