Best Burgers in Detroit
Detroit is a slider town, with onion-pressed burgers on the flat top at counters that date back to the 1920s, plus bar burgers in Dearborn and the Cass Corridor.
Where to Eat
How to eat burgers in Detroit
Detroit is a slider town. The classic local burger is small, cooked on a flat top with a handful of fresh onion pressed into the patty, and finished with simple toppings. Some of the counters serving them have been at it for close to a century. Detroit is also a great bar-burger city, from a Dearborn tavern with no printed menu to dive bars in the Cass Corridor and a retro diner in Corktown.
A few areas are worth knowing. Southwest Detroit, along West Fort Street, is home to the city's oldest slider counter. The Cass Corridor, near Wayne State University in Midtown, has two bars that are local burger favorites. Brush Park, just north of downtown, has one of the city's most praised restaurant burgers, and Corktown, west of downtown near the old Tiger Stadium site, has a classic burger bar. Ferndale and Dearborn, just outside the city, are worth the short drive. Every spot below appears on the cards above, and you can browse more in our restaurant directory.
Best burgers in Detroit by style
Sliders
Motz's Burgers in Southwest Detroit is the place to start. It traces its roots to 1929, and its sliders still come with fresh onion pressed right into the patty on the griddle. Order a few, since they're small. If you want to try the technique at home, our guide to how to make sliders and our fried onion burger recipe use a similar onion-smash method.
Classic bar burgers
Miller's Bar in Dearborn is a no-frills tavern that serves its burgers on wax paper with pickles. There's no printed menu, and you settle up at the bar on the honor system. In the Cass Corridor, The Bronx Bar is a long-running dive known for a straightforward burger with cheese on a soft, toasted bun. Mercury Burger & Bar in Corktown is a retro diner and bar with a big burger menu and a patio. See more like these on our best classic burgers page.
Smash burgers
Dirty Shake, an ivy-covered bar in the Cass Corridor, serves a double-patty smash burger on a potato bun. Despite the name, don't go expecting a milkshake. For more picks around the country, see our best smash burgers page.
Chef-driven
Grey Ghost in Brush Park is a meat-focused restaurant whose burger on a toasted sesame roll has become a local favorite, with add-ons like an egg or thick-cut bacon. Its team also runs Little Ghost, a walk-up burger spot in Ferndale built around the same burger idea.
Local burger traditions
The Detroit slider is the city's burger tradition. Small patties, fresh onions and a hot griddle made sliders a cheap, fast meal, and the city was once home to many slider counters. Motz's is one of the best places left to try the style the old way.
The neighborhood bar burger is the other tradition. Miller's Bar has been serving burgers in Dearborn since 1941, and its no-menu, honor-system routine is part of the experience. If you want to understand how the slider fits with other regional styles, read our guide to American burger styles.
Tips for visiting
- Bring a little patience at Miller's Bar. Staff take your order at the table, and you tell the bartender what you had when you pay.
- Order more than one slider at Motz's. They're meant to be eaten in multiples.
- Little Ghost in Ferndale is a walk-up spot, so plan to eat outside or take your burger to go.
- Pair stops by area: Dirty Shake and The Bronx Bar are both on Second Avenue in the Cass Corridor, and Grey Ghost is a short drive south in Brush Park.
- Check hours before you go, especially for small counters and bar kitchens.
- Know a Detroit spot we missed? Suggest a spot.
Browse by style
Want just one kind of burger? See our shortlists of the best classic burger joints, cheap burgers in Detroit.
FAQ
What is the best burger in Detroit?
For the classic Detroit experience, go to Motz's for sliders or Miller's Bar in Dearborn for a bar burger. For a restaurant burger, Grey Ghost in Brush Park is the most praised.
What is a Detroit slider?
It's a small burger griddled with fresh onions pressed into the patty, then served on a soft bun with simple toppings. Motz's Burgers is the best-known place to try one.
Where can I find a cheap burger in Detroit?
Sliders at Motz's are the classic budget meal. The Bronx Bar and Dirty Shake in the Cass Corridor are also casual, no-frills spots for a burger and a drink.
Where can I get a burger near Wayne State?
Dirty Shake and The Bronx Bar are both on Second Avenue in the Cass Corridor, a short walk from campus.