30 burgers rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry ★ 4.7 · Madison
state-street · 317 N Frances St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the front bar gets loud on football and basketball game days.
Kopp's Frozen Custard ★ 4.7 · Milwaukee
wauwatosa · 5373 N Port Washington Rd, Glendale, WI 53217
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.
Tip: Lines move fast; counter only and three locations across the Milwaukee suburbs.
Solly's Grille ★ 4.7 · Milwaukee
north-avenue · 4629 N Port Washington Rd, Glendale, WI 53212
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.
Tip: Counter only; arrive before 12:30 weekdays to skip the lunch queue.
Skip's Kitchen ★ 4.7 · Sacramento
carmichael · 4717 El Camino Avenue, Carmichael, CA 95608
Skip Kitchen on El Camino Avenue in Carmichael is the suburban gourmet burger counter north of midtown, the chef-driven greasy-spoon institution.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Counter ordering and patio. The signature joker card draw gives one diner a free meal.
Workingman's Friend ★ 4.5 · Indianapolis
haughville · 234 N Belmont Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46222
Workingman's Friend in Haughville, Indianapolis is a 1918 lunch counter. The thin-patty smash double cheeseburger is the West Side standard.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch counter; in and out. Closed Sunday.
Stock and Barrel ★ 4.5 · Knoxville
market-square · 35 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
Stock and Barrel on Market Square, the burger and bourbon room running since 2013, sources beef from Mitchell Family Farms with a bar pouring more than 300.
Tip: Walk-up is reliable weeknights before 18:00; the bar runs later than the kitchen on Friday and Saturday nights.
Stock and Barrel ★ 4.5 · Knoxville
market-square · 35 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
Stock and Barrel on Market Square, the bourbon-and-burger counter since 2013, sources beef from Mitchell Family Farms with bread from Flour Head Bakery.
Tip: Walk-up runs weeknights before 18:00; the bar stays open past kitchen close on weekends.
Squeeze Burger Power Inn ★ 4.5 · Sacramento
tahoe-park · 5301 Power Inn Road, Sacramento, CA 95820
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.
Tip: Counter ordering. Cash and card. Sacramento's original Squeeze Inn counter, on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Crown Burgers ★ 4.5 · Salt Lake City
downtown · 377 E 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
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.
Tip: Lunch turns the counter fast; the original downtown location is the canonical seat among the seven Utah branches.
Crown Burgers ★ 4.5 · Salt Lake City
downtown · 377 E 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Crown Burgers on East 200 South, the Katsanevas family's institution since 1978, popularized Salt Lake's pastrami burger at its Greek-American counter.
Tip: Original downtown location is the canonical seat among seven Utah branches; lunch counter turns fast.
The Owl Cafe ★ 4.4 · Albuquerque
northeast-heights · 800 Eubank Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123
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.
The Owl Cafe ★ 4.4 · Albuquerque
northeast-heights · 800 Eubank Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123
The Owl Cafe on Eubank Boulevard in Albuquerque is the green chile cheeseburger anchor on the New Mexico Tourism GCCB Trail
Kincaid's Hamburgers ★ 4.4 · Fort Worth
camp-bowie · 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Kincaid's Hamburgers has been grilling Fort Worth's favourite burgers at Camp Bowie Blvd since starting life as a grocery store butcher in 1946.
Tip: Order at the counter and grab a spot at the butcher-block tables. The half-pound patty is pressed fresh daily.
Kincaid's Hamburgers ★ 4.4 · Fort Worth
camp-bowie · 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Kincaid's Hamburgers has been grilling Fort Worth's favourite burgers at Camp Bowie Blvd since starting life as a grocery store butcher in 1946.
Tip: Order at the counter and grab a spot at the butcher-block tables. The half-pound patty is pressed fresh daily.
Lankford Grocery & Market ★ 4.4 · Houston
midtown · 88 Dennis St, Houston, TX 77006
Lankford Grocery & Market in Houston is the 1939 corner-store-turned-burger-shack on Dennis Street in Midtown, with the Grim burger, weekday breakfast.
Tip: Cash and card. Closed weekends. Sit at the picnic tables outside; the indoor counter is a single bench.
In-N-Out Burger Sunset ★ 4.4 · Los Angeles
hollywood · 7009 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
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.
Tip: Late-night Friday and Saturday closes at 1:30, the queue spills around the block by midnight.
Tipsy Cow ★ 4.4 · Madison
capitol-square · 102 King St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the bar runs faster than the dining room midweek.
Sobelman's Pub and Grill ★ 4.4 · Milwaukee
walkers-point · 1900 W St Paul Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233
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.
Tip: Lines wrap weekends; weekday lunch is the calmer window. Five Milwaukee locations.
Hodad's ★ 4.4 · San Diego
ocean-beach · 5010 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107
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.
Tip: The line moves; queue at the side door for takeout. Park your car blocks away on weekends, Newport Avenue fills up.
Green Dot Stables ★ 4.3 · Detroit
corktown · 2200 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48216
Green Dot Stables on West Lafayette in Corktown serves $3 sliders in Detroit. Cash and cards; loud and busy at peak. Walk-in only. At 2200 W Lafayette Blvd.
Tip: Cash and cards; loud and busy at peak. Walk-in only.
Brome Modern Eatery ★ 4.3 · Detroit
dearborn · 22062 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124
Brome Modern Eatery on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn serves halal grass-fed beef burgers and hand-spun shakes in metro Detroit. Open through 02:00 on weekends.
Tip: Late-night kitchen runs to 02:00 Wednesday to Sunday; vegetarian and vegan options too.
Love Shack ★ 4.3 · Fort Worth
stockyards · 110 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76164
Love Shack by Tim Love in Fort Worth is a Stockyards counter-service burger stand on Exchange Ave serving the celebrated Dirty Love Burger since 2009.
Tip: Counter service only. The root beer on tap is brewed in-house. Tables on the outdoor deck fill fast during the evening cattle drive hours.
Curious Dog ★ 4.3 · Knoxville
old-city · 200 W Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Curious Dog on West Jackson, the brothers Weidenhamer's hot-dog counter in the historic JFG building, runs over 30 specialty dog builds since 2009.
Tip: Bottle shop runs longer than the kitchen; aim for lunch or early dinner.
Cassell's Hamburgers ★ 4.3 · Los Angeles
koreatown · 3600 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Cassell's Hamburgers inside the Hotel Normandie in Koreatown grinds its own chuck for griddled patties, a recipe in continuous use since 1948.
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 LAX ★ 4.3 · Los Angeles
westchester · 9149 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
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.
Tip: The patio is the move; aircraft pass directly overhead on approach to runway 24R every two minutes.
Tipsy Cow ★ 4.3 · Madison
capitol-square · 102 King St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; weeknight 11:00-22:00 hours run quieter than weekends.
The Plaza Tavern & Grill ★ 4.3 · Madison
state-street · 319 N Henry St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; small-town tavern feel makes the dinner shift the right window.
The Plaza Tavern & Grill ★ 4.3 · Madison
state-street · 319 N Henry St, Madison, WI 53703
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the small-town tavern feel makes the dinner shift the right window.
AJ Bombers ★ 4.3 · Milwaukee
downtown · 1247 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
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.
Tip: Peanut shells go on the floor by tradition; weekend brunch runs Bloody Marys 10:00-14:00.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar (South Congress) ★ 4.2 · Austin
south-congress · 1400 S Congress Ave, Suite A190, Austin, TX 78704
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.
Tip: The line moves; queue at 5pm or 10pm. The Sack of Sliders is a four-burger flight worth ordering once.