The Best Burgers in Philadelphia
Looking for a place to get burgers? We’ve got a few suggestions.
The burger at a.kitchen / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Philly is fundamentally an unpretentious city. There are many more casual, neighborhood bars and pubs here than there are white table cloth restaurants and we prefer it that way. This means that Philly has a lot of burgers. Even some of our fanciest chefs (knowing that burgers make people happy, and wanting to make people happy themselves) still apply themselves to making really great burgers.
So from the simplest bar burger to the most complicated culinary feat on a bun, here are the burgers in Philly you should be eating right now.
a.kitchen, Rittenhouse
When Eli Collins joined a.kitchen as executive chef eight years ago, the burger was one of the first things he added. The double-patty burger with Cooper Sharp, Dijonaise, and cornichon relish piled on a toasted High Street bun has remained the same — a constant force on a menu that changes regularly. It comes with a side of wedge fries dusted with a rosemary which Collins recommends using to catch all the extra juices that drip from the burger while you’re eating. In the pantheon of excellent burgers, this is truly a gold standard. 135 South 18th Street.
Fountain Porter, East Passyunk
One simple, perfect, juicy all-beef burger on a roll for $6. It’s a fast-food price for a legit bar burger. 1601 South 10th Street.
Rex at the Royal, Graduate Hospital
It’s the spicy pimento cheese, a nod to the Southern food culture Rex at the Royal celebrates, that makes this burger worth the trip to South Street. It gives each bite a melty richness as well as a little heat, which balances the medium-rare beef quite nicely. 1524 South Street.
Huda, Center City
Typically, the bun is not the most important part of a burger. But at Huda, the house-made milk bun is the star of the show, with a pillowy sweetness that supports a smash patty topped with caramelized onion, Huda sauce, and pickled green tomatoes. Choose between the chicken smash burger made with a grilled chicken patty and the Mott made with your classic smash beef patty, topped with five kinds of cheese, or design your own double cheeseburger. 32 South 18th Street.
The McDonald’s Money burger at Honeysuckle Restaurant / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Honeysuckle, Callowhill
The Best of Philly-winning McDonald’s Money burger is pure decadence. It’s two patties topped with Cooper Sharp, a caviar remoulade, shavings of truffle, and gold leaf. And to make the experience complete, it comes presented with a red box of French fries as if the dish were an opulent Happy Meal. It’s an add-on to the tasting menu. But if you had to pick only one add-on to any tasting menu for the year, make it this one. 631 North Broad Street.
Fork, Old City
Fork’s dry-aged masterpiece is topped with five-spice-glazed bacon, Gruyère, and Szechuan peppercorn aioli all piled high on a fresh roll from High Street. 306 Market Street.
Caletta, Fishtown
The cocktail lounge next to Bastia is a great place to grab a spritz or Negroni with a few Corsican-inspired small bites. But if you’re looking for something more substantial, the dry-aged brisket and short rib burger is a satisfying meal in and of itself. Topped with fontina, piparra tapenade, caramelized onions, and a balsamic aioli the tangy, juicy burger has quickly become a Philly favorite. 1401 East Susquehanna Avenue.
Roxanne, Queen Village
In a world of smash burgers, Alexandra Holt’s eight-ounce steakhouse-style burger is a standout. It’s served medium-rare with Red Rock cheese and raw onions which add a snappy, piquant flavor. You won’t find this dish as a main on the menu. It’s actually on the dessert menu lurking underneath the caviar-topped caramel cheesecake and the honeynut squash tiramisu. It’s an unconventional way to end a meal but once you try it, burgers will be your new favorite nightcap. 607 South 2nd Street.
River Twice’s Mother Rucker / Photograph by Mike Prince
River Twice, East Passyunk
For years, the Mother Rucker was a fleeting delight that was only available during special events or, occasionally, as an add-on to their tasting menu. But the people have spoken! Due to its overwhelming popularity, River Twice now offers their double-patty delight on the à la carte menu on Monday nights. 1601 East Passyunk Avenue.
South Philadelphia Tap Room, Point Breeze
The best classic cheeseburger you’re going to find anywhere — mostly because it’s made by a kitchen that cares deeply about making a great burger. 1509 Mifflin Street.
Good King Tavern, Bella Vista
It’s surprising enough that a French-inflected bar and restaurant in Philly does as well as Good King does. It’s even more surprising that such a French restaurant has such a solidly American burger (served with frites) tucked away on its menu, and that it’s as good as it is. 614 South 7th Street.
Standard Tap, Northern Liberties
Standard Tap does your classic bar burger, but it does it really, really well. A cheeseburger with lettuce, onions, and thick pickles on a brioche bun with a side of fries is a formula that one messes with at their own peril. 901 North 2nd Street.
Gass & Main’s burger / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Gass & Main, Haddonfield
Chef Dane DeMarco has been in the burger game for a long time, slinging patties from places like American Sardine Bar, Second District Brewing, and South Philadelphia Taproom. Though they now serve up a more refined menu at Gass & Main in Haddonfield, their love of burgers lives on in a six-ounce glory adorned with aged sharp cheddar, balsamic bacon jam, and pickled shallot all neatly tucked into a brown butter brioche bun. 7 Kings Court.
Spot Gourmet Burgers, Brewerytown
Back in the day, Josh Kim made his bones slinging burgers out of a cart to long lines of people willing to wait for a taste. These days, he’s got a brick-and-mortar in Brewerytown and he’s making patties from fresh ground beef, grilled and mounted on house-made rolls. 2821 West Girard Avenue.
Johnny Brenda’s, Fishtown
Johnny Brenda’s is a Philadelphia institution, which sort of makes their burger also a Philadelphia institution. Ground sirloin gets topped with sharp cheddar and sautéed onions, plus lettuce, pickles, and spicy mayo on a brioche bun. 1201 Frankford Avenue.
Southgate, Grad Hospital
The bulgogi burger is awesome. What could’ve been a fusion-y mess instead comes as a restrained, well-balanced burger: a perfectly cooked patty, slicked in a gochugaru aioli and then topped with green leaf lettuce and sweet house-made pickles. 1801 Lombard Street.
The Royal Burger at Royal Tavern / Photograph courtesy of Royal Tavern
Royal Tavern, Bella Vista
When Royal Tavern returned from its pandemic pause, a lot changed. But not their legendary Royal Burger, which tells you about its staying power. Topped with smoked gouda, chili mayo, caramelized onions, a pickled long hot, and bacon it’s still a crowd favorite. Why change a good thing? 937 East Passyunk Avenue.
Jaffa Bar, Kensington
Who would have thought that an Israeli-inspired oyster bar would master the art of Southwestern green chile? And yet, Jaffa’s green chile burger will make you feel like you’re in Hatch, New Mexico. Topped with green chiles, grilled onions, Shabazi mayo, and American cheese, it’s a burger that brings the heat. 1625 North Howard Street.
Lucky’s Last Chance, multiple locations
Jesus, this place … Look, everyone will tell you that you have to check out the PB & Bacon burger (topped with peanut butter and bacon, served with a side of grape jelly), but the real winner here is the Incomparable Bacon Cheddar — which is essentially an Arby’s Beef & Cheddar in burger form, plus bacon and sriracha.
Bar Hygge, Fairmount
Bar Hygge is just one of those places that seems made for high-end bar burgers. I mean, they’ve got the beer. They’ve got the bar. They’ve got a house-ground chuck and brisket burger with Bibb lettuce, cheddar, red onion and Hygge sauce with a side of fries. And for our vegetarian friends, there’s a mushroom-barley veggie burger with your name on it. 1720 Fairmount Avenue.
Lacroix’s burger / Photograph by Mike Prince
Lacroix, Rittenhouse
You can get a bone-in roasted lamb navarin, or you can get a bone-marrow-covered burger with caramelized onions and gooey aged Comté cheese. It’s called having range. 210 West Rittenhouse Square.
Southwark, Queen Village
Southwark’s burger is a deeply considered, thoughtfully made version of what is sometimes just a convenience food, but it’s also just a banger that I will eat over and over again. Topped with salty Birchrun Hills blue cheese, bacon, charred onions and aioli and served with house-made fries, it’s the kind of thing you eat when you’re going to pair it with a martini or a glass of red wine. (Southwark has very good versions of both.) 701 South 4th Street.
Middle Child Clubhouse, Fishtown
Yes, you can go to Clubhouse and have what we consider to be a grown up meal: interesting vegetables, beautiful steaks, food that pairs well with natural wine and thoughtful cocktails. But you can also go and have a smash burger topped with American cheese, sour pickles, white onions, and cherry pepper mayo. Talk about duality. 1232 North Front Street.
P’unk Burger, East Passyunk
Burgers, fries, shakes. What else do you need? The Juicy Philly is another stuffed burger, which is a move we’re very into. 1823 Passyunk Avenue.
The burger at Ember & Ash / Photograph by Mike Prince
Ember & Ash, East Passyunk
The only place a burger made from a blend of ribeye trim, local wagyu, and hanger steak trimmings deserves to be cooked is over the open flame of the custom-built grill at Ember & Ash. The beefy triple threat with is topped with caramelized onions, Gruyère cheese, a thin smear of Dijon mustard, a tomato, and iceberg lettuce. It’s a char-grilled masterpiece. 1520 East Passyunk Avenue.
Dandelion, Rittenhouse
We don’t know what “Churchill Sauce” is, but it is one of those things that sets the Dandy Burger apart. That, and a really excellent house-blend patty. 124 South 18th Street.
Craftsman Row Saloon, Washington Square West
They’ve got an entire section of the menu dedicated to burgers, and the most basic is a double cheese smash burger with American cheese. It’s a fine specimen of the late, great American bar burger — plain, simple and awesome. But if you’re looking for something a little over the top, unhinge your jaw and take a bite out of the Stallone: a hoagie-burger hybrid made with smash patties, ham, genoa, capicola, and sharp provolone. 112 South 8th Street.
Enjay’s at Smokey Joe’s, University City
Because of course one of the best burgers in University City is going to be at a pizza joint that exists hidden inside an 90-year-old neighborhood bar. 210 South 40th Street.
