Home/Best Classic Burgers

Best Classic Burger Joints in America

Century-old counters, drive-ins, diners and taverns: these are the classic burger joints in our city guides, where a griddled cheeseburger has barely changed in decades.

Many are cash-friendly, walk-up or counter-only, so check before you go.

317 Burger

Indianapolis, IN

Locally owned Broad Ripple burger bar known for cooked-to-order burgers and poutine.

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5-8 Club

Minneapolis, MN

Matt's Bar's rival in the battle over who invented the Juicy Lucy.

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66 Diner

Albuquerque, NM

Green Chile Cheeseburger

A Route 66-themed diner on Central Avenue serving green chile cheeseburgers and green chile apple pie.

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A&B Kitchen & Bar

Royale with Cheese

A bar near TD Garden with a Big Mac-style "Royale with Cheese".

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Adair's Saloon

Half Pound Cheeseburger

One of Dallas's oldest honky-tonks, cooking burgers in a tiny back room.

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Alex's Tavern

Old-school Jackson Avenue tavern whose Greek Burger is a longtime local favorite.

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AllGood Cafe

Best Cheeseburger in Texas

A Deep Ellum diner serving the "Best Cheeseburger in Texas" since 2000.

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Amigos Burgers & Beer

South Side burger and beer spot whose Amigo Burger brings avocado, pepper jack, bacon and chipotle mayo.

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Applewood Smoke Burger

Applewood Smoke Burger

Burger counter in the back of a Highland Park pub, serving smoky, creative burgers and Parmesan fries.

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Arthur's

Hyde Park neighborhood bar that regularly lands on Cincinnati's best-burger lists.

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Au Cheval

Cheeseburger (single or double)

The West Loop diner behind one of America's most famous cheeseburgers.

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Babe's Meat & Counter

A Palmetto Bay butcher shop with an old-school cheeseburger.

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Bad Boy Burgers

No-frills Vista Avenue burger stand that ranks among Boise's highest-rated burger spots.

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Bambi Bar

No-frills Bardstown Road bar that ranks among the Louisville area's highest-rated burger spots.

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Band Box Diner

Minneapolis, MN

A tiny historic diner from the 1930s griddling burgers with onions.

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Bare Bones Butcher

Double Cheeseburger

A neighborhood butcher shop with a double cheeseburger made from its own beef.

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Beachcorner Bar and Grill

New Orleans, LA

Hot & Spicy Beachburger

A 21+ Mid-City bar known for 10-ounce burgers.

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Beep's Burgers

San Francisco, CA

A space-age drive-in burger stand that's been running since 1962.

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Beth's Burger Bar

Casual Orlando burger bar with locations on South Orange Avenue and Universal Boulevard.

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Big Bun Drive-In

Bench drive-in that has served burgers, fries and tots for more than 70 years, now with a Garden City location.

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Big Jud's

Boise burger joint on Protest Road, with a second location in Meridian.

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Big Max Burger Co.

A Queen Anne burger shop that grinds bacon right into the patty.

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Billy Goat Tavern

Chicago, IL · Multiple locations

Double Cheezborger

Chicago's legendary underground tavern and its famous "Cheezborger".

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Blueberry Hill

University City, MO

Famous Delmar Loop music bar and restaurant serving a 7-ounce charred burger.

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Bob's Burgers

Albuquerque, NM

Ranchero Supreme

A family-owned Albuquerque burger stand open since 1963 and on the state's Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.

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Boulevard Burger & Brew

Black Angus Beef Burger

Casual burger and craft beer spot on Arthur Ashe Boulevard near the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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Brown's Diner

A diner open since 1927 that claims Nashville's original burger.

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Bubba's Texas Burger Shack

A burger shack under the Westpark Tollway, serving bison burgers since 1985.

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Bud's Broiler

New Orleans, LA

Charcoal Burger

A local chain of charcoal-broiled burger stands with a hickory smoke sauce.

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Bud's Cafe & Bar

Double cheeseburger

A cash-only small-town bar south of Denver with a cult double cheeseburger.

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Burger Authority

Casual burger counter on Main Street near the University at Buffalo's South Campus.

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Canard

Gabriel Rucker's wine bar with a small, cult steam burger.

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Candlelight Tavern

Candlelight Burger

An old-school neighborhood bar with a cheap hand-formed burger.

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Casino El Camino

A dark Sixth Street dive grilling huge three-quarter-pound burgers.

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Cassell's Hamburgers

Los Angeles, CA

A retro Koreatown diner in the Hotel Normandie, known for its patty melt.

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Champ Burger

An old-fashioned East End walk-up window from the early 1960s.

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Char-Grill

Hamburger Steak Sandwich

Raleigh's original Char-Grill, cooking burgers over charcoal since 1959, with paper order slips and a walk-up window.

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Cherry Cricket

Denver, CO · Multiple locations

Green chile cheeseburger

A Cherry Creek burger institution with a big build-your-own menu.

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Chris Madrid's

San Antonio, TX

Beacon Hill burger institution since 1977, famous for the Tostada Burger and the extra-cheesy Cheddar Cheezy.

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Christopher Martins

Longtime East Rock pub and restaurant on State Street with a loyal neighborhood following and classic pub burgers.

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Chuck-A-Burger

Old-school drive-in on St. Charles Rock Road in St. John, known for its Triple Chuck.

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Chuck's Trading Post

Double Black Angus cheeseburger

Small Hampden spot on 36th Street with a double Black Angus burger and a weekly Wednesday burger night.

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Clover Grill

New Orleans, LA

A tiny French Quarter diner that cooks its burgers under a hubcap.

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Club 185

Double 185 Burger

German Village neighborhood bar known for a simple, crowd-pleasing Double 185 Burger.

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Clyde's Prime Rib

A retro prime rib house with a bar cheeseburger.

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Cozy Royale

Cozy Cheeseburger

A Williamsburg butcher-shop restaurant with a straightforward single-patty cheeseburger.

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Crown Burgers

A locally owned Denver burger stand that has been grilling since 1987.

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Daglas Drive-In

Los Angeles, CA

A retro San Fernando Valley burger stand with some of the city's best fries.

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Dairy-Ette

A drive-in that's been griddling burgers to order for nearly 70 years.

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Danny Boy's Hamburgers

San Antonio, TX

Neighborhood burger spot on West Summit Avenue that tops San Antonio's burger rankings by Yelp reviews.

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Delray Cafe

Double Slider with Cheese

An East Austin counter serving thin double sliders on steamed buns.

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Diana's Burgers

San Antonio, TX

Jalapeño Cheddar Burger

Cozy West Side burger spot opened by Diana Madrid, known for cheddar and jalapeño cheddar burgers.

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Dinker's Bar & Grill

Bacon Cheeseburger

Old-school Omaha bar and grill, a top local pick for a humble, well-seasoned bacon cheeseburger.

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Dino's Bar & Grill

Classic cheeseburger

A late-night East Nashville dive with a classic, unsmashed cheeseburger.

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Dirty Martin's Place

Classic cheeseburger

A century-old burger landmark next to the University of Texas.

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Don & Millie's

Omaha burger counter serving classic burgers and fried sides since the 1970s.

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Dreamland Bar & Diner

A Fremont diner-bar whose McDreamy burger has charred onion mayo.

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Duran Central Pharmacy

Albuquerque, NM

Green Chile Cheeseburger

A 1942 pharmacy with a restaurant inside, known for green chile cheeseburgers, tamales and enchiladas.

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Dyer's Burgers

Beale Street landmark frying thin, mallet-smashed burgers in grease kept going since 1912.

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Earnestine & Hazel's

Historic South Main dive bar known for its simple Soul Burger with onions, cheese, pickle and Soul Sauce.

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Eight Row Flint

A Heights icehouse with a cheeseburger served on a white bread bun.

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Eli's on Whitney

Hamden restaurant and bar on Whitney Avenue with an 80-foot horseshoe bar, plenty of TVs and a burger-friendly menu.

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Evergreen Butcher + Baker

A Kirkwood butcher and bakery that sells a limited burger on Sundays only.

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Fanny Ann's Saloon

Gold Rush-themed Old Sacramento saloon serving burgers and cold beer since the 1970s.

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Farmer and the Beast

Double Cheeseburger

A Nob Hill food cart with one of Portland's best double cheeseburgers.

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Fountain Porter

Philadelphia, PA

Philly's ultimate bar burger, for about $6.

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Fred's Meat & Bread

A Krog Street Market stall stacking burgers on buns baked fresh daily.

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Goldberg's in Dundee

Dundee neighborhood bar and grill on Dodge Street with a burger menu that includes a blackened Cajun option.

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Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House

Bourdain Burger

An East Dallas beer garden with a burger named for Anthony Bourdain.

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Gordo's Pub & Grill

Norwood pub and grill that ranks among the Cincinnati area's highest-rated burger spots.

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Gray's Hall

Burger with griddled onions

A Southie wine bar whose humble griddled-onion burger steals the show.

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Grillshack Fries & Burgers

A casual East Nashville burger spot with butter-griddled buns.

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Grover's Bar & Grill

East Amherst, NY

Cash-only suburban bar famous for its massive 12-ounce Grover Burger.

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Harriet's Hamburgers

Burger counter that started in Optimist Hall in 2020, with a short menu, a Jucy Lucy and Minnesota-style cheese curds.

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Harvey's Wineburger

Mushroom Burger

A dim, loud dive bar on 16th Street with very thick patties cooked with red wine.

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Hawkins Pac-Out

North End burger and breakfast burrito stand known for quality ingredients and tots.

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High Hat Cafe

New Orleans, LA

High Hat Burger

A Freret Street Southern comfort-food restaurant with a pimento cheese burger.

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Hinano Cafe

A sandy-floored Venice dive bar steps from the pier, serving a no-frills cheeseburger.

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Hi-Pointe Drive-In

Drive-in-style burger shop with locally sourced ingredients and creative burgers like the Cowboy Burger.

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Hires Big H

Salt Lake City, UT

Family-owned Salt Lake burger spot, open since 1959, famous for the Big H burger and fry sauce.

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Hodad's

Bacon Double Cheeseburger

An Ocean Beach institution famous for bacon cheeseburgers and a license-plate-covered room.

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Huey's Downtown

West Coast Burger

Downtown location of the Memphis burger institution with locations across the Mid-South.

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Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint

A beer bar serving American wagyu burgers and a long craft beer list.

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J.G. Melon

Cheeseburger with cottage fries

A classic Upper East Side pub serving a no-frills cheeseburger on a plate.

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Jim Dandy Drive-In

Classic Cheeseburger

An old-school Portland drive-in serving classic cheeseburgers.

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JM Curley

A downtown tavern with a classic cheeseburger and fresh-cut fries.

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Johnnie's Grill

Fried Onion Burger

An El Reno grill in business since the 1940s, known for onion burgers, coneys and big breakfasts.

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Johnnie's Tavern

West Side neighborhood tavern on Trabue Road known for the hefty Johnnie's Super Burger.

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Johnny's Fillin' Station

Neighborhood bar near Michigan Street and Fern Creek Avenue, known around SoDo for its award-winning burger.

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Junior Colombian Burger

Colombian-style burger spot on South Kirkman Road that locals regularly recommend for big, loaded burgers.

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Keller's Drive-In

A classic Dallas drive-in with very cheap cheeseburgers.

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King's Burger

Bacon cheeseburger

Old-school East San Jose burger stand with juicy patties, melted cheese, bacon and crinkle-cut fries.

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Knotty Pine

Knotty Pine Burger

Brewers Hill spot serving loaded double-patty burgers with Old Bay chips and a pickle on the side.

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Kopp's Frozen Custard

Glendale, WI · Multiple locations

A frozen custard stand famous for jumbo burgers and battered onion rings.

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Lankford Grocery

Grim Burger (with mac 'n cheese)

A family-run Houston classic that started as a grocery store in 1937.

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Lee Harvey's

Half-pound burger with bacon

A Cedars dive bar, open since 2003, known for its half-pound burger and onion rings.

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Lindy's on 4th

Fourth Avenue burger bar with a huge menu of creative burgers and a famous eating challenge.

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Little's Food Store

A century-old Cabbagetown grocery with a burger grill in the back.

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Loretta's Northwesterner

A South Park tavern known for a cheap, classic bar burger.

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Louie M's Burger Lust

Guacamole Burger

South Omaha diner on Vinton Street known for thick burgers, big breakfasts and green chili.

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