Best Hamburger

Grindhouse wins every year for a reason, it’s f*cking delicious. We don’t know what kind of crack Alex Brounstein puts on his grill, but we’re totally addicted. Disclaimer: They do not serve crack it’s just really good. Now that we’ve decided the Impossible Burger is like eating negative calories, you’ll find us at the Grant Park location all the time. Looking for a shuffleboard partner if you’re out there! less...

BREAD & BUTTERFLY’s altitudinous Burger Americain is irresistible. The layers of drippy ground beef, mayonnaise, mustard, caramelized onions, and Swiss cheese pack so many complementary sensory delights, you won’t mind the fantastic gooey mess that covers your plate, hands, and face by the time you’re finished with it. less...

When Farm Buger first opened its Decatur location in the spring of 2010, people lined up, often waiting 30 minutes or more for a basket of ethical fast food. Three years and three new locations later, you can still find a queue spilling out of the true farm-to-table restaurant. Meat is sourced from Moonshine Meats, a collective of Georgia farmers and ranchers founded by Farm Burger partner Jason Mann. Most vegetables also come from area farms such as Crystal Organic, Love is Love at Gaia Gardens, and Riverview Farms. Complement the clean flavor of grassfed beef with offbeat burger toppings such as oxtail marmalade, roasted bone marrow, or Decimal Place Farms goat cheese. less...

The local fast-food institution Zesto has been around since 1949, serving burgers, onion rings, chili dogs, milk shakes, and more greasy comfort faves than you can shake a crinkle fry at. The eats are just fine, thank you, though you’re not likely to see folks Instagramming photos of chicken tenders or hot wings to their followers. And that’s all right with us. This is where you come to re-group, refuel, and get a real taste of the people’s Atlanta. The Little Five Points outpost is where we go to ponder life’s big decisions over a Nut Brown Crown, sitting at the counter, watching the herky-jerky motion of Moreland Avenue traffic, and hoping for insight between bites of the hardened chocolate shell, chopped peanuts, and soft-serve vanilla. The newer diner and drive-thru location on Ponce de Leon Avenue is where we pull up in our newly slicked wheels after a stop at Cactus Car Wash. Seated at a roomy booth and munching on a cheesy Chubby Decker, we watch the school kids, errand-runners, and uniformed workers come and go, listening to our favorite cashier ask her regulars, “Hey, baby, where you been? Whatchu want?” Multiple metro Atlanta locations. less...

THE EARL is frequently praised for its bar food, partly because of the now-legendary Earl Burger, which this past year earned kudos in a much-cited Wall Street Journal piece about Atlanta as America’s burger capital. The unce patty of Black Angus beef is perfectly prepared to order over an open flame. It’s never greasy, features fresh and perfectly proportioned dressings (leafy green lettuce, red onions, tomato, pickles), and is served on a buttered and toasted sesame seed bun. The optional wasabi mayo offers a nice change of pace and displays an attention to detail that allows the Earl Burger to sizzle to the top. less...