Is there anything more American than a hamburger?
There’s something to be said about biting into a juicy burger topped with everything from cheese or lettuce to pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions … even sauteed mushrooms or rich, beef gravy. The burger, itself, is a canvas for a myriad of creative toppings, ranging from the bougie (like Gruyère cheese or roasted garlic aioli) to a good ol’ classic slice of American cheese.
A burger can be a fine-dining experience, where you need to use a knife and fork, or something you indulge in straight out of a paper sack.
However you enjoy one, a hamburger is the ultimate comfort food and there’s no shortage of delicious iterations at countless restaurants around the country.
In honor of the humble burger, we went looking for some of the best spots in the Midwest and came up with 10 must-visit places, from Little Ghost outside Detroit, Mich. to Sacred Beast in Cincinnati, Ohio and Toasty’s Tavern in Louisville, Ky., and more.
Put these 10 spots, listed here in alphabetical order, on your summer road trip list as you search for the best burger in the Midwest.
Top 10 burger spots in the Midwest
Bard’s Burgers & Chili, Covington, Ky.
Bard’s opened in 2008, closed for a spell, then reopened under new ownership in 2015, and it’s definitely worth a special trip to Covington, Kentucky.
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 ($16) 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. — Keith Pandolfi, The Cincinnati Enquirer
LOCATION: 3620 Decoursey Ave., Covington, Ky., 859-866-6017, bardsburgersandchili.com.
The Inferno Room, Indianapolis, Ind.
A tiki bar lined wall-to-wall with Melanesian décor, serving a menu curated by a Cuban-born chef, may not be where you’d expect to eat one of the best burgers in town. But the Cuban Frita at Inferno Room in Indianapolis’ Fountain Square neighborhood proves a truly elite patty knows no one home.
Popularized by Cuban Americans in Miami during the mid-20th century, this curveball burger sports a beef-chorizo patty, American cheese, red onion, tangy house sauce and the frita’s defining feature, fried shoestring potatoes. The combination of juicy crumble-apart meat and crackly potatoes is excellent stuff, and the frita serves as a reminder that there are probably several beautiful burgers you’ve never heard of, just waiting for you out there. — Bradley Hohulin, The Indianapolis Star
LOCATION: 902 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis, Ind., 317-426-2343, theinfernoroom.com
Jay’s Burgers, Louisville, Ky.
The best burger in Louisville might just come in a paper bag from a food truck in a nondescript location. And, furthering the factors making this place an unlikely hit, the on-wheels joint is only open three days a week.
The casual set-up adds charm to Jay’s, which is a top choice for celebrity chef Edward Lee, who recently wrote Instagram that, “My favorite burger in town comes from a food truck.” Fans like Lee show up in droves for one thing on the chalkboard menu: The burger/fry combo.
Owner Jay Shreve proudly works with local farms, which are shouted out on the truck’s display board, for his grass-fed patties and for the beef tallow to cook shoestring French fries. Patrons either disappear to their vehicles or enjoy the combo on nearby red picnic tables. Either way, good luck getting far without grease dotting the paper bag. ― Amanda Hancock, The Courier Journal
LOCATION: 1242 E. Oak St., Louisville, Ky., eatjaysburgers.com.
Little Ghost, Ferndale, Mich.
From the owners of Detroit’s Grey Ghost, which has served one of the city’s best restaurant burgers for a decade, comes Little Ghost, a recently opened outpost that has carved one of the most beloved additions of the Grey Ghost menu into its own business: The Ghost Burger.
On a Single Ghost Burger, a third of a pound of beef is smashed and outfitted in a cream sauce bejeweled in relish, crisp shredded iceberg lettuce and melted American cheese that cascades over the edge of the patty. Served best at medium temperature, the Ghost Burger is juicy, a little messy and packed with a lot of flavor. The Double Ghost adds a second patty — each at a quarter-pound of beef — there’s also a smaller cheeseburger for kids and a quinoa burger for those who prefer a vegetarian option. — Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press
LOCATION: 22305 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, Mich. 248-677-3023; eatlittleghost.com
Redcoat Tavern, two locations in metro Detroit
Redcoat Tavern is home of the Redcoat Burger, a local favorite that gets plenty of all-around kudos. The burger is a half pound proprietary blend of beef, served with tomato, shredded lettuce and special sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. You can modify the burger in so many ways, including a selection of cheeses, avocado slices, bacon or caramelized onions.
You can also substitute, for an upcharge, Redcoat’s beef blend for a Piedmontese beef patty. Piedmontese beef is touted as a healthy alternative that’s lower in fat and cholesterol. On its menu, Redcoat highlights its Brasserie burger, served on a brioche bun with smoky bacon, Gruyère cheese, caramelized onions, fresh watercress, sliced tomato and Dijon mustard. The popular eatery also has a West Bloomfield location. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press
LOCATION: For location and hours, visit redcoat-tavern.com.
Ringside Cafe, Columbus, Ohio
Inside the Ringside, a 130-year-old bar at the intersection of two downtown alleys, Buster Douglas is still the heavyweight champ.
The Columbus icon’s burger on the Columbus icon’s menu includes blue cheese, roasted garlic aioli and bacon sandwiched between two three-quarter-pound Angus beef patties. It’s topped with sharp cheddar and coleslaw and served with a double order of fries.
LOCATION: 19 N. Pearl St., Columbus, Ohio; 614-228-7464; ringsidecolumbus.com
Sacred Beast, Cincinnati, Ohio
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 at $20.95, 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. — Keith Pandolfi, The Cincinnati Enquirer
LOCATION: 1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio; 513-218-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com.
Son of Thurman, Columbus, Ohio
While Thurman Cafe recovers from an April 12 fire – “we are not sure yet when we will reopen, but that day will soon come,” is the official word – fans craving one of its burgers have two options in Delaware County. Both Son of Thurman restaurants have 22 burgers on their menus, including the 1-and-1/2-pound (before toppings) Thurmanator.
LOCATION: 5 N. Sandusky St., Delaware, and 31 W. Columbus St., Galena, Ohio; 740-417-9614 and 740-936-8025; sonofthurman.com
Toasty’s Tavern, Louisville, Ky.
A Louisville restaurant is said to have invented the cheeseburger and this city has plenty of places serving great, thick-cut steakhouse-style burgers, but smashburger spots hold some special sauce here. When talking about local favorites, Toasty’s Tavern will always pop up in conversation.
The casual and cool Shelby Park spot, which opened in 2020, has an upscale diner-meets-dive bar feel “where class is a state of mind,” according to its website. The popular smashed cheeseburger comes with griddled onions, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, Pop’s Pickles, and Toasty’s sauce, along with fries seasoned with a kind of “magic dust” you can bottle and buy.
Toasty’s also offers a double smashburger, a variety of hot dogs and a vegan burger. If it’s nice outside, snag a $5 margarita on a Wednesday and a picnic table and toast to the restaurant’s namesake character, who was a “ramblin’ man” and “on a quest to try every hamburger in the land.” That kind of quest can be quenched at Toasty’s. ― Amanda Hancock, The Courier Journal
LOCATION: 1258 S. Shelby St., Louisville, Ky., 502-614-7094; toastystavern.com
The Workingman’s Friend, Indianapolis, Ind.
There isn’t much left to write about Indianapolis’ most iconic burger spot. The more than century-old lunch spot that once served hoards of striking railroad workers for cheap, if for any money at all, arguably captures the history and identity of its city better than any other restaurant.
As for the cheeseburger: It’s really big, it’s really good and it costs $8.25, meaning you can still get fries and a birdbath-sized chalice of beer for less than $20. American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and raw onion are the standard accoutrements — plus a third middle bun, for reasons I choose not to question — but order it as you please. Just bring cash and a monstrous appetite and you’ll be fine. — Bradley Hohulin, The Indianapolis Star
LOCATION: 234 Belmont Ave., Indianapolis, Ind., 317-636-2067; facebook.com/p/The-Workingmans-Friend
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Looking for a good burger? Here are the top 10 places in the Midwest
Reporting by Amanda Hancock, Bradley Hohulin, Keith Pandolfi, Susan Selasky, Lyndsay C. Green and Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
