Here are the 7 best burgers in the Triangle from our Top 50 list
There are roadside burgers and white tablecloth burgers, smashed burgers and tall burgers, some with mustard, some with pickles, some with just some gooey cheese.
The burger is neither high nor low brow, it exists in a more elemental space reserved for only the most profoundly delicious foodstuffs.
The News & Observer’s recent list of the Top 50 Triangle restaurants features some of the most wonderous burgers in the region. Here we’ve combined the Top 50 and the Honorable Mention lists to spotlight the Triangle’s best burgers.
Here’s where to find them.
East End Bistrot
Tall burgers are back, and the one at East End Bistrot is a banger. Think slow-cooked caramelized onions, assertive bleu cheese and duck fat aioli atop a prime-grade hand-ground burger.
2020 Progress Court #110, Raleigh | eastendbistrotraleigh.com
Herons
Even the fanciest restaurant in the Triangle had to get into the smashburger game. At Herons, the double patty smash burger gets gooey gruyere cheese, black truffle aioli and caramelized onions.
100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary (in The Umstead Hotel & Spa) | theumstead.com
Lawrence Barbecue
One of the Triangle’s top barbecue spots also slings a filthy burger. You can get the cheesy, saucy, succulent Bungalow Burger or turn up the heat with salsa macha and a healthy doze of Duke’s mayo.
150 E. Cedar St., Cary | lawrencebarbecue.com
Little Bull
This acclaimed Durham spot keeps its burger kind of a secret. Chef Oscar Diaz created an idealized smashburger way back in his Cortez days and brought it to even greater heights at Michelin-rated Little Bull. But be warned, this smashburger, served with fries in cartoon paper, is only available at the bar.
810 N. Mangum St., Durham | littlebullnc.com
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Players Retreat
The burger is exactly why the Players Retreat is so legendary, grinding the beef daily for this Raleigh classic. Always, and I mean always, order onion rings.
105 Oberlin Road, Raleigh | playersretreat.com
Standard Beer + Food
There is a crowd of incredible smashburgers in the Triangle, and the one at Standard is the very best. Between squishy potato bun you’ll find crispy, cheesy beef, grilled onions and pickles.
205 E. Franklin St., Raleigh | standardbeerandfood.com
Vin Rouge
The burger at Vin Rouge is only available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but it’s worth planning your whole week around. The griddled bun barely holds the massive, just cooked burger, which has been draped in melted gruyere cheese. The rest of the plate is covered in pomme frites perfection.
2010 Hillsborough Road, Durham | vinrougerestaurant.com
