It’s National Cheeseburger Day. Here are our top Triangle burgers, from fancy to fast food
Simple and sublime or towering and decadent, the burger can never go out of style.
For some restaurants, the burger was a lifeline and a bright spot of hope during the pandemic. For diners it was comfort and joy, emulsified like grease and cheese peeled off of a paper wrapper.
For National Cheeseburger Day, I’m highlighting some of the very best hamburgers I’ve found in the Triangle, some fancy, some humble, each cherished in its own way.
Best smashburger: (TIE) Standard Beer & Food, Raleigh; Lakewood Social, Durham
This burger style of the moment continues to burn bright, launching countless brands across the country and more than a few here in the Triangle. Sorry for the early cop-out, but the smashburgers from both Raleigh’s Standard Beer & Food and Durham’s Lakewood Social live rent-free in my head forever. When I’m thinking of lunch I’m never not considering one of these burgers.
At Standard, the double-patty smashburger is small but mighty, a flavor deepened with fried onions, the zip of pickles and a tangy sauce. It’s the kind of burger experience where you realize you haven’t been breathing for a little while — rich and greasy, like all things should be.
At Lakewood, chef Joel Schroetter packs an astounding amount of flavor in this umami-bomb burger. Like many smashburger shops, Lakewood goes with two griddled patties and grilled onions, but also adds sauerkraut for some dialed-up funk.
Best fancy burger: Vin Rouge, Durham
Only the burger is just as comfortable and just as satisfying on a fine dining menu as a roadside marquee. If you’re looking for the gussied-up burger, Vin Rouge in Durham offers one of the most decadent bites on a bun in the Triangle. This sought-after burger was once only available on Wednesday nights at the Vin Rouge bar, a policy that thankfully changed during the pandemic. Now the burger is offered as a special on Tuesday and Thursdays.
The Vin Rouge burger is a little more than an inch thick, served quite rare and juicy, topped with buttery onions, gooey gruyere cheese and dijion mustard. The kicker is a side of French onion soup for dipping.
Best cheap burger: King’s Sandwich Shop
If you look beyond the center field fence in the movie “Bull Durham,” over the shoulder of Ebby Calvin LaLoosh, you’ll see King’s Sandwich Shop on the other side of Geer Street. It’s still there, all these years later, with a lunchtime line of neighbors and construction workers. “Cheap” is relative and the burger at King’s used to be a lot cheaper, but this $6.25 single patty cheeseburger remains a simple bargain, especially paired with the crispiest tater tots in town.
Best fast food burger: Cook Out
Cook Out makes the only fast food burger that actually tastes like a burger, specifically one fresh off the grill in a summer backyard somewhere. There must be some magic in that column of smoke billowing out of Cook Outs, where you’ll even find a very solid Carolina style (Cook Out style) burger, with chili, slaw, mustard and onions.
Best veggie burger: QueenBurger, Durham
Born as a pandemic pop-up, QueenBurger in Durham is now a favorite stop before Bulls games at the American Tobacco Campus.
Here is the rare instance where the veggie burger is every bit as good as the beef versions. QueenBurger’s housemade veggie burger is distinctly rosy red, colored and flavored with beets, black beans, chickpeas and smoked pepitas. It’s not trying to mimic meat in flavor or texture, but instead stands out as something distinctly unique in this burger space.
Reader favorite: Neuse River Brewing
A few years ago, readers voted Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie as the best burger in Raleigh. This popular burger wears a mound of crispy onions like a crown, atop a thick patty and creamy cheese made with Neuse River beer.
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 10:59 AM.
