12 of the best places to get a veggie burger (or something quite similar to one)
A monthly roundup of ethnic eats, counter service chow and other tasty bargains. This month, we set out in search of the definitive veggie burger. We discover that there is no single correct definition, but there’s a veritable thesaurus of savory synonyms.
Al’s Burger Shack
Two locations in Chapel Hill: 516 W. Franklin St. and 708 Market St.
919-904-7659 (Franklin Street); 919-914-6694 (Market Street)
The Kaarin: sweet potato, black bean and oat burger with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion.
Bull City Burger and Brewery
107 E. Parrish St., Suite 105, Durham
919-680-2333 or bullcityburgerandbrewery.com
The Joan Jett Veggie Burger: three-bean burger topped with goat cheese, served with lettuce and garlic aioli. See also Vegetarian Farmers Market Burger: definition changes frequently, see the specials list.
Bull McCabe’s
427 W. Main St., Durham
919-682-3061 or bullmccabesirishpub.com
Veggie Burger: hand-patted black bean burger with pimentos and onions. Optional add-ons include cheese, batter-fried jalapeños, and an extra patty. Bacon also available (see antonym).
Burger Bach
737-220 Ninth St., Durham
919-973-4416 or theburgerbach.com
The Koha: house-made black bean burger with grilled pineapple, curried honey dijon, lettuce, pico de gallo and cilantro sauce.
Chow
8311 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh
919-841-4995 or chowraleigh.com
Portobello: marinated grilled portobello, provolone, spring mix greens, tomato and basil pesto aioli on grilled ciabatta. See also Black Bean: with caramelized onions and avocado salsa.
Elmo’s Diner
200 N. Greensboro St., in Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro
919-929-2909 or elmosdinercarrboro.com
Vegan Chili Burger: House-made patty made with beans, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and spicy vegan chili.
Elmo’s Diner
776 Ninth St., Durham
919-416-3823 or elmosdiner.com
Veggie Burger: House blend of beans, potatoes, mushrooms and spices, served with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo.
The Fiction Kitchen
428 S. Dawson St., Raleigh
919-831-4177 or thefictionkitchen.com
The Impossible Burger: house-made and available only on Thursdays, each week with different toppings. Recently served with horseradish IPA mustard, lettuce, tomato and onion, plus choice of house made vegan pimento or dairy pimento, Bloody Mary ketchup (spiked with Flying Pepper Tobago pepper vodka), and fried pickles.
Living Kitchen
Two locations: 555 Fayetteville St., Suite 100, Raleigh; and 201 South Elliott Road, Chapel Hill
919-324-3515 (Raleigh); 919-535-9191(Chapel Hill)
The Classic: gluten-free quinoa-millet burger with lemon-parsley sunflower seed hummus, onion, tomato and guacamole.
The Spotted Dog
111 E. Main St., Carrboro
919-933-1117 or thespotteddogrestaurant.com
Black-Eyed Pea Burger: house-made, served with chipotle mayo, green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and cilantro (can be made vegan). See also Spot’s Boneless Burger (not vegan), with optional house-made organic soy bacon.
The Wandering Moose
Food truck: see wanderingmoosenc.com or twitter.com/WanderingMoose1 for schedule
Southwest Veggie Burger: house-made burger served on warm Naan bread with lettuce, red pepper cream sauce, and herb aioli. Gluten-free version available.
Whole Foods Market
81 S. Elliott Road, Chapel Hill
919-968-1983 or wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/chapelhill
Korilla Cauliflower Burger: Korean BBQ-style cauliflower burger; wide selection of toppings (kimchi, pickled okra and Sriracha aioli, to name a few likely candidates) available from the build-your-own-burger bar. Note: available only at the Chapel Hill location.
This story was originally published April 30, 2018 at 5:32 PM with the headline "12 of the best places to get a veggie burger (or something quite similar to one)."