The American Burger
White Castle Slider
Small, thin beef patty cooked on a bed of onions with pickle on a mini bun; America's first fast-food hamburger chain (1921). Steamed, no...
Whataburger Original
Five-inch bun with large beef patty, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions; Texas-born chain (1950), beloved across the South. Cu...
Western Bacon Cheeseburger
Burger with bacon, onion rings, and BBQ sauce; Carl's Jr. creation.
Wendy's Baconator
Two quarter-pound beef patties with six strips of bacon, two slices of American cheese, ketchup, and mayo; Wendy's premium burger since 2...
Vermont Cheddar Burger
A burger that swaps the soft melting slice for sharp aged Vermont cheddar, crumbly and low-moisture, a cheese that talks back to the beef instead of sealing it. A New England staple.
Veggie Burger (California Style)
The California veggie burger builds inward from the produce, not outward from a seared center: avocado does the fat and the glue, sprouts the crunch, a toasted bun holds the wet load.
Utah Pastrami Burger
A cheeseburger crowned with a pile of griddle-hot pastrami and fry sauce: the Utah pastrami burger flopped in California and became a Salt Lake institution, the Crown Burgers build.
Tillamook Cheddar Burger
A burger built around aged Oregon cheddar that softens but never pours, trading the melt of a processed slice for a sharp, firm bite: the Tillamook cheese is the whole argument.
Theta Burger
Smash patty, American cheese, and a whole halved dill pickle laid across it, on a small toasted bun. The Town Tavern's Norman, Oklahoma signature, in a building open since 1936.
Steamed Cheeseburger
Burger patty and cheese steamed in a metal tray, served on a bun; unique to central Connecticut diners.
Smash Burger
A loose beef ball smashed flat on a screaming griddle, browned across nearly its whole face: the crust is not seasoned on, it is built by contact, and the burger exists for it.
Slider
Small burger, typically 2-3 inches in diameter; White Castle origin.
Shrimp Burger
Ground or chopped shrimp formed into a patty and fried.
Shake Shack ShackBurger
Angus beef burger with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce on a potato bun; started as a NYC hot dog cart in Madison Square Park (2001), now ...
Salmon Burger
A bound salmon patty: paste-blended salmon folded with hand-chopped salmon, egg, and breadcrumb. The Pacific Northwest standard non-beef build on a toasted bun.
Sacramento Squeeze Burger
A smash burger with a frico ring: a fistful of cheddar dropped on the steel around the patty, fried into a lacy skirt that overhangs the bun. The Squeeze Inn's Sacramento signature since 1977.
Protein Style Burger
In-N-Out burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
Oklahoma Onion Burger
Thin-smashed patty with caramelized onions pressed into the meat during cooking.
Mushroom Swiss Burger
Burger with sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese.
Montana Bison Burger
Ground bison patty (leaner, slightly sweeter than beef) on a bun; Montana is the US's top bison-producing state.