Top 25 burgers in the US (and a brief hamburger history)

The history of the hamburger is sizzling with controversy. The Connecticut kids will say it was a local, Louis Lassen, and that’s where the fourth generation of his family still run Louis’ Lunch. But them’s fightin’ words when you get to Texas. The Longhorn State swears it was their native son Fletcher Davis, of Athens. Otto Kuase gets the credit for slapping ground meat between a bun in Germany where we know the “hamburg steak” was already popularized in, well… Hamburg. But if you really want to create beef, tell that to the family of Frank and Charlie Menches who claim to have done it first for a county fair in—get this—Hamburg, New York. Bilby of Oklahoma, Nagreen of Wisconsin, and menus all the way from Walla Walla to NYC all make the exact history a hot plate of contention.

Despite its divisive past, we think everyone can agree that the world was forever changed by the creation of the hamburger. There’s a part of our stomach (and soul!) that only a good burger can reach. From fast food to fancypants, ground chuck to garden grown, those early meat patty pioneers couldn’t have imagined the world of burgers we have today, including an almost infinite arsenal of toppings.

To celebrate National Burger Day, we searched through reviews to find the very best burger spots in the nation. We ground up the data, formed it into a Collection patty, and are happy to bring you our 2021 list of Yelp’s Top Burgers in the US.

1. Crispy School – Los Angeles, CA
2. Burgerama – Valley Village, CA
3. Jewboy Burgers – Austin, TX
4. Nick’s Grill – Pulaski, TN
5. Smoke & Fire – Las Vegas, NV
6. Five Stars Family Burger – Cornelius, OR
7. Burgerland – Paris, TX
8. Mr Bento Burger – Tigard, OR
9. Streetwise Urban Food – Orlando, FL
10. Peppered Pig – Huntsville, AL
11. Asadoras Argentina Burgers – Oswego, IL
12. Black Hills Burger and Bun Co – Custer, SD
13. FOX Smokehouse BBQ – Boulder City, NV
14. Laura’s Burgers and More – Avondale, AZ
15. Boba Burger – Morton Grove, IL
16. Do-B’s – Emporia, KS
17. Jane’s Eatery – Bayside, NY
18. Kickshaw’s – Koloa, HI
19. Adler’s – Davenport, FL
20. Lucky’s Burgers & Shakes – Phoenix, AZ
21. Inclined Burgers and Brews – Incline Village, NV
22. Capitol Burger – Torrey, UT
23. The Colonial Grill – Morristown, NJ
24. Gourmet Burger Bistro – Portsmouth, VA
25. S/T Hooligans – Seattle, WA

Follow the full Collection on Yelp here for fast and easy bookmarking.

Methodology: This is an all-time list of the best burgers in the U.S. according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the burgers category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews. We included a maximum of two businesses per state for geographic diversity. All businesses were marked open on Yelp as of April 26, 2021. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of April 26, 2021.