The Milwaukee butter burger is a fresh-griddled beef patty with a generous pat of butter melted on top, served on a toasted bun with stewed onions.
Kenneth Salmon, known as Solly, opened Solly's Coffee Shop in 1936 near Green Bay and Burleigh, and the shop popularised the butter burger, a pat of butter on a fresh-griddled patty with stewed onions; the diner moved to North Port Washington Road in Glendale in 1971. The style spread to Sobelman's, Kopp's and other Milwaukee chains, and the term butter burger entered the Milwaukee lexicon by the 1950s. Solly's still serves the original version with the butter visible on the patty as you eat it; Sobelman's adds toppings; Kopp's pairs it with daily-changing frozen custard.
4 editor picks for Butter burger in Milwaukee, ranked by editorial score. All Milwaukee signature dishes · Butter burger across every city.
Solly's Grille ★ 4.7
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.
Kopp's Frozen Custard ★ 4.7
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.
Sobelman's Pub and Grill ★ 4.4
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.
AJ Bombers ★ 4.3
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.