Personal taste always applies, but one absolute for any respectable burger is juiciness — that warm drip sliding onto faces, hands and shirts after biting into a perfectly cooked patty of ground beef with the proper meat-to-fat ratio. White shirts beware.
Our team of tasters — chief among them food writer Hollister Lindley and Belmont Butchery's chef charcutier, Chris Mattera — considered more than 30 recommended hamburgers and cheeseburgers at nonchain restaurants in the area and chose 11 favorites, listed here in no particular order. With a nod to the rating system employed by Texas Monthly, which recently weighed in on burgers throughout the Lone Star state, our judges rated the patty, bun, vegetable toppings and other toppings from 1 to 5, with patties given twice the weight as other categories.
Besides the burger list:
Lee Chaharyn gives us several worthy sandwiches that aren't made from beef .......... Go
Belmont Butchery owner Tanya Cauthen reveals her "fancy" burger must-tries ........ Go
Dave McCormack muses about our codependent romance with fries ...................... Go
Café Gutenberg
1700 E. Main St., 497-5000
This revamped Shockoe Bottom spot is still selling its classic Gutenburger, a half-pound beef patty on a beautiful, soft bun. Hand-formed and slightly crumbly, the Gutenburger picks up a nice char from the grill and is full of beefy flavor. Slightly less juicy and salty than some of the other burgers I tasted, this one nonetheless holds its own. Now if only they'd bring back the bookshelves. $9.25 . —CM
Honey Whyte's
2116 E. Main St., 643-6022
A true bar-style burger, dripping with fatty juice and perfect with a cold beer and a football game. Available in quarter-pound and half-pound sizes, and served on a Martin's Potato Roll, the patty is hand-formed and packs in amazing flavor and copious juice. Even the quarter-pounder was cooked to a perfect rosy medium when ordered that way, a feat not equaled in many of the larger burgers we sampled. $7.50 for
a quarter-pounder; $9.50 for a half-pounder. —CM
Racine
304 N. Robinson St., 340-2884
The consummate restaurant burger. A thick, hand-formed patty, dripping with juice and perfectly seasoned, sits between one of the best hamburger buns ever — soft but not mushy, with a thin, smooth crust. Accompanied by a ripe, thick tomato slice and gorgeously browned and crispy thin-cut fries. Easily one of the best burgers in Richmond. $7.25 for a hamburger; $7.75 for a cheeseburger. —CM
deLux
2229 W. Main St., 353-2424
Sure, the patio is tranquil, the sweet-potato fries are addictive, and the Sysco challah Kaiser roll is divine, but above all else, it's about the meat. The patty is plump with a shake of salt, pepper and a little oregano mixed in and cooked just right, medium for me and medium-rare for my pal. And every bite comes with a delicious drip. Only quibbles are with my translucent, lackluster piece of melted Swiss and a tomato slice that paled in comparison to the quality of the burger. I must have been there on an off day with the cheese slices! See below. $8. —SW
The Hill Café
2800 E. Broad St., 648-0360
The signature Hill Burger is a satisfying combination of reasonably juicy beef and a soft, nonthreatening bun served with killer shoestring fries. What really sets this half-pound burger apart, though, is the excellent bacon and vinegary barbecue sauce that accompany it. Between the bacon, the sauce and the caramelized onions, you'll need extra napkins. $8.95. —CM
Dot's Back Inn
4030 MacArthur Ave., 266-3167
When I called for takeout, I was asked how I wanted my cheeseburger cooked. "Medium rare," I answered, laying down a challenge some restaurants don't meet. Dot's does. The burger is generously seasoned with salt and pepper, commingling with a thick but not indecent layer of mayonnaise. And juicy? Oh, yeah. The wheat bun, melted American cheese and the large lettuce leaf are fine adornments, but the patty is the star here. $6.25. —KA
Davis and Main
2501 W. Main St., 353-6641
This Richmond institution has been serving its half-pound, hand-pattied burger since 1987. That has given them plenty of time to get it right. Extremely juicy and flavorful, and topped with excellent Vermont cheddar cheese. A burger worthy of its classy surroundings. $9. —CM
River City Diner
803 E. Parham Road, 266-1500 (other locations at rivercitydiner.com )
A juicy, hand-pattied half-pound of great! The flavor was amazing, and the burger was cooked exactly as ordered. The mix-and-match toppings leave almost endless possibilities, but I strongly suggest grilled onions and blue cheese. However, the burger is tasty enough to stand alone. Bring your appetite. $7.75 for a basic burger, with 25 cents per topping. —HL
Can Can Brasserie
3120 W. Cary St., 358-7274
An amazing toasted bun held the perfectly cooked, hand-pattied burger and cheese. And this is real cheese: Roquefort, aged cheddar or Gruyère, melted into the burger so it sticks. Ripe tomato and leaf lettuce top off this gem. Order a great glass of wine to drink with it. Hard to beat! $9 for a hamburger; $10 for a cheeseburger. —HL
Tarrant's Café
1 W. Broad St., 225-0035
Served in an old space with a new interior and great character, the burger was cooked exactly as ordered. The patty was well seasoned; the tomato was perfectly ripe. The bun was not toasted, but had a good texture. The patty could have been slightly more moist, but the service was friendly and professional. $7.95 for a hamburger; $8.50 for a cheeseburger; $8.95 for a bacon cheeseburger. —HL
The Belvidere at Broad
506 W. Broad St., 344-0644
This eco-conscious newbie offers a half-pounder that hits the spot. The all-natural beef patty is juicy, perfectly seasoned and not overcooked like many burgers we tried. But the selection of cheeses steals the show. I sampled the smoked Gouda, which partnered well with the mixed greens, a ciabatta bun and the mayonnaise spread — without abandoning the true nature of burgerness. $ 9. —SH
Chain Contendahs
Although our tasters focused on locally owned restaurants,
these national chains are definitely worth a visit:
Five Guys Burgers & Fries (bring an appetite) BlackFinn's classic beef sliders (nice charred flavor, plus grilled onions) Cheeburger Cheeburger (toppings galore) Red Robin (for those avoiding carbs, you can order a burger on a salad!) TGIFriday's bacon and cheese sliders (bacon makes it better)
