Local Chain - Grindhouse Killer Burgers
Regional - Culver’s
National fast food - Wendy’s
National fast casual - Five Guys / Shake Shack
I agree with all of this except local because that ain't in my locale.
For me, local would go to Tasty Burger in Boston, when I lived there.
This is the first sane answer I've seen. Shake Shack has a drive thru where I live, and puts all other drive thru burgers to shame. Also Whataburger is very mid. Texans need to get out more.
I don't really think there is a best one. They all have pros and cons. Maybe if I was to compare just a basic hamburger (bun, burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, mayo, mustard, ketchup), then I would have to say In-n-Out. But everyone has one thing either only that place has, or does better than anyone else with a similar burger.
Basic: In-n-Out's classic Double Double.
Bacon: Wendy's Baconator.
Western Style: Carl's Jr's double bacon western burger.
Steakhouse Style: Carl's Jr's Bourbon Steakhouse Burger (I wish this fucker was a regular item because it is so, so good)
Smoke Meat: Arby's Meat Mountain.
Chicken: Burger King's original chicken sandwich.
But I would still take my own home cooked burger to any of these, if I was going to mimic one of them.
You don't want to argue because you know that the BK Original is the best chicken Sammy in existence. 😤
Is Five Guys actually fast food?
It's not fast, no drive through, no combo meals.
Delicious food though.
Fast casual, I think it's called. Basically not a food mill like McDonald's, BK, or Wendy's, but not a sit down restaurant either.
Cheeseburger with all the regular toppings is my pick for best burger. Some people don't like the fries, but I do.
Only problem is it's expensive, and they used to give you too many fries, but not any more sadly.
Double steakburger with cheese from steak n' shake.
Smash burgers are the best burgers and steak n' shake makes a decent one at a decent price.
No thanks. I don't like my burgers drenched in butter flavored corn oil.
It's clear to me that many people have never had a burger made from high quality ground beef with 20% fat and something other than Velveeta for cheese.
Five Guys, best ingredients by far, especially the veggies. Lettuce and tomato are always perfect. Quite a bit more expensive than most of the competitors though.
Among the big three, the whopper by a whopper.
Otherwise yeah, my local is better than your local nah nah nah boo boo
Whataburger is my favorite place if I'm only counting large chains with drive through windows and other fast food restaurant features.
The food is almost always fresh, plenty of customization options like grilled onions and jalapeños. Almost everything on the menu is good quality for fast food. Being open 24 hours is a nice bonus.
If small regional chains count Burger Street is the best, really good burgers, great curly fries and delicious frozen lemonade.
Burgerville, the Oregon/Washington chain. My favorite is the half pound colossal cheeseburger.
Dip N Burger, McAllen TX. #4. Burger patty, cheddar, swiss, pickles, chorizo, spicy mayo on Texas toast. No lie, best burger I've ever received through a window.
As for what makes it so great, weren't you reading? I said chorizo.
If you're talking about chain fast food, then:
Whataburger. #5 (regular burger plus cheese and bacon.) You can add an egg to this between 11pm and 11am. And should.
I see your local option and support it. Also shout out to whataburger (patty melt). But I will raise you the Braum’s #6 (if it’s in your area). Also Rosa’s Cafe for drive through Tex mex
Culver's is amazing, just so delicious.
In-N-Out is consistently good
Wendy's baconator, when made properly, can be pretty awesome too. Burgers in general are awesome
Shake shack is the best. Five guys isn’t bad too. In N Out sucks and is hugely overrated.
You can always tell when someone has never had Shake Shack because they think In N Out is good.
Haven't tried any of these local places, but of the big burger joints, I'm going with the Whopper because mayonnaise.
I’ve always thought burger king’s basic burgers are superior to McD’s. McD’s is better in every other category.
Honestly I don't really do beef burgers at either one. They're both okay, but I generally do the deluxe crispy chicken from McD's
I don't really go to either one unless I'm with a group that agrees on it, I prefer the "higher quality" places. (Culver's, & Freddy's are great if you've heard of them) even though they can be a good bit more expensive.
I like Arby's, but again I just do a chicken sandwich
Local joint down the street. Very simple burgers, no salad, tomatoes or fucking avocados. Only good toasted bread, excellent burger and home made sauces. Some have pickles or onions in different forms (grilled, glazed,...). And excellent homemade fries too.
They're not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm personally very partial to white castle. Those onions just do it for me.
Out of the big players, in general I like Wendy's, but they almost fall into an uncanny valley sort of thing where they're so close to being a real (not fast food) burger, but not quite there, so I kind of have to be in the mood.
IMO burger king has the best veggie option in the impossible Whopper.
If we're going to count it as fast food, 5 guys is top notch. Similarly for shake shack, they also get bonus points for their shrooms burgers for the best veggie option overall, it doesn't try to be a regular burger, and is probably actually more unhealthy than one too.
Getting into weirder local chains, Cook Out is pretty great if you find yourself in the parts of the south that have them.
If we want to talk chicken sandwiches, Popeyes is the undisputed king and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. McDonald's crispy chicken gets honorable mention for being a solid alternative for people like me who refuse to eat at chick fil a, and the McChicken for being cheap and satisfying if not technically good.
True story, when I was young my family stopped at a White Castle on a cross country road trip and got some food that was so bad our dog wouldn’t eat it. This dog loved to eat garbage and cat crap at every opportunity but drew the line at White Castle burgers.
As a life long Texan, I have to say it's not Whataburger anymore. They've slipped in recent years.
See a lot of five guys but no wayback burger and I'm sad. Killer burgers and excellent fries for way cheaper.
Jack's Ultimate Cheeseburger. I just prefer their patties over anyone elses. It kinda has a sausage taste that I like.
Whataburger, no contest. It's pricier than other fast food, but the taste and quality are unmatched.
I've found this is only true if you eat at the restaurant, there is a very short timer that starts as soon as your food comes out, any longer than that and the cheese starts to coagulate and the fries get cold and tough.
Yeah, the only one of these near me is Five Guys, and that really doesn’t survive the drive home. Definitely best eaten immediately