Shake Shack
This is it! We’ve made it to the end of our All-American burger road trip. We’re completing our search for the best burgers in America in the Northeast.
The northeastern states have a lot to offer when it comes to a great burger. There’s a nice mix of out-of-the-way shacks, legit burger craftsmen on the high-end, and chains that actually get it right. So let’s just dive right in and wet some appetites with truly fantastic burgers.
WASHINGTON, DC: Rebellion
Full disclosure, we really didn’t know where to put DC in this whole thing. We did know that DC definitely deserves a shout out though. DC is one of those places that feels very southern if you’re looking south of the Potomac but is very northeast if you’re heading towards Baltimore. So, here it stays.
Rebellion is a great whiskey bar that serves a seriously loaded and legit burger. The veteran-owned restaurant hits a lot of sweet spots — who doesn’t want to drink amazing whiskey paired with over-stuffed, delicious burgers? The patties here on the smaller side (four ounces) but that means you always get a double cheeseburger; that’s rad. The cheese is thick white American cheese and always melted to perfection. Wonderfully airy potato rolls and sesame brioche buns hold the whole, messy sandwich together.
Then there are the toppings. The signature burger comes topped with crispy sous vide short rib. It’s f*cking awesome. Their “Legacy Burger” is the special, and rotates some amazing treats like heaps of blue cheese crumble or whiskey-glazed Georgia peaches into the mix. Also, don’t sleep on their veggie option. They eschew faux meat and bean patties for a thick slice of cauliflower steak grilled to burger-y perfection.
MAINE: Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room, Portland
Maine has a lot going for it in the burger department. It’s a cold weather state where a calorie bomb like a burger is much needed to survive the ice and snow. It’s also one of the best spots in the U.S. for fresh seafood. That’s why we’re choosing a fish house as our pick.
The Nob Burger at Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room is pure fire. Any fish house can throw a burger on its menu for picky eaters and that’ll be that. Boone’s take it up a notch by not only perfectly executing a good burger; they also top it with fried oysters. It’s a big win. The crunchy, briny, fried oysters add a brilliant dimension to the burger, along with crispy smoked bacon and a spicy mayo.
This is a burger that’ll change how you assemble burgers. And, yes, you’ll start craving fried oysters on your burger from the moment you finish.
MASSACHUSETTS: Alden & Harlow, Cambridge
This was a contentious pick. There are a lot of good dive bars serving down-and-dirty burgers in Massachusetts. But, we had to go high end here. The “Secret Burger” at Alden & Harlow is just too good to deny.
Everything about this burger is local and well thought out. The bun is made in-house. The meat is all from the area and ground in the kitchen. The pickles are unique, tangy, and damn near perfect. The sauce has a umami and tangy balance that feels right.
The fun wrinkle that really makes this one stand out is that you’re never really sure what you’re ordering. Just when you’ve gotten used to the burger as is, they completely change it up. Suddenly there’s a fruity chutney and parmesan crisp or eggs and slaw. It’s always a surprise and always delicious.
VERMONT: The Worthy Burger, South Royalton
Our love of roadside burger shacks runs deep. Vermont’s great outdoors, cannabis culture, and love of craft everything makes it the perfect spot for a killer burger shack pick.
The Worthy Burger is out of the way, sure, but it’s worth the detour every single time. The bun is a light and fluffy brioche. The patty is a thick beef that’s grilled and seared to juicy perfection. The local beef is always mixed with mushrooms to stretch the meat and lessen its environmental footprint. It also amps up the savory really well. The toppings are locally sourced, innovative, and spot on. The shitake mushroom mayo is the epitome of umami and tang in one smear. Add some pickled local forest mushrooms and you’re in umami town, baby.
You really can’t go wrong at The Worthy Burger. You can go classic with melty cheese, bacon, and a runny egg. Or go modernist with kale, funky mushrooms, and whatever else they dream up that day. Oh, and they have 18 local craft brews on tap to wash down your funky-ass burger.
CONNECTICUT: The Whelk, Westport
We have to go with another seafood joint in Connecticut. We know it seems weird but bear with us. The Whelk has taken the time to execute a masterpiece burger amongst a fantastic array of seafood dishes. Yes, it’s that good.
The Dry-Aged Cheeseburger on The Whelk menu is wonderous. The beef is local and processed in-house. The cheese is from a local dairy, Bella Batam. The pickles are homemade and perfectly funky. The bacon is hefty, smoky, and crispy with a little meaty give to it. The onion mayo has a great balance of tang and earthy spice. The whole thing is served on a buttery toasted brioche with a light application of finely shredded iceberg. It’s dope.
That’s the only burger The Whelk does. And, honestly, they don’t need to do another because they’ve mastered a well-crafted and delicious burger already. There’s nothing left to do here except enjoy it.
NEW YORK: Shake Shack, Statewide
F*ck it. We’re going with Shake Shack.
We have reasons. Shake Shack is undeniably amazing at what it does. It’s also very accessible. The soft potato bun is always, always perfect. The meat is smash grilled, giving it an amazing Maillard sear while staying super moist inside. The toppings are spot on and classic. You can’t deny the excellence of the ShackSauce with that slight tang and umami bursts. The veggie option is killer as well. Their breaded and deep fried portobello slab is the best mushroom burger going right now.
Then there’s the SmokeShack. This really is their best burger. The smokey bacon is wonderfully accented with signature ShakeSauce and sweet and mildly spicy grilled red peppers. Then there’s the melted American cheese that hits the perfect melting point every single time. Order it with a malted salted caramel shake and you’re set. You can try to tell us you don’t want that right now. We won’t believe you.
RHODE ISLAND: Crazy Burger Cafe, Narragansett
Crazy Burger Cafe is a great burger shack. It truly goes above and beyond with a deep-bench of toppings and one of the best vegan options of any burger joint around.
The vegan burgers are the highlight here. Crazy Burger Cafe doesn’t just serve a veggie or black bean burger. They mix it up with each of their burgers. One’s quinoa. Another is tempeh. Another is a mushroom slab. Yet another is their house patty mix of cashews, walnuts, lentils, and zucchini. It diverse and delicious. Then Crazy Burger throws the idea of only “one bun ruling them all” out the window. They serve their burgers on tortillas, English muffins, pineapple bolo buns, naan, and Kaiser rolls. From there, the array of toppings means that you can mix and match amazing flavors into a wholly unique burger experience.
Their meat options are fantastic as well. We love their Fire “Works” Burger with local beef, melty gouda mixed with sweet caramelized onions and red peppers, crispy bacon, and a nice smear of spicy garlic mayo. It’s served on a sweet bolo bun and is damn near perfect.
NEW JERSEY: Park Tavern, Jersey City
New Jersey is hard to parse. The state meanders from major cities to seemingly endless suburbia to woodlands to throwback beachside tourist towns. It’s incredibly varied and that equates to a lot of great burgers. This time around, we’re going with a dive bar tavern burger because — as diverse as the state is — that feels the most “New Jersey.”
It’s really hard to beat a great dive bar that also serves a fantastic burger. Park Tavern in Jersey City is just that. The burgers are big and hit a sweet satisfying spot of slightly sinful and deeply comforting. The thick patties are seared off exactly and have a nice pinkness to them. The American cheese is always doubled up (how it should always be). The toppings are straight classics with tangy mayo, briny cucumber chips, white onion, and tomato with a nice green romaine leaf. The fresh-baked Kaiser roll really makes this burger shine. It’s light with a nice bready sponge to it that gives a little and soaks up all those delicious burger juices. It’s straightforward and perfectly executed.
Our recommendation: Order a classic burger any way you like here. Then throw The Boss on the jukebox and wash it all down with shots of Jameson and pints of a local craft brew. You won’t be disappointed.
DELAWARE: Kid Shelleen’s, Wilmington
Delaware is another state with great taverns and dive bars offering rad burgers in chilled out settings where you can get as drunk as you want after a nourishing nosh. Kid Shelleen’s Charcoal House & Saloon bridges classic burgers with interesting craft so well we had to make it our pick.
The burger patties here shine. The thickness is real and means you get a super juicy burger that’s charcoal grilled adding a nice smokey infusion. The “LeBus” rolls are buttered and toasted exactly. Then there are the toppings. If you can think of cheese to put on your burger, they have it. There’s also a great and fascinating range of spicy and sweet sauces: beer cheese sauce, tomato-bacon-bleu cheese relish, mustard-chili pepper relish, tomato-chili pepper jam, black mission fig jam just to name a few. It’s diverse and it works.
They’ve got vegetarians covered with the Beyond Meat patty ready to be swapped out at any time. If you’re looking for something especially fresh, grab the Ranchero burger with a runny fried egg, spicy salsa verde, jalapeño jack, avocado, red onion, and a super fresh pico de gallo. It’s a delight.
MARYLAND: Addie’s, Potomac
Addie’s only has two burgers on their menu. That’s confidence right there and we respect it. We also respect the fact that these burgers are just plain excellent.
That excellence starts with locally-sourced beef patties. They’re the perfect thickness for the type of restaurant burger this is. It’s seared, juicy, and well-seasoned. The bun is a handmade sesame that’s fresh, light, and ever-so-slightly sweet. The toppings are easy and executed with exactness; caramelized onions, roasted cremini mushrooms, and smoked shallot aioli truly shine.
It’s hard to know which burger to pick at Addie’s. They’re both quality sandwiches. We have to go with the rich umami and sweet caramelized onion Deluxe Burger. It’s an excellent amalgam of umami, savory, sweet alongside a great textural construction of crunchy, soft, and firm. Wins all around.
PENNSYLVANIA: Winghart’s Burgers, Pittsburgh
You never really realize how big Pennsylvania is until you drive across it. It’s vast and very varied. The eastern reaches feel rather East Coast in contrast to the woodsy interior. Then the western reaches feel like the heart of the Midwest. So, yeah, this was a tough choice and we ended up going with a spot that feels way more Midwest than East Coast. What’d’ya gonna do?
Winghart’s Burgers in Pittsburgh’s Market Square is a burger worth driving cross-country for. It’s bold, perfectly prepped, and deeply satisfying. The local beef patty is always fresh and grilled wonderfully. The buns are made daily. Then there are the ingredients. Winghart’s does not hold back. Do you want a fried pierogi on your burger? Yeah, no problem. How about a nigh on insane amount of local forest mushrooms, cheese, and bacon? They’ve got you covered.
Pittsburgh does local food by way of comfort food well and Winghart’s burgers are the epitome of that ethos. When you do make it to Winghart’s make sure to try the Nad-Alie. It’s a big burger topped with three kinds of cheese, a homemade potato pierogi, caramelized onion, and burgundy au jus. It’s a monster burger that hits all of the sweet spots.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Lexie’s Joint, Portsmouth
This place has “joint” right in the name. So, Lexie’s Joint wins points right out of the gate for that. They also win because they serve up the best burgers in New Hampshire with tried and true classic execution side-by-side with innovative toppings that take you straight to food coma heaven.
What makes Lexie’s burgers work is their devotion to the classic American cheeseburger — which they then accent in ways that push the medium forward without losing the foundations. House melted onions, fried pickles, herbed aioli, chipotle aioli, chimichurri, the mysterious Hush-Hush sauce, and horseradish sauce all make these burgers exceptional. The soft, slightly sweet buns, perfectly crispy bacon, and umami bomb mushrooms definitely help.
Lexie’s burger joints are so popular they’ve opened up three more locations and a food truck “burger bus” around New Hampshire in a just a few years. So score one, clearly they really are that good.
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