 Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up. Americans are the world’s burger experts. If you doubt this for one minute, consider the way they do things at Burger King Japan. Novelty burger options include a pizza-sized burger that’s almost nine inches and costs $33. In April, BK Japan offered a deal, where, for $1.37, you could add 15 strips of bacon to your burger, at which point your burger disappears. One customer took things way too far and added 1,050 bacon slices to his Whopper (spoiler alert: He didn’t finish it). As I was saying. Americans are the burger experts, and our top ones are the best of the best. Here are some of the country’s (and therefore the world’s) most outstanding burgers. Holeman & Finch Public House - Atlanta, Georgia To make their double patty cheeseburgers, chef Linton Hopkins uses freshly ground grass-fed chuck and brisket, topped with melty American cheese served on house-baked buns; condiments include house-made ketchup, mustard and pickles. The accompanying fries are destination-worthy as well. Get the recipe for Holeman & Finch's famous cheeseburger B Spot Burgers – Cleveland area Symon is expert at meat-on-meat burgers: the Yo! (topped with fried salami, coppa, hot peppers and provolone); Symon Says (topped with bologna, coleslaw, whip sauce and American cheese); and Symon’s personal favorite, the Fat Doug (topped with pastrami, Swiss and coleslaw). Football fans can rejoice that Symon is opening up a B Spot in Browns stadium later this summer. There used to be a firm no substitutions rule in place; now you can order the burger without the layer of blue cheese topping. But don’t try to sub in another cheese - that’s strictly prohibited. If you visit their website and click on the Office Supplies tab, you can find F.O. skateboards for sale as well as F.O. Periodic Table Beer T-shirts. “We feel that great beer is an essential element of life,” they explain. Depending on the location and the cooker, some burgers will be better seared than others, but at their best, a single patty Shack Burger - made with hormone-free beef with melted American cheese spilling over the top of it, plus crisp lettuce, tomato and the all-important Shack Sauce - is a great thing. The newest location in Philadelphia is the only one to feature the new SmokeShack: a cheeseburger topped with Niman Ranch applewood-smoked bacon, chopped cherry peppers and, of course, that Shack Sauce. More from Food & Wine America’s Most Over-the-Top Burgers All National Cheeseburger Day coverage © 2011 American Express Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. 
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It's NEVER too hot to grill a burger!! The best burger joint is... my kitchen! Bison, Elk, Grass-fed Beef, Venison... these burgers rock my socks off!! All sandwiched between two grilled slices of eggplant, ha, yes I am a low carb eater. Mmmm can't wait for tomorrow!
Yeah, it's too hot to grill outside, so I guess I'll get in the car and drive 11 hours to freakin' Atlanta for a hamburger.
one of the best burgers ive ever had in my life was from a street vendor in Rome, Italy. it was the middle of the night near the Mattatoio (old meat packing district) this was about as far as you could get from the tourist zones, and it was so good i immediately ordered another, to the delight of my Italian friends. sadly, i was never able to locate this guy again.
that said, i normally prefer to grill at home, no matter the temperature outside. when dining out, i prefer a burger grilled over a wood fire. greasy flattop burgers rank a close second, and i do not enjoy burgers over a gas grill very much at all.
L.A. is full of amazing burgers and Father's Office is certainly up there. That said, I still think that Umami Burger is the best in town!
FIVE GUYS...game over!
L.A.'s listing seems like foo-foo burgers [arugula & bacon compote???]... In-N-Out, Fatburger, Knowlwoods [O.C.]- now, THERE's a listing of where to get good burgers.
In-N-Out & Fatburger? Fast food chain joints for the BEST burger? LOL. That's just laughable.
Ethan...go to FIVE GUYS and see if a chain burger is good...maybe even great.
Five Guys is a great chain, but you'll probably find a better burger at any county fair in America than at any chain.
the best burgers are probably the the places that you never heard of or are underground.
Brother Ethan- your pretentious foodie is showing. It doesn't matter how many times you post. It doesn't mean your opinion is more accurate or better than the multitude who think otherwise. I speak as someone who's eaten at top restaurants around the world.
why on earth would my comment be "awaiting moderation"?
Because you said "pretentious foodie" on an eatocracy thread?
Slip in Kirkland, WA is also fantastic.
I couldn't grill or fry a hamburger at home worth eating if my life depended on it! how do you home grillers do it?
Hack off the horns and the tail and slap it on the grill until it stops moooing.
Oh, wait, that's my steak recipe.
what? no Wendy's?
LOL. Good joke.
Or Jack-In-The-box?
A Dick's Deluxe from Dick's in Seattle. Or how about Red Mill in Seattle. Some of the best burgers I've ever had.
A rare sight on the Interwebs.
Someone who actually knows Dick.
My favorite is grill at home Turkey burger marinated with Mesquite BBQ flavor packet, with avocado spread and all the fixins on a toasted whole wheat bun!
The best burger in America is found in San Clemente, California at the Rider's Club Cafe. http://www.ridersclubcafe.com/
Sorry Burger Joints: my favorite is grilled at home; Costco patties, chibatta bun, gooey melted Tillamok cheese and my own secret sweet pepper and onion relish. Yummmmmy! :P
In Fort Worth, Texas Fred's Texas Cafe has the Diablo Burger, I love the flavor and the sauce, Pop's would be my next choice
In & Out burgers is missing.
This list is incomplete KATE!!!
Mr.Bartley's Burger Cottage, Harvard Square. No joke.
I think Anderson Cooper knows great burger joints where they brown the meat quite well.
Not even close! The best burger is from Local Dive in My Town, USA! Hands down!
Really- you need to try my "special" seasoning. Just give me some young meat, I'll season it just right with the perfect amount of mayo.
Did you know that it takes 52 gallons of water to produce ONE 1/4 lb. hamburger? That's from the feedlot to your fat stomach. Think about it.
Don't care. Meat taste damn good and I will always eat it. I don't care what they do to the animals (to a certain extent) or what you say. By the way, my wife is vegan.
Hands down...In n Out!
The best Burger in America is mine, I make it the way I want and love it. People, cook for yourselves.
Absolutely! I too am my own burgermeister! Grilled chuck with a grilled Italian sausage pattie with fried bacon strips all dripping with melted monterey jack and extra sharp cheddar topped with lettuce, onion, tomato, tiny strips of jalapeno with yellow mustard with a touch of mayo and horseradish sauce on a baked sesame seed sour dough bun made from my bread machine. I call it my Ozark Bigfoot Burger. Then there is my Ozark Bigfoot Burrito!.........
What an amazingly arbitrary list. No apparent unifying criteria. No particular interest in portion. I'm sure these are all fine burger places, I'm just not certain this is much of an article. Maybe my 8 year old would be interested in writing an article called 'the best weekly menu.
The best hamburger deal going is the $5 burger at Zest in Downers Grove, IL. Neiman Ranch beef, truffled mayo, $5!!! with fries. Check it out if you are in the neighborhood.
Oops ... forgot to say it is Monday nights. Otherwise, it is $9... still a good deal, but not the steal it is on Monday nights!
The bacon Bomb burger is the best...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3903261452960&set=a.3903260772943.2161165.1021922398&type=3&theater
I have eaten burgers at a couple of these places; but the best burger I have ever eaten was at the Teepee Restaurant in Talkeetna, Alaska. Should I have the choice to eat burgers the rest of my life: This is where I would choose to eat them.
Just ate a delicious veggie burger for dinner (Dr. praeger's brand from Trader Joe's). Who needs meat?
I've seen people chewing down those humongous burgers at The Spotted Pig and I thought they looked disgusting.
Go away.
Go away.
Loser.
Salad? Salad isn't food, salad is what food eats!
They may look disgusting to you, but they taste damn good!
MEAT TASTES GOOD.
Best hamburger around is the 5 dollar double star combo at Carl's Jr.
LOL! You have a lot of living to do still my friend....
Carl's Jr? In and Out? I've been to EVERY fast food place for burgers and they are just overproduced and generic.
Are they good? Sure. Are they the best? Heck no.
Ethan- your "foodie" is showing. It's not necessarily how many different flavors ["layers"] or the highest quality of ingredients used, it's often how tasty something is when using "the least of" ingredients... I say this as someone who has eaten in great restaurants all over the world
Saw this exact same list last year. At least CNN isn't screwing up like the Supreme Court decision on Health Care. Thanks CNN! You got it right two years in a row, especially since all the places you mention are where you have bureaus in the US. Wonder why Atlanta is first? Check out Coyote Bluff in Amarillo. Get there early.
Not impressed. Sacramento has like 10 different burgers that could be on a best burger list. Meh.
My favorite was always Ford's...so good! Messy but wonderful! I miss Sac!
WHATABURGER!!! TEXAS!!!
The White Castle in Detroit. Between the liquor store and the chicken and pizza spot, right across the street from the check cashing place. Best burgers I've ever had, that's why I eat them every day. I chase them down with some Hennessy and I'm good to go.
White Castle!! LOL! Another fast food place (included Carls Jr and In and Out) that people keep mentioning.
I'm sorry, it doesn't hold a candle to some of the burgers I've had from the good places in cities.
White Castle is nothing but generic drive-thru fast food.
cookout?? no love? only in NC.
Wineburger in Phoenix, AZ is my fav. Cooked with Sangria Wine, these burgers are sooo juicy and flavorful... Damn, I'm making my self hungry thinking about it!
http://originalwineburger.com/
Father's Office isn't even in the top 10 in LA.
White Castle fries only come in one size!!!!
To all of those voting for What-a-Burgers and In-N-Out burgers...
You need to go to a real burger joint. Those places are only a half-step above Burger King. Seriously, do yourselves a favor and go to a good $12 burger joint... You'll thank me later..
You can buy microwavable burgers that are better than Burger King. Burger King is horrible!
Just because In N Out is cheap doesn't mean it's not the best...because IT IS! :)
I've been to In-n-Out a million times and they are good... but the BEST? Come on! They are drive-thru fast food at best. I agree with the above comment... they are just a few steps above places like Burger King.
For us non-cheese eaters, or non-cheese lovers, all the burgers pictured with the oozing yellow substance are so unappetizing. Yech!
WHY???
WHY? Because the vast majority of burger eaters like cheese on their burger, is that difficult? A very small fringe group minority don't like cheese. I can't wait for the non-bread eaters to pipe in complaining that they had to look at a bun. We already had one moron vegetarian complain about meat in an article about BURGERS! (see above)
See Dave's reply to Fiona, Ted. You're in the same porous boat, weakened by lack of flavourfully awesome heart-stopping artery-choking slobber-inducing shirt-wrecking so-good-it-makes-me-weak fat. Mmmmmmmm, fat.
Love to see people touting their town's best, too, it's just like Triple D – makes me wanna go there! Next up for us is going to be Austin, Texas – where's the best place to eat there?
Dutch's at TCU is much better than Kincaid's, sorry.
MIGHTY FINE BURGER......AUSTIN, TX.....hands down the best burger I have ever eaten!!
ShakeShack is waaaaaay overrated.
Ray's Hellburgers in Arlington, VA makes ShakeShack burgers look like McDonald's cheeseburgers.
As a matter of fact they need to be on this list.
Hands down..
Why was Whataburger not listed?
Because it's basically McDonalds.
Hodad's. San Diego. Done. =)
Grilled on Sunday in 94 degree heat. Best chicken and steak I ever made. Proud of that one.
Helvetia Tavern – 20 minutes west of Portland, Oregon makes the best burger this world-traveling military guy has ever tasted.
Hell Yeah!
Umami burger!
If it's not flame/charcoal grilled, it's not worth eating.
Agreed. George Foreman grill meat = garbage.
false, the 2inch thick steel grills that have been seasoned for decades are the best, nothing else forms a crust as good as an old commercial grade steel top
The Owl Cafe in San Antonio, New Mexico - fantastic Green Chile Cheeseburger!
Burger Island in Dallas should be on this list. Nothing else compares.
Humor me...where is it and what's so special about it? I have never heard of it, but am willing to listen should you be convincing enough.
Your condescending, arrogant remark is humorous to me. Get over yourself.
CNN needs to cover the new zombie attack that just happened in China! A bus driver went out of control and ripped off a woman's face with his teeth!
They ran this exact same article a year ago. Even had the same pitcure
You are having a flashback from the mushrooms on your burger......
If anyone lives in the Panhandle of FL, I would recommend Tucker Duke's Lunchbox in Destin and Niceville, FL. They make THE BEST burgers, and I have lived everywhere...
OMG, this explains all the overweight, obese American. You people are an embarrassment when you travel abroad. Most of you can't even fit in airplane seat. You should eat less!!
Not necessarily eat less, but everything in moderation. I'm American. I run 40-80 miles a week. I enjoy chocolate, beer, wine, and hamburgers. I just enjoy them in moderation. Meaning 1-2 times a month, I will go to my favorite burger joint and have a hamburger and sweet potato fries. The problem with many modern Americans, they don't practice MODERATION.
I have been known to dine on Taco Bell, Burger King, and drink only beer for weeks. Many thought I went to the gym everyday. Never made a run further than for beer. Everyone is built differently.
You should probably try running in moderation. You'll die faster than a lot these fat people if you're clocking 80 miles a week. 40 is reasonable.
Well, my doctor tells me differently. She says I'm pretty healthy for a 36 year old.
One more Idaho spot – CK'S Real Food in Hailey Idaho (Sun Valleyish) – the best!
it begins and ends with 5 Guys!
Justin Bieber agrees.
Win!
5 Guys and a Burger is the best out there for a chain.
Agreed. But they are far from the best from a local or non-chain place. People keep saying chain places on here.... STOP!
STOP with the Carl's Jr, In-n-Out, 5 Guys, White Castle, etc..... they are NOT the best. I have eaten at ALL of them and had better burgers than that.
Interstate at least has the best I've found in Denver. It's about the only place I go and pick a burger off a full proper menu. I mean really, how boring is it to go out to a nice place and order a lump of ground meat? Grow up to the good stuff, kids.
I live and work in Cleveland and I must say the B-spot is a fantastic spot. The Burgers are wonderful and the quality of meat is better than most steaks. Also the beer selection is great and the rosemary fries are to die for. Finish it off for one of the best milk shakes in town and you can't lose (weight).
Hahaha. The burger from California uses Gruyère and Maytag blue cheese, and the author singled out the arugula as pretentious part. Really?
No In n' Out Burger?
No. There are MUCH better.
What no In N out Burgers by far the best fast food burger you can get.
Compared to what? Have you ever been out of SoCal? Tired of all these more ons calling In n out the best burger. I call it a thousand island salad in a bun.
I have to agree. Before In-n-Out became a big chain it was pretty good. Now it's just "okay". I prefer Red Robin! Actually, I prefer bbq'd in the backyard! Better all around! You can add anything you want to the burger!
He did note fast food burger. I think it warrants discussion for that.
WRONG. If you are talking strictly "fast food" burgers, then 5 Guys beats In-n-Out.
Once again, you missed Hudson's burgers in Coeur d'Alene, Id. 100 year tradition by the Hudson family. People come from all over the country for them. I even took 3 to Michigan by request-no matter they were cold!!! Come on people-get with the program!!!
And all the Skin Heads one can handle. No thanks.
Keeps the town nice. Nobody wants to eat with people that stink like feet and talk over everybody's conversation. Seriously it's one of the best reasons to move there.
And nobody wants you here either. FOOL.
In-n-Out grilled chesse burgers!!
Yum!
Not very good reporting....the Miami Beach Shake Shake location does have the SmokeShack....I know because I had it yesterday!! It is the best!!
Mooyah Burger: Dallas, Texas. Best burger on the damn planet.
Mooyah doesn't do anything for me. Sorry. Kincaid's in Fort Worth everytime. Should I find myself in Dallas, I will go with Burger House.
Burger House is good, but there is nothing like a Mooyah with cheddar, raw onions, tomatoes, bacon, pickles and extra A1. Jakes has awesome burgers too and Scotty P's has the best onion rings...Dang, I'm getting hungry!!!