Anyone whose definition of "hamburger" includes ground pork, ground lamb, or vegetables is unfit to be a food critic. I personally find the Monster Thickburger kind of tasty, although I usually order mine without the mayonnaise. That's just wretched excess. ~_^

Best burger - Patrick's Pub in St. Peter. The Thunderburger is one of the best burger's I've ever eaten. Add to it their ranch fries and The Bucket of Death (their bucket of hot sauces) and you have a hell of a great meal.

And washing it down with some Schell's makes it all the better...

Best mass-produced burger I've had in quite awhile, and which I could go for right now: the DQ Flamethrower burger.

This burger was so good at my local (Georgia) DQ the first time I tried it, that it caused me to break charity with my family. Normally mealtime is a sharing experience - if something is especially tasty, share some bites with the wife (at a minimum) and kids.

My first bite was such an explosion of juicy spicy flavor that I was tempted to moan in pleasure - however, the devil on my left shoulder told me, "SHHH!! If they know how good it is, you'll have to share it." I munched the rest of the burger in ecstatic silence. It was really that good.

I don't know if it will be that good at other DQ's in other states. But you owe it to yourself to go and find out. Take your poker face with you.

Truck stop on I40 in the panhandle of Texas (I was on my way to the Grand Canyon). Can't remember the name of the place but - MAN was that a good burger (great fries too).

Matts Bar. the Juicy Lucy.

Mmmmmm... Cow... Arrrrgggggg...

And there used to be a tiny little place on Broadway near Central called Grumpys (I think) that had fantastic burgers. I don't know if it's still there anymore but worth the trip if it is.

If you ever get to Green Bay, Wi, check out a Krolls Burger across from Lambeau Field. Don't bother with the Cheese curds though.

The best words in the English language are "Double-Double, grilled onions, no tomatoes". One of the main reasons to continuing visiting Southern California.

I think in St. Paul, the nook (Randolph and Hamline) has the best burgers.

Patrick

The best burgers I've ever had were not actually that large, and it may have just been the circumstances and rarety of the experence. In my dad's old home town, Cherokee Iowa, there was a hole in the wall burger joint that I believe was called Sweeneys. You passed by the big picture window overlooking the grill on your way in. There were no booths, The whole place was chrome, vynil and formica. Coat hooks along the one wall, and the counter with the red swivil stools on the other. Oh lots of stainless steel behind the chrome and formica counter.
The burgers started as a fist size wad of ground beef. This was plopped onto the grill which was sunken and covered with at least an inch of hot grease, and smashed flat with a big spatula. It cooked for a while and was flipped once then placed on a locally baked roll that was hand cut on site. Part of the fun was to peel off the top crust of the roll and eat it first, yes I'm strange. Despite the deep fat fry cooking the burger was suprisingly not greasy. I still recall the look of tepidation on my future wifes face the first time I took her there and she saw them cooked.
The other cool thing was they still hand dipped and mixed malts on site and served them in the paper cones in the big stainless steel vase like holders.
As my dad was in the service and we traveled a lot we only got to go to Sweenys maybe once every other year. But when ever we got to town lunch was alway at Sweeny's.
Oddly I hate White Castles.

I agree with Doug. Matt's Bar. Juicy Lucy.

Unmatched by anything I've ever tasted. Extremely delicious.

Zeke's Place in West Bloomington (MN) off of Old Shakopee Road and Bloomington Ferry Bridge Road. Marvelous, marvelous burgers...

For a standard, old-school burger, it has to be Lion's Tap. This little paradise has risen from a tiny bar on a nowhere corner with NOTHING around it to a place that is PACKED at lunch and dinner. The burgers are simple....none of 'dem foo-foo, citified toppins'. Pickles, onions, ketchup. Hot and fresh. And at a nice price.

Jay:

Patrick's indeed has FANTASTIC food, especially the 'World Famous Patty Melt' I knew Patrick personally, and after him and his wife passed away a few years ago, the oldest son continues to run the namesake bar.

Patrick's is also the home of the Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps. An organization I am proud to be a member of this year.

Family Trivia, My father was born in Patrick's. Back in the late 20's as it was the local Dr's office.

So next time yout tooling down 169, on your way to Mankato or wherever, take a short detour to Patrick's. One block after Broadway (HiWay 99) take a left (Park Row), and you'll find it one block in on 3rd. Tell 'em Flash sent ya! They'll know who you are talking about!

Flash

whoops. Take a right (North of 169)

Flash

Lion's Tap? Easily the most overrated and overpriced burgers (mmm...burgers) in town.

I remember Lion's Tap in the eighties was absolutely to kill for. They signed an ad contract at KSTP and brought out a big platter of their deluxe burgers once back in 1986, and they were the stuff of dreams.

But I was there probably two years ago, and they were...kinda ordinary; they reminded me of the burgers you get at truck stops out on the Plains. Not bad, but not legendary, either.

Ok...they aren't as great as they once were. Still good, though. However, they are certainly not "overpriced". They run a few bucks. Paying $11 for a burger? Let's just say I expect more than just a burger for that price....

Grumpys still exists. Never eaten there, usually just drinking, so I'll have to try sometime.

Adrians (48th and Chicago) was my introduction to the Juicy Lucy, when but a young tot, so it will always have a little spot above Matt's.

Best burger ever is a Bronco burger (Omaha Nebraska). Mass produced, greasy, comes only with cheese, onions, pickles and mustard. It's now the fixings of preference on all burgers I encounter. And if you're cute they give you an extra frie package full of pickles.

Yum.

I think 6 oz is the right size, fully satisfying, no heartburn or "distress in the lower tract" later. And Elder is right - nothing special at all about Lions Tap.

Lion's Tap is overpriced for what you get. The burger price appears reasonable until you realize that it includes nothing. Fries? Extra. Cheese? Extra. Onions? Extra. By the time you're done with all these luxury "add ons" the burger is nearing seven bucks. And it ain't all that big. And they serve it to you on a paper frickin' plate! I call that "overpriced."

Back in my Twin Cities days, one of my favorite summer outings was to the Cabooze, well before the music started. Out back, behind the bar, they had an outdoor area fenced in, with a series of 55 gallon steel drums cut in half set up as the barbecue area, and countless long necks drowning in ice water in huge livestock troughs. The burgers, brats, and polish were cooked over an open fire, and they tasted great.

I won't deny that my memories may have been influenced by the very enticing female customers who frequented the patio area in those days. What was great was that a woman who showed up early to see James Brown, or Joe Cocker, or Albert Collins, or Buddy Rich's Big Band, or many other tremendous, if lesser known, acts (there was a Chicago act called Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows which would just MELT the place down) that played the Cedar Ave. roadhouse, was likely to be somebody interesting to meet. Man, that was fun, but I wouldn't wanna try it again, if ya' know what I mean....

And for anyone who really wants a big burger "no matter what"....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7720569/

.....
"Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, which lost its crown as the home of the world's biggest burger earlier this year, is now offering a new burger that weighs a whopping 15 pounds," the Associated Press reports from Clearfield, Pa.:

Dubbed the Beer Barrel Belly Buster, the burger comes with 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers--and a bun.

(courtesy of James Taranto)

...There have got to be easier ways to die

I'm not a big fan of Lion's Tap....but I will admit....they've had better days than now.

I'll throw a new location in, from my college days in Moorhead. Mick's Office was a little dive-of-a-place in downtown, near campus. A blue collar bar. They had 25 cent trapper nights and these things called....the Gert Burger. They reminded me of the Lion's Tap burgers...in their better days.

Mick's Office!

I LOVED that place!

Will,

Ooooh, maaaaaaaan - I remember those nights at the Cabooze grill-outs. Back when my band was playing (or, more usually, trying to get booked at) the Cabooze, those were some of the best nights ever!

The Cabooze was always my favorite bar in to play. I mean the First Avenue/7th Street was IT, right, but the Cabooze was always better to play at. The sound system worked, the seats in the dressing room weren't covered in...I don't wanna remember what, and they always left a cooler of beer backstage for the bands (unlike the 1st/7th, which gave you a couple of drink tickets - not that that was a bad thing).

In-and-Out Burger with fries, animal style.

Wipe your chin.

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Thanks!!! furniture Very nice site.I enjoy being here.

Thanks!!! furniture Very nice site.I enjoy being here.