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I'm sure you've had this discussion with your friends or family at one time or another.
Inevitably, the question always arises...

What burger joint is the best?

I suppose that query could be broken down into specific types of food each joint has to offer.
For example:
Burgers
Fries
Drinks
Side dishes (salads etc...)

I was chatting with Skaboi on AIM last night and before we engaged in a game of Literati (Scrabble online) I went and got a Double Quarter Pounder meal from McDonalds.
Damn!  If that wasn't one of the best burgers I've had in a long time!
Juicy, greasy and full of flavor it was.
I even dripped grease on the front of my shirt but I didn't care because that burger was so good.
Yeah Yeah I know, it isn't the healthiest...but that was some great grub!
I was full AND satisfied.
Not many fast food joints can do that for me.

This question focuses on the major burger chains here in America.
Please leave out any unknown mom & pop burger joints.

In my honest opinion, I give these restaurants props for:

Best burger: McDonalds

Best fries: Nothing beats McDonalds fries
Wendy's Biggie fries run a VERY close 2nd.

Best soda: Without a doubt, Burger King...their soda is always crisp & full of carbonation.

Best Breakfast: Hands down, Burger King again....nothing even comes close to their Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croisanwiches.
(remember their Breakfast Buddy sandwiches they used to make?  George Foreman used to do commercials for them)

You may have noticed that Hardeez has been left out.
Yes, it is true that I've had an extraordinary Angus Burger there since they switched s**t around in their company but out of all of them I've ate, I've had my fair share that were room temperature and not hot.
A great burger must be hot....and I mean "hot off the grill hot"...not this "cooked 2 hours ago and has sat in a hot pan hot."
When I have to get up and take my burger to the counter to have them stick it in a microwave because it isn't hot enough....well it makes me think twice about going there again.
The last three times I've ate at Hardeez have been serious disappointments.
Their fries are clones of BK and their soda was so-so.
When their Angus burgers are done right and come hot off the grill....watch out!  Thay're mighty tasty!
I suspect the problem with Hardeez isn't their food.
It's the people they hire to run their restaurants.
They tend to hire people who don't give a flying f**k about anything except what they plan to do when they get off work and that bad attitude shows through in the food they're entrusted to prepare.
Of course, other restaurants have hired people like that but in no other burger joint does it shine brighter than it does in Hardeez for some reason.

There are other places like Arby's.
Freakin' awesome food...but too damn expensive for me.
The average meal at Arby's runs me at least $7.00 when a meal at any of the other places sets me back $5.00.
I've nicknamed Arby's "Heartburn City"
There's something about their food that gives me chronic heartburn everytime I eat it.

What are your personal tastes when it comes to burger joints?
Who has the best burgers, fries & drinks?



Post Edited (09-20-04 02:47)

I've pretty much stopped eating burgers since Mad Cow Disease was discovered in the US, but before that I used to love burgers. Years ago, I liked McDonald's, but in more recent years they started tasting like crap. For a while I was getting Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers from Wendys. They weren't the greatest, but they kind of tasted like a BLT with cheese and a beef patty, which I liked.

My favorite burger place went out of business; Roy Rogers. Except for the fact that they needed salt (in my opinion), their bacon cheeseburgers and fries were great.

It seems like everytime I find a fast food place I really like, they go out of business, like Little Caesars. Ok, so they didn't fully go out of business, but now the only place you can find them is in K-Mart stores with pre-made pizzas that taste like crap and no more Crazy Bread, which was one of the best things they offered. :(

Well, Alzheimers is a milder form of Mad Cow disease that causes degenerative conditions of the brain. We are all comtaiminated to some degree. That is of coarse if we have eaten  beef on a regular basis. The mass slaughter of cattle and the sloppy handling of blood and body parts of hundreds and sometimes thousands of cattle a day bring a cobination of bad conditions. Even though it is a necessary process to bring all that beef to market in large numbers.

As far as best burger its a toss up between McDonalds and Burger King (BK) and like a movie it depends on your mood. Charcoal broiled is always good, but McDonalds also delivers the taste.

Burger King also has some ok chilly and some nasty version of the taco.

I remember the year Burger King switched to the new fries and are so favored now, but before that they had those wet greasy noodle fries.

Burger King also has some good chicken sandwiches.

One of my dislikes of our local Burger Kings are the poor service and the poor quality of the workers and the handling of their product. Not all Burger Kings, but the ones in my area are all together poor.

Where the hell have you guys been living? Burger King and McDonalds are places you eat when you're out of town and you want something that you recognize. Their breakfast is okay, but I stay away from their burgers.

Locally I either go to Sonic or Backyard Burgers (this where Burger King stole the Angus beef idea).  In Texas  and Louisiana the best chain is Whataburger.

As for burgers, I'm a big fan of Sonic or the clown house (McDonalds).  The best burger, in my opinion, can be had at Fudrucker's.  It'll cost you but it's VERY tasty.  I also like the one that started it all..........White Castle....YUM.

I've fallen victim to the new "burrito as big as your head" trend.  I love Chipotle and have grown to enjoy the fare at Qdoba as well.  If you don't have either chain near by, visit one when you see it.  The price is great and the quality is very good.

We are also blessed in the Midwest (Ohio) with multiple chicken wing joints.  I've been to Hooters but find the food not on keel with the waitresses.  Best wings for me........Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3 or BDubs here in Ohio.

I tend to avoid the fish or taco joints.  I'm just not comfortable.

My favorite of all has to be Chick-fil-A.

Sorry, folks -- too bad you can't all live in Utah and experience the #1 burger sensation in the free world:  Crown Burger.

Best. Ever.

Ash,

Good to see I'm not the only one to have a complaint about Hardees burgers being cold.  I love their food, but most of the time the food is room temp.

I can't stand Mc Donalds anymore and I've never liked Burger King

I tend more and more to avoid big chains.  If I have to eat at a chain, I usually make it Wendy's.  ( I agree with trek_geezer about those places being some place you go out of desperation, not enthusiasim)

I tend toward local chains, though.

Best Burger:  "Ranchero Supreme" w/mayo.  From Bob's Burgers here in Albuquerque.  You can order all their burger with one or two patties of either small or large so I always go with "Double Large". The Ranchero Supreme is a green chili cheeseburger.  I also hit a Blake's Lotaburger; bigger than a a QP from McD, more options, and freshly made.

Best Fries: No real preference.  Probably some chili chese fries from Sonic or someplace.  Most big chain fries are too salty and seem to get their flavor from the oil; they have a life of abuot five minutes before they cool asnd turn it too greasy sludge

Best Breakfast: I've been favoring "Eggs Mexicana" at Taco Cabana recenty.  It's scrambled eggs with Pico de Gallo and melted cheese (some refied beans on the side..mix in some green chile". Around here (New Mexico) there are so many places that have great breakfast burritos that I don't really have much of a preference.

Fast food wise, though, there's a Taco Cabana down the street from me that has a quick drive through so I tend to go there when I need something good and cheap and quick.  The menu is much cheaper than McD (one is very close to my house) and the food is freshly made and tastes a lot better.  I've been favoring their Burrito Ultimo recently, although a green chile burrito (just green chili and pork) or the carnita (beef smothered in red chili) burrito  also show up on my list regularly

I don't go to McD's at all, I like the odd McNugget, but that is all their food I can stand.    In an emergency I'll go to Burger King, it has more flavor.  
My burger dollar 99% goes to a Local Chain (Oregon and Washington) called Burgerville.
www.burgerville.com

I'm not into fries, so I don't really care, I like Burger King's "new" crispy fries, but don't crave them.  

Their shakes are amazing: they use REAL fruit, not canned or syrups, for their seasonal shakes.  

When in Oregon, try BurgerVille.  
-Ed

trek_geezer wrote:

 
> Locally I either go to Sonic or Backyard Burgers (this where
> Burger King stole the Angus beef idea).  In Texas  and
> Louisiana the best chain is Whataburger.

AMEN!!!! Whataburger is the best!!! I ate there when I visited Texas and oh my god. Burgers the size of a basketball, and full of flavor. Man, I may drive all the way back there just to get another one.  *wipes the drool off his mouth*

i hate fast food specially mcdonalds. its ok, u eat a big mac menu and u think it taste great, but after eating  i feel horrible, like i wont be able to eat anything else during the rest of the day, so i preffer to avoid, im smoker so im already poisoning my body i dont need more bad stuff, i think i have enough :).

We have a place around here called Cookout. It's strictly a drive-thru restaurant that serves their burgers fresh off the grill, mostly due to its popularity, they can't keep anything waiting around for someone to order it like these other major chains can. The lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, and mustard is always fresh and crisp (talking about the lettuce there), the burgers are juicy and full of flavor, and you can pile on whatever else you want from chili, to BBQ sauce or hot sauce.

Their fries are to die for. They are thick, hot, and come with the option of the best frye seasoning out there.

They also make homeade shakes. 30+ varieties, and I'm sure if you asked they could mix and match. Real ice cream, real milk, and real ingredients like oreo, heath, and snickers to mix in. What's best is at the bottom there is the unmixed oreo or snicker that you can't fit through the straw, so you whip out the spoon and have yourself a feast of creamy chopped up candy bar. It is to die for. This is what hamburger chains should have never deviated from.

A+

Usually the really good burger joints aren't chains. If I had to pick a chain i might pick burger king (because the meat actually has flavor) or sonic. I'm not into whataburger or mcdonalds.

I'm into real burgers made homestyle and cooked on a grill with onions. While i like mcdonalds fries, nothing tops homestyle cut fries, either. There's a few here I like. Some have old fashioned malts and soda's ala 50's style, others are more rustic. I saw a great show on the Food Network (I loved that channel when i had cable) which had a show on burger joints. Some of them gave you a side of fries that could fill a bucket! I hate to say it but one of the tastiest burgers i've had is at this little shop at the mall's food court. They grill it up fresh with seasoned thick cut fries and REAL lemonaide (not the stuff that has no actual juice in it or 1%)

In my road travels and experiences in town , often the best food is a hole in the wall which isn't a chain. It may not be on the city's critics favorite list or even visible from the road. I notice alot of mention above of fast food places, i almost can't qualify that as real food. I can't even stand KFC's steroid induced chickens anymore. once in awhile i have a taco bell moment, but now i tend to stray from fast food to eating at Chipotle or something else. On that note i never eat dominos or pizza hut - their pizza is total crap. I managed to find a couple of really authentic tasting pizza shops here, often a good sign is to ask if they know what white pizza is. If they don't..keep moving.

i agree with susan, if your ever in the southern new england area i would suggest going to a smokey bonez (yeah it's spelled that way ... i think) BBQ and try thier buffalo burger ( as in farm raised buffalo meat, not the sauce) it tastes a hell of alot better then most beef burgers that i've had and no mad cow riosk beacuase no damn cow!!! in a jiff i'll take wendy's however but i reely likes d'angelo's subs better

The best burgers are, by far, from "Whataburger".  They're HUGE and SO GOOD!  

Best Fries: McDonalds
Best drinks: McDonalds has the best syrup-to-water ratio
Best Chicken Sandwiches: Chik-fil-a     DEFINITELY

OH I FORGOT:

2nd best burger: IN 'n Out burger
Best breakfast: Taco Cabana
2nd best breakfast: Chik-fil-A

Scott H,

I also live in NC.  Whereabout are these resturants?

You're all wrong... The "In&Out Burger" is the best burger joint, hands down.

Cookout  is based out of Winston Salem (maybe Greensboro) and they've slowly been making their way eastward across the state. We got one here in Durham about 2yrs ago and another one maybe a year after that.  It's basically a long chromed trailer, take out only, through the few I've seen in Winston had picnic tables.  The Burgers are always very fresh and hot.  The nice thing is they come in Sizes - eighth, quarter, third, half -lbs, An Idea that Hardees has taken to doing recently.   Milkshake wise , they're ok. It's 30+ flavors, but honestly some flavors are inedible. If it's a smooth shake i.e- vanilla, chocolate it's great, but anything else will have a lot of chunks.

>Where the hell have you guys been living? Burger King and McDonalds are
>places you eat when you're out of town and you want something that you
>recognize. Their breakfast is okay, but I stay away from their burgers.

Many years ago, I got addicted to McDonalds Sausage Egg McMuffins. I thought they were great. Then one day I got one where the egg was more or less grey rather than white and it had a tough film on the bottom of it. It tasted lousy. Even the hashbrown patties started tasting like they fried them in vinegar. The next one I got was like that as well, and the next. That was the end of my eating breakfast at McDonalds.

Not to mention that they got rid of their great fried apple pies in favor of just average baked apple pies...

It's like they watch to see which foods are the most popular and then figure out ways to ruin them...

In-n-Out is the best, there's only three things to choose from, so it's easy, but there's not very many here(Northern California)
Wendy's is the best national chain
For diner type places, I like Mel's better than Johnny Rockets.

Have you ever been to a Whataburger?  I'm just asking because, up until I tried one, I felt that In 'n Out was the best.  It's still a close race, but I can't help but put Whataburger into 1st.

I live in greensboro, and there's two or three around here. I know of a couple around the state, one off I-85 towards Charlotte, maybe a few in Winston, but others I'd have to guess at.

Coming back from a Grateful Dead concert in Charlotte I was looking for some fast food chain to grab something to eat, and I saw a Wendy's (being my favorite of the big chains) and as I was turning to turn to the left at the bottom of the exit ramp to head to Wendy's I saw out of the corner of my eye the Cookout sign. Man, I wheeled my big ass Cadillac around in the middle of the street peeling tires to the max getting that car to go in the other direction. Cookout has that big of a draw on me. Needless to say, it was one of the best burgers I've had.

Scott H.
the other Scott

I also ate at Whataburger when I visited Texas.
I remember that the burger I had did indeed seem as big as a basketball.

Doesn't Whataburger serve roast beef sandwiches like Arby's?

And is it spelled Wataburger or Whataburger?

Either way, I remember it being a tasty sandwich.

Anyone ever hear of Brazier Burger? I don't know for sure if they're still around but when I was growing up, we had one near us. It was a part of the Dairy Queen chain. We moved from that area when I was 15 and I really miss those burgers. They cooked them on an open grill and they...oh, give me a minute, I'm relapsing...they were the best burgers I have ever tasted. I don't have the words to describe them. Sometimes I consider taking the 120 mile trip back there just to see if the place is still there.

brazier burger..... there's a joke in there somewhere.....

As far as chains go, I'd have to go with Whataburger, but then, I am from Whataburger's home town...

For a more expensive burger, I'd go with Wallbanger's (similar to Fudrucker's). They're tasty, but a little too expensive for anything but occasional dining.

However, there is one place down here that beats them all for originality and great taste. It's a drive-in type place called Angelo's. They make a pizza burger that is to die for... It's a large hamburger (same bun size as Whataburger) with a little pizza sauce and melted mozzarella cheese and your choice of other pizza toppings (my personal fave is black olives). Mmmmmm... I think I've just decided what I'm going to have for lunch...

OK, there's a Whataburger very close to my house, but I've neer been there except for breakfast.  Guess I'll have to go by and try them out.

D master...

Main Entry: brazier
Function: noun
Etymology: French brasier, from Old French, fire of hot coals, from breze
1 : a pan for holding burning coals
2 : a utensil in which food is exposed to heat through a wire grill


Main Entry: brassiere
Pronunciation: "bra-sE-'er
Function: noun
Etymology: obsolete French brassière bodice, from Old French braciere arm protector, from bras arm -- more at BRACELET
: a woman's undergarment to cover and support the breasts

Thanks for the heads up guys.  The next time I'm down near Charlotte, I'll try to check one out.

has anybody seen "super size me"?? :)

I had one today, So  nice.  There's an 800 number on here if you want to call and find a close one. 1 866 547 0011

I usually just have Hotcakes and sausage or the sausage biscuits, not much of an egg man unless it's a good omelet.

I think I'm the only one that mentioned Backyard Burgers. It's a chain but it may just be local to Arkyville.  All their food is grilled and the burgers are supposed to be all angus beef.  They also have blackened  and cajun grilled chicken sandwiches. They  serve seasoned fries  and those goofy  waffle fry things like Arby's.  They can also cater partiesv (they bring out a trailer with the grill).

oh i forgot - braums (http://www.braums.com/DailyMenu.asp) makes good BIG burgers. I think they have 1/3lb burgers. They're very generous and you get the crinkle fries vs. those skinny things.

Whataburger doesn't give you enough meat.  they have the precut flat patties and a time or two i've seen blue marks on the meat. Not sure wha that was about. They don't serve bbq type sandwhiches, they're like any other fast food burger chain. There's i'm not impressed wtih because you get more bun than meat. They dice up their onions so it can be messy with that mustard. They're chicken strips are decent tho.

Also if we're talking breakfast i love GRANDY'S! i'm a biscuits and gravy kind of girl



Post Edited (09-21-04 17:34)

I think that's the same as Dairy Queen...

I like Carl's Juniour Burgers, but nothing beats a good home burger or resturant burger and fries.

I had a great burger at FATTBURGER in Las Vegas one night.  It was after several hours of boozing at a place called THE DRINK.  I guess everything tastes better when you're drunk.



Post Edited (09-22-04 05:33)

Best burgers:  Wendy's.  McDonald's a very close second.

Best fries:  McDonald's.  Mmmmm...yummy.

Best breakfast:  McDonald's (suasage and egg McMuffin)

Best side dishes:  Wendy's (potatoes, chili, shakes)

Are you kidding me? Whataburger kicks ass!

Okay, just making sure that you'd actually TRIED it before naming In 'n Out better.  It's all good!

Another great one that I went to when I was on vacation is CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE on Waikiki Beach in Oahu.  They even serve cheeseburgers for breakfast.  They have one breakfast called a "Loco Moco."  It's a bed of white rice with a hamburger patty on top, smothered in brown gravy with onions.  Good stuff, but a bit heavy for breakfast!

My grandfather used to own a little cornershop burger joint and they had the best burgers in ALL the world.  Fresh hand made patties crisp veggies.  I can still taste them and it has been five years since he passed and they closed the store.  Sometimes I would give just about anything to be able to go back and have one of those burgers again.

This thread reminded me of . . . Wimpy's. Not an American chain, but a British c hain. Of course, now in the U.K., they have all the American chains--McDonald's, Burger King, you name it--but, thirty years ago, all there was , was Wimpy's. Not so much good, as different from what was here in the U.S. The hamburger was a hamburger patty. No bun, just a patty. The catsup, which came in a bottle, was loose and runny, and it tasted like it had been cut with vinegar. As for the fries, or chips, as they call them over there, as a chip is called a crisp over there, I don't remember much about them, except, anything you wanted--morning, noon, or night--came with chips or fries. The world was a much different place thirty years ago, and sometimes I think we were richer for it. Anyway, thanks for the thread.

I just ate there 2 weeks ago when I was in Hawaii.  The burgers were good, but it was WAY overpriced.  We ordered 4 burgers, 2 baskets of fries, and sodas.  The bill was over $50 BEFORE the tip.

Seriously.

Regarding my last email: I was talking about "Cheeseburger in Paradise".

I live in New Jersey where you don't get  to many options, but when I'm out of state I like:

Taco Johns (Better than taco bell in my opinion, once you get past the name thing)
Sonic (Nice set up and good food)
Jack In the Box (They have all kinds of different things like Chilli Cheese Fries)
Carl Jrs. (Another frequent road stop, but just average meals)

Ones that I've been wanting to get to are:

Checkers
Johnny Rockets (like that name)
Mels Drive-In (only two in CA and one was in American Graffiti)
In and Out (they look like a McDonalds, but only sell hamberger and one other item I can't remember at this time.)

Can't remember which Casino it was in Las Vegas, but it was on Freemont street and they had a big digital screen about the entrance commercial/ad for DEEP FRIED TWINKIES.

I had a really long post going before my internet connection kicked out, so this one is significantly shorter.

One, I agree with other people who say the best burgers can be found in hole-in-the-wall places.  National chains are places you go where you want a burger fast and cheap.

My favorite burger place in Phoenix (where I live), is Lenny's Burger Shop.  So much so that when I was out of the country this summer (Ecuador), this first place I stopped and the place I dreamed about was Lenny's.  One double cheeseburger with jalapenos coming right up.

The best chain burger is probably Carl's Jr.'s "six dollar restaurant burger".  However, I like Whataburger and Sonic because they let me put jalapenos on my burger.  A burger without jalapenos is like a Christmas without strippers.  Also, Whataburger is right next to my place of employment, which means I eat there a lot.

McDonald's burgers have their own personal charm.  I wouldn't say they're good, but the taste is familiar and dates back to my childhood.

Burger King is my bottom tier restaurant.  Out of all the places I could eat, it's usually the worst.  Which goes to show, different strokes for Gary Coleman.

Breakfast in any fast food place is routinely the same.  If they can serve up a biscuit sausage sandwich and hash browns I'm happy.

I like Sonic burgers and there is a diner by my job called Fast Eddies and they have a pretty good bacon burger. I used to like quarter pounders until I bought one that tasted horrid.

>I had a really long post going before my internet connection kicked out, so this
>one is significantly shorter.

Huh? When I get disconnected from the net, Explorer just sits there with whatever text I've entered so far.

McDonalds is honestly the most disgusting unappealing crap I've ever had.

Burger King is tops for fast food breakfast.

I eat at Shari's in Medford, Oregon when I'm in town as often as I can. Their bacon cheese is tremendous.