Seems like alternative burger places are the big thing now.

I thought there was a thread already, and maybe there is -- if so, excuse me.

Of the "Top 3", I've always preferred McDonald's (Quarter Pounder, Big Mac) -- the fries tip me over, cuz they're the best, when they're fresh. Too often they're not.

Wendy's isn't bad, but they're very greasy. Burger King just isn't that great overall, but the Whopper isn't bad.

Anyway... moving beyond....

I've touted Five Guys quite a bit here (and so far, to me, they're the best "homemade"-style burger for takeout).

Then after turning my brother onto it, he later tried Shake Shack in Manhattan, and said they were even better. In fact, he can't even go there. I haven't tried'em yet (haven't been up there in a while).

But NOW he says my nephew claims that 25 Burgers is even better! Haven't tried them yet, either, but the nearest one is about 20 minutes away, so I just might

I still love White Rose, tho...!! Can anything beat a full-sized White Castle (onion) burger, served up by ex-cons? Doubt it

PS - I hear IN & OUT is great, too, but I think that's just Left Coast.

Opinions?

Best Burger Joint? multiple choice
	McDonald's
	Burger King
	Wendy's
	Five Guys
	Shake Shack
	25 Burgers
	White Rose
	White Castle
	In & Out
	Other (please comment)
Votes accepted starting: 08/01/11 03:13 AM
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PS - I understand that White Rose and 25 Burgers are local to NJ, so their numbers might not be representative. And I'm sure there are burger joints I've missed, so just comment and let me know

I love Fuddruckers' burgers. They've closed all of them near me, and the closest one is now in Jersey.

The best of the closest (only a few blocks away) is Five Guys.

I love McDonald's and White Castle. I avoid eating Big Macs, and don't even remember the last time I indulged, but I do love them. White Castle cheeseburgers are wonderful, too. I could easily down 5 or 6.

As for the "other", I like many of the burgers in some local places. I've eaten very few burgers better than NMB Ale House's Bistro Burger of North Miami Beach, Florida. It is 1/2 lb. of beef dripping with cheddar, bacon, pickle, an onion ring and bistro sauce, served on a ciabatta bun. Fabulous.

Also, there's great burgers to be had at our local watering hole. They have a separate burger menu, and both the Juicy Lucy and the Three Cheese are so delicious that my daughter and I each order one and split them, because we can never make up our minds.

I think I mentioned this before, but NJ chain Tiffany's has some really good burgers, too -- but I usually go on Wednesdays for 2-for-1 racks of ribs.

I'll have to make you my ribs. I mix up a Kansas City dry rub and let the ribs sit in that for a few hours. Then Mr. Babe slow-cooks them with some wood chips in the smoker. For the last few minutes, he dabs on a mop sauce made with the spices from the dry rub. They are to die for.

I posted in a thread about favorite fast food that In 'n Out is my favorite--much fresher than the others, courteous service and the fries are made by hand, not out of frozen bags. Others in that thread cited Five Guys, which is coming to my hometown soon. Sonic can make a tasty burger, but their help is a disaster. When I lived in NJ, I found White Castle double cheeseburgers a big treat.

Consumer Reports polled readers about their favorite burger places. In 'n Out came in first, trailed closely by Carl's Jr. McDonald's was dead last. I can understand why: a McD that's inside a Wal-Mart here is the pits.

Lotta people get excited by Johnny Rockets. Overpriced and overrated. Far as I'm concerned, I'd rather pay for food than for amateur choreography.

In-n-Out by a landslide, for me. Five Guys is good, but can't compare to a Double-Double (Animal Style) from In-n-Out. Plus, Five Guys is SERIOUSLY overpriced.

If I'm hungry for a burger but on a budget, I'll usually get three McDoubles from Mickey D's, but usually only as a last resort.

Not a big fan of Burger King, but their Steakhouse burgers are pretty bomb.

Carl's Jr/Hardee's make very good burgers. Never been to White Castle, but have had their frozen burgers. Wendy's is pretty good.

I like going to Red Robin for a restaurant-style burger. Their A-1 Peppercorn Burger is divine. Seriously, try it if you ever go there.

Still, In-n-Out is tops for me. I've never had a better take-out burger, and doubt I ever will.

In and Out is left coast. (I believe that they re also in Las Vegas) It gets my vote as the best burger. Whenever I go to California I alway do a lunch or two at In and Out. Their fries are also great. Hand cut fresh!

Honorable mention goes to Cheeburger Cheeburger which has recently opened here on Staten Island. Their burgers are hand made as is their fries. Very close to In and Out Burger.

But no matter what, be it a diner burger, an In and Out burger, Cheeburger Cheeburger burger, there is just something that I love about a White Castle Cheeseburger!

I'm with you on this one, DC! The Cheeburger Cheeburger near us closed, and I almost cried. I don't know what I loved more - the burgers, the fries or the shakes!

Closed? How sad. The one by me is constantly packed...always a wait to be seated no matter what time of day you go there.

I don't understand why this one closed. It was in a very busy mall, too. But damn, I miss it!

I tried the In-and-Out burger when I was in Vegas and wasn't disappointed. I heard something to the effect that because all of their meat is fresh that no location can be outside a certain distance of their main plant or something although I suspect that'll change as they seem to be going further east.

There was a Cheeburger Cheeburger at the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida (near Ft. Lauderdale) and that closed several years ago and the spot is still empty. They weren't paying their rent it seems.

I love that mall in Florida. I was just there a few weeks ago, but the bargains weren't as great as expected.

I did eat at the Cheeburger in West Palm recently, though, and it was as good as I remembered. I guess they're still paying their rent!

I had never heard of Cheeburger Cheeburger 'til you mentioned it, and just drove past one last night in Bricktown. Will have to try it!

Geoff, you'll love it, trust me! The basket that's half fries and half onion rings is really good, too! And I love the fact that they're not stingy with toppings for your burger like some places are.

IF you have room, go for a shake, too, if you can decide on a flavor. They all look delicious.

You were in West Palm and didn't tell me? We rented our place for the summer, anyway. We just got back from Lake George last night.

I've eaten there a few times, Babe. You're right, GREAT burger!

West Palm is about a twenty five minute drive for me when we're in Florida, but we make the trip quite a bit just for Cityplace/Clematis. Great shops, pubs and a few decent restaurants, too.

Plus, Palm Beach International is the best airport in Florida; maybe the entire country (in my opinion). Clematis/Cityplace is usually the last stop for lunch or dinner before the dreaded return flight back to New York.

We met friends there for the day, did the duck tour and all. Very nice day.

I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the burger at Piper's Kilt, PB.

Off topic I know, but PBI is way too big to be a great airport (although it's helluva lot better than Newark!). When I fly into PBI it's from Atlantic City -- NO crowds/lines, and you're in and out zippity quick! Of course that doesn't benefit NY'ers much as it's a drive.

I flew into PBI for the first time last December and was also impressed. It is much less crowded than FLL. Also, with my grandparents condo in Cemetery...er...Century Village in Deerfield Beach the driving distance is pretty much equal to PBI or FLL.

Dontommasino,

Apropos of this website, Century Village was built with wiseguy money way back when. I think it got a mention in "Joe Dogs: The Life and Crimes of a Mobster," by Joseph Iannuzzi. I haven't read it in years, but Deerfield gets mentioned quite a bit. The Howard Johnson's used to be wiseguy central. They just converted it to a Wyndham Resort last year. There's a real cool open air bar there facing the ocean called The Patio Bar.

My condo is less than a half hour north in Delray Beach, but we go to Deerfield quite a bit for lunch and dinner. There are a few restaurants by the Deerfield Pier that are very good and inexpensive. Flanigan's has been there forever. It's a great burger and beer place. JB's on the Beach is popular with both younger and middle aged crowds. My oldest daughter was mortified to run into me and my wife there a few months ago .

And if fresh fish is your thing, check out the Whale's Rib. They made it on to Guy Fieri's show last year (but we've been going there forever). The Youtube link to the show is below:

I know Delray because my grandfather keeps kosher and therefore we have to buy our meat from Glick's, which is on Atlantic near the Turnpike. I did not know that about Century Village. The beach area of Deerfield is one of the nicest in the area and we ate at some restaurant there I just don't remember which one. My grandparents, meanwhile, I don't think they've been east of US-1 in years!

I know the place well, DT. We're just off Atlantic, but much further east, two blocks from Ocean Boulevard.

Tell you Grandad to check out Flakowitz in nearby Boynton Beach. He'll love it .

I'll keep in mind, thing is he won't drive all the way up there anymore unless were with him in December. We usually go to Shelby's which is in a plaza at Hillsboro and Powerline (there are many I know).

We have a spot in Thornhill called Golden Star that has the best burgers in town. The place opened in the 1960's and probably hasn't been updated since the 1970's, but the burger and fries sure are worth it. It's family owned and operated too!

By today's standards, the decor would probably be considered "classic retro" and the owners wouldn't dare update it!

And as long as the food is good, as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Signor V.

I don't see much difference between Five Guys and Wendy's. Wendy's new fries put them over the top for me.

DC has Ray's Hellburger, which has made the news because the President slips in there occasionally. It's a terrific juicy burger.

The old Gino's chain is reopening in the mid-Atlantic area. I hope they can recapture the old magic.

5 Guys at least uses REAL beef... that, and they have fresh (not frozen) fries... other than THAT

Plus, I never got sick from eating Five Guys' food. I've tried Wendy's three times and three times I got sick from it.

You do know that the definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting different results, right?

We were in Connecticut for the Milford Oyster Festival (believe it or not, they ran out of fresh oysters). We stopped afterwards at a little bar off I95 called Gipper's. The burgers were outstanding. They also had a great combo deal - 20 wings and a pitcher of beer for $14.