What are your Top Five Burgers?

My list begins and ends with In-N-Out. There are some places here on the East Coast I hit up from time to time, but nothing comes close.

I'm not a fan of thick ridiculous burgers that have no structural integrity.

"MonstBlitz wrote:

My list begins and ends with In-N-Out. There are some places here on the East Coast I hit up from time to time, but nothing comes close.

I'm not a fan of thick ridiculous burgers that have no structural integrity.

The fact that you used "structural integrity" in a burger argument makes you awesome. :)

Which would you want?

If you want something done right....do it your self...

Step one, buy grade a sirloin
Step two, roll said sirloin up like a meatball
Step three, drop on grill until adequately cooked...in my case medium rare.
Step four, add burger to bun and add appropriate toppings.

In n out, 5 guys, etc they suck.

as long as it's custom made - favorite recently is cheddar, guacamole and jalepenos with just a touch of salsa.

"Boik14 wrote:

If you want something done right....do it your self...

Step one, buy grade a sirloin
Step two, roll said sirloin up like a meatball
Step three, drop on grill until adequately cooked...in my case medium rare.
Step four, add burger to bun and add appropriate toppings.

In n out, 5 guys, etc they suck.

No spices for flavor? Salt n pepper at least?

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

"Bpk wrote:

We're debating In N' Out vs Five Guys vs Hoome-grilled Burgers in the mains. Thought it deserved it's own thread.

So, what are your top five burgers? Interpret that however you want.

Mine are....

1) In N' Out (when drunk, past midnight)
2) The Apple Pan (Old School Diner here in LA, since the 1930's or 40's)
3) Father's Office Burger (Los Angeles)
4) Any burger with truffles, onion rings and a glass of red wine
5) Any Toronto hamburgy place run by a Greek who slathers Tzatziki sauce on the burger and serves crispy-done steak fries with dark gravy for dipping.

Honorary mention to Poutine, great with a burger.

From national fast-food chains, my top five would be:

1. Burger-Fi
2. Shake Shack
3. Hardee's
4. Mooyah
5. Five Guys

I have not had the opportunity to try In-n-Out yet. I wish they would come to the east coast.

My favorite local chain is Rok Brgr.

One of the best burgers I ever had was at Burger Tap & Shake in Washington D.C.

1. Five Guys ... not even close.
2. Shake Shack
3. Cook Out
4. Wendy's
5. Steak n Shake

Haven't tried In-n-Out.... if I ever go out west I will try it.

Over here there is a really good local place called Farmhous

I've never been anywhere that had In & Out. I guess it's a west coast thing? I've also never understood the love for Five Guys. Even if I could get past the disgusting way that their employees treated every customer the three times that I ate there (three different cities), the food was lousy too. Nothing but grease and grissle. Soggiest fries I've ever had too.

For fast food, my choice is Wendy's. I can't stomach McDonalds anymore. There must be something in their food that makes it taste better to people under 25, lol. My kids love it. Burger King has gone WAY downhill lately too. There was a time when I'd rather have a BK burger than a lot of sitdown places, but no longer. Tolerable, but thats about it.

For sit down places, I really love Red Robin. I get a "monster" double patty burger with cheddar and relish when my family goes, and between that and their steak fries, I'm stuffed and very happy by the time we leave. Ruby Tuesday is back to being ok, after going off the rails for a while. That place feels the need to reboot themselves every five years or so and it drives me nuts. In the early 2000s, they were my favorite. In the late 90s through the early 2000s, BW3 also had really, really awesome burgers too, but they just plain suck now to the point that if I go, I just get a few different appetizers and no main item.

Going really old school, my favorite as a kid was always Big Boy. I was so upset when they went under while I was in college.

I guess my top five would be:

1) Red Robin
2) Ruby Tuesday's
3) Texas Roadhouse
4) Wild Wing Cafe (regional chain in mid Atlantic)
5) Wendy's

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

I've never been anywhere that had In & Out. I guess it's a west coast thing? I've also never understood the love for Five Guys. Even if I could get past the disgusting way that their employees treated every customer the three times that I ate there (three different cities), the food was lousy too. Nothing but grease and grissle. Soggiest fries I've ever had too.

For fast food, my choice is Wendy's. I can't stomach McDonalds anymore. There must be something in their food that makes it taste better to people under 25, lol. My kids love it. Burger King has gone WAY downhill lately too. There was a time when I'd rather have a BK burger than a lot of sitdown places, but no longer. Tolerable, but thats about it.

For sit down places, I really love Red Robin. I get a "monster" double patty burger with cheddar and relish when my family goes, and between that and their steak fries, I'm stuffed and very happy by the time we leave. Ruby Tuesday is back to being ok, after going off the rails for a while. That place feels the need to reboot themselves every five years or so and it drives me nuts. In the early 2000s, they were my favorite. In the late 90s through the early 2000s, BW3 also had really, really awesome burgers too, but they just plain suck now to the point that if I go, I just get a few different appetizers and no main item.

Going really old school, my favorite as a kid was always Big Boy. I was so upset when they went under while I was in college.

I guess my top five would be:

1) Red Robin
2) Ruby Tuesday's
3) Texas Roadhouse
4) Wild Wing Cafe (regional chain in mid Atlantic)
5) Wendy's

Man, some unexpected ones in here!

Ruby Tuesday. Red Robin. A wing place.

And bringing' relish back!!!!

Coming' strong and unexpected Unlucky. That was a burger surprise.

I was just thinking about Harvey's. It;s a Canadian chain that was the first fast food chain I knew of to offer your choice of toppings (way back in the 80's and 90's). Also, it had a bigger, thicker, higher class patty that tasted a bit more like chopped steak. Definitely different than McD's BK and Wendy's (the big three in Canada when I grew up).

I haven't had McD's in years and year now. Burger King, probably 10 years.

I knew a guy who said WhiteCastle was great, but when I tried it it was disgusting. I see why it's not on anyone's list.

Harvey's (Canadian chain)

Like most Canadians, my childhood is steeped in memories of eating at a few homegrown chains, and nothing takes me back to suburban Toronto in the '80s like Harvey's. Even decades later, biting into a Harvey's burger still tastes like Saturday afternoon with my dad, when the most difficult decision I had to make was choosing which fountain drink to get: the sickly sweet "grape drink," or the lemonade, which tasted like Wetnaps (in a good way).
It's been a long time since my last visit, so I kept things simple with a cheeseburger topped with only the standard veggies, and an order of poutine. When you're a visiting Canadian, it's your civic duty to order poutine whenever possible.

The concept is a little bit different than most fast food places. After ordering, you slide your tray along the top of the counter until your hamburger is taken off the grill and placed on a bun. Then, like at Subway, you custom build your burger by selecting your toppings, while the burger is put together right in front of you. Options include lettuce, tomato, diced onion, hot peppers, and several different condiments, including ketchup, mustard, mayo, and barbecue sauce.

...you can still get your fix at select locations, including St. Clair West or the semi-affectionately nicknamed "Hooker Harvey's" near Ryerson University.

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/05/chain-reaction-harveys-burger-review-canada.html

I'm very passionate about burgers, lol. I'm also an extremely picky eater, and don't eat chicken or seafood, so when I eat out, it's a burger or sandwich. So I've become pretty knowledgeable about the ones in my area.

"Bpk wrote:

Harvey's (Canadian chain)

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/05/chain-reaction-harveys-burger-review-canada.html

Harvey's is good. You add whatever toppings you like, just like a sub, but it's best to just say "everything". Good eats that's for sure.

People not in CA don't really know of In and Out (I think it's only west coast) but I make my own In and Out "Animal Style" and they're freaking delicious. Here's how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y81eo-ZqTzc

No question that In-n-Out makes the best burgers. To me it's not even close.....

1. In-n-Out
2. Johnny Rockets
3. Stake n Shake
4. 5 Guys
5. Red Robin

1. In-n-Out
2. Krystal

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

I've never been anywhere that had In & Out. I guess it's a west coast thing? I've also never understood the love for Five Guys. Even if I could get past the disgusting way that their employees treated every customer the three times that I ate there (three different cities), the food was lousy too. Nothing but grease and grissle. Soggiest fries I've ever had too.

Glad I'm not the only one to notice the soggy ass gross fries. I've had some terrible customer service at multiple locations as well. That compared to In-N-Out where every trip no matter the location is always great service. And it's not fake either, In-N-Out pays their employees well and they all seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs.

As to BPK's comment on White Castle, definitely not my favorite, but it has it's time and place. I used to drive out to Indiana for work and I'd get a Crave Case for the ride back and polish off at least a dozen.

In my neighborhood Hurricane Grill and Wings makes the best burger. They offer any heat, any condiments and any wing sauce. You can also get it in a wrap.

I'm in a "Burger Club" on Facebook along with a bunch of different friends and former restaurant coworkers from when I lived in Gainesville, and the few that have been fortunate enough to visit an In-N-Out Burger, swear it's incredible. As far as from my own experiences (I will refrain from posting local places that you won't be able to visit), my top five are:

"Cook Out" restaurant - Located mostly in the South East, generally the Carolinas and Georgia. They have 85 locations. Great burgers that taste like they came off of your grill. Plus about 40 different flavors of milkshakes.

"Five Guys" - Awesome, awesome burgers that put the Big 3 of McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, to shame.

"Red Robin" - They have great burgers, and always cook them just how I order them, plus, they have unlimited fries.

"Steak 'n Shake" - Can't go wrong with a great steak burger made fresh to order, with a chocolate milkshake. Especially at 3am.

"Krystal" - I've always loved Krystal burgers, maybe it's because my dad always took me there when I was a little kid. There's always a debate among people from up North that White Castle is better, but I still like Krystal. Plus they have Chili Cheese Fries.

"Dolphinzdawgg wrote:

No question that In-n-Out makes the best burgers. To me it's not even close.....

1. In-n-Out
2. Johnny Rockets
3. Stake n Shake
4. 5 Guys
5. Red Robin

They just opened a Steak n Shake burger here. Didn't know if it was worth trying.

What's good about their burgers?

"Jaydog57 wrote:

I'm in a "Burger Club" on Facebook along with a bunch of different friends and former restaurant coworkers from when I lived in Gainesville, and the few that have been fortunate enough to visit an In-N-Out Burger, swear it's incredible. As far as from my own experiences (I will refrain from posting local places that you won't be able to visit), my top five are:

"Cook Out" restaurant - Located mostly in the South East, generally the Carolinas and Georgia. They have 85 locations. Great burgers that taste like they came off of your grill. Plus about 40 different flavors of milkshakes.

"Five Guys" - Awesome, awesome burgers that put the Big 3 of McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, to shame.

"Red Robin" - They have great burgers, and always cook them just how I order them, plus, they have unlimited fries.

"Steak 'n Shake" - Can't go wrong with a great steak burger made fresh to order, with a chocolate milkshake. Especially at 3am.

"Krystal" - I've always loved Krystal burgers, maybe it's because my dad always took me there when I was a little kid. There's always a debate among people from up North that White Castle is better, but I still like Krystal. Plus they have Chili Cheese Fries.

Dude, now I wanna try ALL of these!

Great descriptions.

Actually, I'd love a burger (not fries) with some chili on it right now.

"Jaydog57 wrote:

I'm in a "Burger Club" on Facebook along with a bunch of different friends and former restaurant coworkers from when I lived in Gainesville, and the few that have been fortunate enough to visit an In-N-Out Burger, swear it's incredible. As far as from my own experiences (I will refrain from posting local places that you won't be able to visit), my top five are:

"Cook Out" restaurant - Located mostly in the South East, generally the Carolinas and Georgia. They have 85 locations. Great burgers that taste like they came off of your grill. Plus about 40 different flavors of milkshakes.

"Five Guys" - Awesome, awesome burgers that put the Big 3 of McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, to shame.

"Red Robin" - They have great burgers, and always cook them just how I order them, plus, they have unlimited fries.

"Steak 'n Shake" - Can't go wrong with a great steak burger made fresh to order, with a chocolate milkshake. Especially at 3am.

"Krystal" - I've always loved Krystal burgers, maybe it's because my dad always took me there when I was a little kid. There's always a debate among people from up North that White Castle is better, but I still like Krystal. Plus they have Chili Cheese Fries.

Depending on when you were last in Gainesville, have you been to the Top? It's a small hipster/vegan/natural ingredients place, but the burgers are amazing. One of the best non-chain burgers I've had.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

"Bpk wrote:

Dude, now I wanna try ALL of these!

Great descriptions.

Actually, I'd love a burger (not fries) with some chili on it right now.

The first 4 aren't bad..... but I've never had a burger from them that made me say OMG. They're upgrades over McDonalds, and Red Robin better be good at the prices they charge b/c they're essentially a burger restaurant.

I used to live within 10 minutes of 'em all. Now I'm 2 hours away. While I was packing & moving I didn't find myself bummed about the ensuing separation from those joints, and you won't find me making the drive back to Raleigh just for one of their burgers. Heck, I've made the trip at least 20 times the past couple years but only a few coincidentally resulted in a burger stop, and at no point were they on the forefront of my thoughts.

I say that to say this- I would fly to Vegas right this second for an In-an-Out burger if money were irrelevant. When I moved back to Florida from Las Vegas, the thought of having no more In-and-Out was like losing a kid in a divorce. I actually still remember eating my last one from 14 years ago, including where I was, where I drove to while eating it, the time of day, what the burger & fries looked like, etc. If Raleigh had an In-n-Out, those 20 trips would've resulted in 40 stops, both lunch and dinner. I take that back, those 20 trips would've been 60 trips b/c I would've come up with 40 extra excuses to drive to Raleigh. That's no insult meant to Jay's list as those are probably the best options around. They're just not In-n-Out.