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.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
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
More cities are in research. Want butter burger covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.