The Wisconsin butter burger is a fresh-griddled beef patty with a pat of butter melted on top, served on a toasted bun with stewed onions and American cheese.
Where to eat it: 8 restaurants across 2 cities.
Kenneth Salmon, known as Solly, popularised the butter burger at Solly's Coffee Shop in Milwaukee in 1936, and the style spread across Wisconsin as a tavern lunch counter staple. Madison's Tipsy Cow, the King Street tavern off Capitol Square, codified the butter burger on a downtown bar menu in the early 2010s; the Plazaburger at the Plaza Tavern, the secret-sauce double-stack served since 1964 on North Henry Street, runs in parallel as Madison's other defining tavern burger.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Butter goes on top of the patty after cooking; do not skip. Use salted butter and stewed onions; American cheese is canonical, cheddar works.
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.
The Plaza Tavern on North Henry, a block off State Street between the Capitol and UW Madison, is home to the secret-sauce Plazaburger since 1964.
Signature: Plazaburger
Order: The Plazaburger with the secret sauce and a side of fried cheese curds.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the small-town tavern feel makes the dinner shift the right window.
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry on North Frances, downtown Madison's burger institution, runs cheese-curd-topped burgers and hand-cut onion rings under $15 at lunch.
Try: Melting Pot burger with onion rings
Settle Down Tavern on South Pinckney from Sam Parker, Ryan Huber and Brian Bartels is the city's new-American tavern with a deep brandy Old Fashioned list.
Signature drink: Wisconsin brandy Old Fashioned with a high-end pour
Food: New American supper club menu
Solly's Grille on North Port Washington Road has served the original butter burger with stewed onions and chocolate malts at counter prices since Kenneth.
Try: Butter burger and chocolate malt
Sobelman's Pub and Grill on West St Paul Avenue serves Milwaukee's most photographed Bloody Mary with a brat, slider, cheese and pickled garnish stack since.
Try: Cheeseburger and Bloody Mary
Kopp's Frozen Custard on North Port Washington Road in Glendale serves jumbo cheeseburgers and a daily-changing custard flavour at counter prices since Elsa.
Try: Jumbo cheeseburger and custard cone
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.
Try: Barrie Burger
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