To me, the best burgers are the simple ones. The kind that J. Wellington Wimpy ate by the sack in the old Popeye cartoons. The kind that arrive at your table with a singular intention: to remind you why you absolutely love American hamburgers.
That’s the reason my list of the best burgers in Greater Cincinnati is heavy on the plain-Jane burger – so long as they’re perfectly cooked and well seasoned, the toppings are fresh and crisp, and they’re served on a bun that’s not so bready that it gets in the way.
That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good, cheffed-up burger. I’m open to riffing, modern takes and counterintuitive toppings. One of my favorite local burgers is drenched in au poivre sauce – others are topped with kimchee, burgundy wine sauce or beef gravy. One is made of pork. Another of pineapple. But all of them are fantastic in their own way.
Here’s my list of the top 10 burgers you can find in and around Cincinnati right now. (I decided not to include local or national chains – which is why my beloved Gold Star burger didn’t make the cut.)
The Dirty French, Sacred Beast, Over-the-Rhine ($20.95)
I hate when my burger arrives stabbed with a steak knife. But I’ll forgive Sacred Beast since everything else about its Dirty French burger makes up for it. Think of it as a mashup of two magnificent things: a great burger and a warming bowl of French onion soup. (When I posted a photo of it on Instagram recently, a follower referred to it simply as “cheeseburger soup.”)
Yes, it’s pricey, but don’t let that scare you off. This beast makes for a meal. Two thin beef patties are topped with gooey Gruyere, sweet caramelized onions and Mornay sauce, all served in a pool of au poivre sauce. It’s a disastrous thing to eat with your hands, far more suited to a fork and knife, which means that annoying steak knife actually serves a purpose.
1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-218-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday-Tuesday.
The Zip Burger with cheese, Zip’s Cafe, Mount Lookout ($10.25)
If you want a burger – just an honest-to-goodness great burger that will remind you of the first burger you ever fell in love with – Zip’s is still the place to go. Made with seasoned patties that arrive each morning from Avril-Bleh Meat Market, the Zip Burger is always juicy and its toppings are never past their prime. Zip’s is also home to some of the best fries, Saratoga chips and onion rings in Cincinnati.
1036 Delta Ave., Mount Lookout, 513-871-9876, zipscafe.com. Hours: 4-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday-Tuesday.
The Pork Burger, The Pickled Pig, Walnut Hills ($11)
Chef Gary Leybman uses fresh ground Berkshire pork, butchered in-house, with just the right amount of fat to keep it juicy on the flattop. Tangy kimchee adds spiciness and crunch, and nutty melted gouda from Urban Stead Cheese takes it over the top. It’s not just that I love this burger. It crosses my mind almost every time I wonder, “What should I have for lunch today?”
645 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, 513-748-7114, smokedandpickled.com. Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Cheeseburger with American cheese, Herb & Thelma’s Tavern, Covington ($7.25)
For the best bang for your buck, Herb & Thelma’s burgers are gold-standard good. Cooked before your eyes on a flattop behind the bar, they’re squishy, meaty, juicy and memorable. And I promise you that Herb & Thelma’s old-school Southern cafe atmosphere will make it tase even better.
I always order the cheeseburger with pickles and a thick slice of onion. But if you want to up your game, get it topped with Black Forest ham, which’ll put a lot more ham in that burger.
718 W. Pike St., Covington, 513-491-6984, herbandthelmas.com. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
The Guy Fieri Burger, The Turf Club, Linwood ($20.43)
Here’s another big, messy burger that’s too good to pass up. The Guy Fieri burger (yes, he’s been there) is an enormous hunk of meat that hints of fine dining with its burgundy wine sauce. The mild Swiss cheese melts like butter, and caramelized onions provide just the right sweetness. It’s served on a soft and crusty Sixteen Bricks bun. And trust me, once you’re finished, you’re gonna need a nap.
4618 Eastern Ave., Linwood, 513-533-4222, turfclubcincy.com. 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday-Tuesday.
The Mushlove Burger, Bard’s Burgers & Chili, Covington ($16)
Herb & Thelma’s isn’t the only great burger joint in Covington. Bard’s – which opened in 2008, closed for a spell, then reopened under new ownership in 2015 – is also worth your while. Without the slightest hint of pink, your first bite of this burger might make you think it’s overcooked. If so, why is it so juicy? Why does it have so much flavor? Your guess is as good as mine. But the important things is that it works.
There are around 16 specialty burgers to choose from at Bard’s. My favorite, so far, is the mushroom burger topped with buttery melted Swiss, rich beef gravy, sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions. It’s a tidy little thing and modest enough that you’ll have room in your belly for a side of Bard’s heavily spiced take on Cincinnati chili.
3620 Decoursey Ave., Covington, 859-866-6017, bardsburgersandchili.com. Hours: 3-9 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-7 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday-Monday.
The Panther, Chandler’s Burger Bistro, Delhi and Harrison, ($12.99)
When I told my West Side born-and-raised neighbor I was doing a burger story, he insisted on taking me to one of his favorite spots. Chandler’s Burger Bistro, in Delhi, is a West Side institution. And while it’s a great place to hang out and watch a Reds game at the bar, it also has some excellent burgers, all of them made with beef sourced from Bridgetown Meats.
There were plenty of options to choose from, but I went with the Panther, which was created to honor the students and alumni of Elder High School. It’s topped with lettuce, Cajun seasoning and blue cheese crumbles giving it a flavor that’s both spicy and funky. A server told me their toasted buns are sourced from Servatii, which gave me a whole new appreciation of the 60-plus-year-old bakery.
6135 Cleves-Warsaw Pike, Delhi, 513-941-0823: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. Also 10533 Harrison Ave., Harrison, 513-202-2439: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday; chandersburgerbistro.com.
The House Burger, Heyday, Walnut Hills ($9)
When he opened in 2023, Louis Ginocchio’s goal was create an old-fashioned burger stand ‒ the kind you used to see back before Ray Kroc and his McDonald’s empire came around. The name of Heyday is meant to honor those times, and Ginocchio and his team do a bang-up job doing so.
I think his version of the ubiquitous smash burger is the best you’ll find in Greater Cincinnati. Thin and juicy Avril-Bleh-sourced burgers come with lacy, charred edges, smashed and covered with American cheese and mustard-sauce and served on a pillowy Martin’s potato bun.
1527 Madison Road, Walnut Hills, heyday.menu. Hours: noon-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Closed Monday.
The Pineapple Burger, Mid-City Restaurant, Downtown ($10)
In an effort to bring back McDonald’s greatest failure, the Hula Burger, Mid-City Restaurant’s executive chef Joe Cheek marinates thick, fresh pineapple slices in garlic, ginger and soy sauce overnight. Those slices are then seared to order, topped with smoked cheddar cheese and fried onions and served on a bun. The marinade does the Lord’s work, turning a simple slice of pineapple into something slightly spicy with a hit of umami. The smoked cheddar tempers the sweet citrus, and the fried onions provide texture. It’s a great vegetarian option. But for an additional cost, you can order it with either a beef patty or a fried egg.
Mid-City also has a good old-fashioned burger, a burger topped with crabmeat, and the Skippy burger, topped with peanut butter. Don’t knock it till you try it.
Mid-City Restaurant, 40 E. Court St., Downtown, midcitycinti.com. 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
The Jean Robert, Gordo’s Pub & Grill, Norwood ($15)
Gordo’s owner Raymond Gordo is a former employee of the late Jean-Robert de Cavel, and he honors his mentor with a half-pound burger that comes with grape compote, goat cheese and bleu cheese. It’s a big burger. In fact, it looks more like a giant meatball, but I always finish it.
There are some other imaginative burgers on the menu, too, including the surf and turf, with fresh crab meat, bearnaise sauce and fresh greens, and the original Gordo, with roasted poblano peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon and Boursin cheese.
4328 Montgomery Road, Norwood, 513-351-1999, gordospub.com. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The 10 best burgers you can find at Cincinnati restaurants
Reporting by Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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