Burgers can be glorious but fast food burgers can be notoriously poor. My personal fave in the fast food category is the In N Out Burger's Double Double. It beats the chemically enhanced char grilled taste of the Whopper and Micky D's Microwaved Big Mac every day of the week. The freshness of the meat and how the cheese gets into a metly goo make it tops. Any one care to disagree?

My Top Fast Food Burgers are:
1) In N Out
2) Five Guys (Arlington, VA)
3) Zips (Spokane, WA) got to get the Fries with Tarter

But my favorite burgers:
1) Burger Joint (NYC)
2) MatchBox (Mini Burgers are the Bomb on Brioche)
3) Rouge (Philly)

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In NYC, I've always loved the Corner Bistro (who doesn't), and a rare cheeseburger at Donovan's Pub in Woodside Queens is seriously worth the 7-train schlep.

With the In-N-Out, do you ever get your fries "well-done"? Crispity, crunchity, grease-laden goodness. Next time, I'm trying 'em Animal Style w/ cheese.

As for the other fast-food burgers, I'll argue in favor of the Angus at BK. I know it's only meat-esque, but it satisfies a particular craving while I'm driving up the New York State Thruway.

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No better burger than Ruby Tuesday's Triple Prime Cheese Burger. Prime rib, prime sirloin and prime ribeye, ground just for my burger...it's Heaven.

I live in CA but discovered this burger visiting our properties in TN. We now have one Ruby Tuesday in CA, about 60 miles from home. Once a month we make the journey for my RTTPB! None better!

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i dont eat red meat , but once in a while i do get a craving for a greasy burger. the white castle burgers are great when u get a craving for it and than when your done eatting them you say you wuill never eat them again until the next craving hits. bk angus burger is awsome and i love there onieon rings.

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For me, Mc Donald's burgers.......just their single patty, simple cheese burgers, are a craving I get about once every two months and HAVE to have one or four. When I want a true, greasy, big, fat-filled hamburger, I got to Red Robin. Sheesh, they even put fried onions on top! Yum yum yum! But a McDonald's burger and a Red Robin burger are in two separate food groups........both necessary to happiness.

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I had a burger yesterday at a mother's day bbq... i have been dieting for a while now... all i can say is that this was probably the best thing i have put in my mouth since a Ruth Chris Porterhouse for 2...

NYC has the best of everything - and that is where I live =) so I am spoiled by all the faboulous places to get burgers and things of this sort - and guess what to the rest of the country? WE DONT USE MUSTARD ON THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (unless desired)....

Although chopped meat is really high in fat - it is also high in protein and will keep you full for hours!!!

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WHATABURGER in south Texas is the ONLY way to go. I like their toasted wheat bun and they actually have REAL beef that they start cooking when you order it. NO heat lamps! I like that they make it just like you like it. You can have them grill onions, or jalapenos, etc. (and their onion rings can't be beat!)

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I remember many years ago making a "grilled steak tartare" burger - essentially beef with steak tartare seasonings, but seared on the outside so it would all stay together. I've just located a Steven Raichlen recipe for it, but his version doesn't allow for the rawness of the beef inside. I was young, devil-may-care and broke at the time before when I made it, but now, I might try a redux with some high-end tartare-worthy beef and see if I can keep the middle raw. I'll let ya know if/how it works out.

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Olivette Diner in St. Louis, Missouri. Oh my. Those lovely, crispy-edged thin patties. My main pregnancy craving was their double cheeseburgers with Romaine lettuce, raw white onions, pickles, and mustard. I averaged three of them a week while pregnant. Funny thing, my 3-year-old will eat just about anything ... except hamburgers in any form. Must have gotten her fill in utero.

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As chance would have it, I came across this article after discovering how absolutely scrumptious the Dairy Queen 1/2 lbs. grill burger is....ohhhhhh baby ! I had been craving a good hamburger, and it hit the spot so well, I've thought about calling them and telling them.

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Every summer as a child, I would visit my grandfather and aunt in a little town called Hobgood, North Carolina. About five miles away, in a town called Scotland Neck was a place called The Freeze. This place was well known for it's great burgers and hot dogs. This little eatery was the kind were you ordered the food while standiing on the outside. Whether it was hot, cold, snow or rain, folks would come from miles away to get a burger and fries. One of the best burgers on the menu was the Pizza Burger. It was chock full of mozzarella, pizza sauce, onions, and mushroms (by request) on hand formed beef patties. Over the years The Freeze was so popular that it was remodeled to include a closed in dining area and an extensive menu including southern fried chicken. It is still operating today. Whenever I visit, I must have a burger from this most incredible place. Delicious!!!!!!!!!

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Hey Rhoda:

How was it in N.C.

We with our grandmother and uncle who lived a few miles down the road in Oak City, N.C.

I go home every year once or twice and I always get the chopped bar-b-que from Whitaker's in Scotland Kneck.

Um Um.

Can you tell me where The Freeze is located.

We don't need an address just give me landmarks.

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Wendy's are by far the best burgers Ive ever had. They have that good old fashioned just off the grill taste. I always get a double cheese with lettuce tomato and mustard. Their fries are great too.

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My regional (Intermountain West area) favorite chain is called Arctic Circle. I really like the double cheeseburgers, and they also have great fries, but their real claim to fame is of course the fry sauce (definitely a Utah thing!).

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I have been from 1 end to the county to the other and burgers have been a big part of my life.....My grandfather used to drive a delivery truck for White Castle...the best burgers I can remember were the small diner ones you used to get....my Aunt Lucille used to be a waitress for years at a small diner chain in Michigan called... Top Hats....a true 50's style diner ...with an old jukebox,black and white tile and round bar like stools to sit at the counter......i think the nostalgia of the place added to the flavor....just the smell of the diner when you walked through the door made your mouth water...

Small round burgers cooked right in front of you on a flatgrill with fresh grilled onions with cheese, pickles, k&M.... and fresh shoestring fries and thick real hand made milkshakes....omg...heaven on earth..

always imitated ...never duplicated



I now live in Florida...nothing even comes close...no white castles here either...they have crystals but they are about an hr away and not the same.... so now i settle for my own grilled burgers...much better than the big chains....only choices here are Micky D's and Burger Kings...all piss poorly ran purveyors of sub par food...hell even mcdonalds fries are not any good anymore since they changed their cooking oil...

i'm only 41 but "I truely miss the good ole days!!!"

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The ultimate burger is at PICK-QUICK , DRIVE IN , Fife Washington (the state) .They are like we all remember them as kids, #2 would be the WHATTABURGER,in Midland Texas. My search continues for that burger that surpasses the last best one ya had ...HAPPY GREASIN to all of us burger lovers......eat on!!!!!!!

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Five Guys in Bethesda, MD is simply the best burger joint I have ever been to. I'm also a fan of Eskimo Joe's.

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When you are visiting the Southernmost city in the USA, Key West, DO NOT miss the burgers at Lobo's. They are made daily from fresh ground chuck, on a hot grill, and cooked to temp. They are the best!

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I'm dazzled by the passion with which Reader Comment submissions have been extolling their burger experiences .

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Burgers really are something that people feel great passion about. There's such opportunity for customization that it's something one can get kinda obsessive about - and that's not a bad thing at all! Also - unless you're a life-long vegetarian, you've had a hamburger at some point in your life, so everyone feels comfortable putting in their $.02. It's great common ground.

Plus hey - bread, meat, fire - can't go wrong with that!

I'll ask my boss if I can take the suggestions from this comments thread, and see what I can do about compiling a cross-country burger marathon list. Chomp your way across the USA!

And I'd love to know what other Guilty Pleasures you'd like us to write about. I have my fingers crossed that I'll be able to do mayonnaise, cheese balls, movie popcorn and Diet Coke.

Gosh I love my job.

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