Our kick-off Best Burger List comes from George Motz, director of burger documentary Hamburger America. For his film, George crisscrossed the country looking for the perfect patty, the best buns, etc. You can order a DVD of the flick here. You can view George's list below. — The Management
In No Particular Order
(These are all places that I drool just listing them, and I can't wait to visit again)
The Apple Pan, Los Angeles
Father's Office, Santa Monica, California
Pie 'N Burger, Pasadena, California
Shake Shack, New York City
Schnäck, Brooklyn, New York
White Manna, Hackensack, New Jersey
Solly's Grille, Milwaukee
Bobcat Bite, Santa Fe
Ted's, Meriden, Connecticut
Dyer's, Memphis
Top Notch, Chicago
Louis' Lunch, New Haven, Connecticut
Casino El Camino, Austin, Texas
Town Topic, Kansas City, Missouri
Steak 'N Shake
Well, there's George Motz's picks. Love 'em? Got a beef with 'em? Send us a list of your own or discuss in the Comments section below. — The Management
Bobcat Bite definitely deserves its spot on the list, I'll give him that. HOWEVER! Casino El Camino? Is the only entry from Austin? That is pure lunacy. Their burgers are fine, sure, and they do hit the spot if you're drunk. But I've yet to meet a single Austinite who would call it the best in the city, much less in the nation.
Best-of-worthy burger voters in Austin traditionally fall into two camps: Hut's and Dirty's. Hut's is the choice for many--it offers thick, cooked-to-order burgers with a dazzling array of toppings. However, for my money, I wouldn't go anywhere but Dirty's, the absolute king of the flat'n'greasy diner patty. Every elementary school "A" I ever earned was bought with the promise of a Dirty's burger.
Don't listen to this "Jenny" person. Her Austinite burger dichotomy is outdated and clearly lacking all sense of taste. Hut's reputation is highly inflated and their burgers barely compete with the likes of Chili's. Casino 4 Life!
Jenny is high. Contrary to her assertion that no one in Austin considers casino the best, it has regulalry won awards as the best in town, and for good reason. Their made from scratch burgers are head and shoulders above any other in town - especially Hut's, which has been riding on reputation for too long now. Dirty's is a fine greasy burger, but again, falls well short of the quality of Casino el Camino.
Devok and Jaybo, I think you're going about this the wrong way - if enough people listen to Jenny's advice and go to Hut's, we might get our Casino burgers faster.
yeah I'd put casino in my nationwide top 5. But as someone who lives three blocks from Schnack I'm bewildered by it's presence on this list. It's decent for sure, but I wouldn't put it on my top 15 in the city, let alone the nation. I have constant burger nostalgia for the days I lived in Williamsburg, where the Diner, DuMont, Luger's trifecta made for burger heaven...
Yup, with out a doubt Casino El Camino has the best burgers in Austin if not all of Texas. Just had yet another one of their Amarillo burgers last night and they just get better every time.
Lion's Tap in Eden Prairie has been around for 20+ years and serves up a mean burger. There double California burger stacks up to an amazing 8 inches high. I prefer the good old double cheeseburger with fried onions. Well done please. They even have a t-shirt for sale with a coupon printed on it. Wear the shirt get a free hamburger. My second choice is at the Rama Gardens Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. On a recent trip to Koh Chang Thailand, I was looking for a good burger for two weeks and was unable to find one. On my way home, I spent a night at Rama Gardens and had one of the best cheeseburgers ever. The seasoning in this 100% sirloin burger was fantastic. Price was about $5.00 USD for burger and fries. Good eats...
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12 Comments:
Steak 'n Shake?? Are you kidding me?
Hamburger Nick Butler at 1:28PM on 05/03/06
Bobcat Bite definitely deserves its spot on the list, I'll give him that. HOWEVER! Casino El Camino? Is the only entry from Austin? That is pure lunacy. Their burgers are fine, sure, and they do hit the spot if you're drunk. But I've yet to meet a single Austinite who would call it the best in the city, much less in the nation.
Best-of-worthy burger voters in Austin traditionally fall into two camps: Hut's and Dirty's. Hut's is the choice for many--it offers thick, cooked-to-order burgers with a dazzling array of toppings. However, for my money, I wouldn't go anywhere but Dirty's, the absolute king of the flat'n'greasy diner patty. Every elementary school "A" I ever earned was bought with the promise of a Dirty's burger.
Hamburger Jenny at 7:59PM on 05/03/06
Don't listen to this "Jenny" person. Her Austinite burger dichotomy is outdated and clearly lacking all sense of taste. Hut's reputation is highly inflated and their burgers barely compete with the likes of Chili's. Casino 4 Life!
Hamburger austinite at 11:55AM on 05/04/06
Miller's.
Dearborn, MI
Hamburger devok at 12:08PM on 05/04/06
Jenny is high. Contrary to her assertion that no one in Austin considers casino the best, it has regulalry won awards as the best in town, and for good reason. Their made from scratch burgers are head and shoulders above any other in town - especially Hut's, which has been riding on reputation for too long now. Dirty's is a fine greasy burger, but again, falls well short of the quality of Casino el Camino.
Hamburger Jaybo at 1:00PM on 05/04/06
Devok and Jaybo, I think you're going about this the wrong way - if enough people listen to Jenny's advice and go to Hut's, we might get our Casino burgers faster.
Hamburger YenAgain at 3:05PM on 05/04/06
yeah I'd put casino in my nationwide top 5. But as someone who lives three blocks from Schnack I'm bewildered by it's presence on this list. It's decent for sure, but I wouldn't put it on my top 15 in the city, let alone the nation. I have constant burger nostalgia for the days I lived in Williamsburg, where the Diner, DuMont, Luger's trifecta made for burger heaven...
Hamburger Abe at 9:10PM on 05/06/06
ya gotta have a nicks hamberger! same burger, same place, same grill for 77 years ! brookings , s. d.
Hamburger dick fergen at 2:01AM on 05/25/06
ya gotta have a nicks hamburger! same burger, same grill, same location for 77 years , Brookings, S. D.
Hamburger dick fergen at 2:06AM on 05/25/06
He doesnt have a clue!
Hamburger jay fox at 4:36AM on 09/06/06
Yup, with out a doubt Casino El Camino has the best burgers in Austin if not all of Texas. Just had yet another one of their Amarillo burgers last night and they just get better every time.
Hamburger Josh at 6:05PM on 09/20/06
Lion's Tap in Eden Prairie has been around for 20+ years and serves up a mean burger. There double California burger stacks up to an amazing 8 inches high. I prefer the good old double cheeseburger with fried onions. Well done please. They even have a t-shirt for sale with a coupon printed on it. Wear the shirt get a free hamburger. My second choice is at the Rama Gardens Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. On a recent trip to Koh Chang Thailand, I was looking for a good burger for two weeks and was unable to find one. On my way home, I spent a night at Rama Gardens and had one of the best cheeseburgers ever. The seasoning in this 100% sirloin burger was fantastic. Price was about $5.00 USD for burger and fries. Good eats...
Hamburger Chris O. at 6:56AM on 12/10/06