By Food & Wine



The burger, America's quintessential comfort food, can now be enjoyed in an impossibly endless number of ways. There are round-the-clock burgers at 24-hour roadside joints and ephemeral late-night burgers sold out in mere minutes; burgers grilled in hundred-year-old cast-iron broilers and burgers steamed in state-of-the-art ovens; burgers crafted from Kobe beef imported from Japan and burgers made with Black Angus beef from just down the road. It's clearly a great time to love the burger. Here, Food & Wine names the best burgers in the U.S.



New York City: Minetta Tavern

Signature Burger: Black Label Burger (topped with caramelized onions).

Minetta Tavern's excellent burgers use a beef blend--dry-aged rib eye, skirt steak, brisket and short rib--from famed purveyor Pat LaFrieda, and buns from Balthazar Bakery.



Photo © Sylvia Paret.









Atlanta: Holeman & Finch

Signature Burger: Burger (two cheeseburgers on a house-made bun).

Star chef Linton Hopkins announces "burger time"--10 p.m.--with the ringing of two bull horns; that's when two dozen grass-fed beef burgers are up for grabs and consistently sold out within minutes. The burgers are also available on the Sunday brunch menu.



Photo © Jeff Moore.





Chicago: Custom House Tavern

Signature Burger: Custom House Burger (short rib and sirloin patty topped with aged Wisconsin cheddar cheese and shaved onion, served in a sourdough brioche bun).

The "Custom House Burger" comes with house-made steak sauce and hand-cut fries.



Photo © Tuan Bui.









California: In-N-Out

Signature Burger: Cheeseburger.

Even superstar chef Thomas Keller is a fan of the West Coast chain--and with good reason. The cooked-to-order burgers are made with beef from Southwest ranches and served with hand-cut fries. For a messier, more indulgent experience, order your burger "Animal Style" for extra sauce and chopped grilled onions.



Photo © Jess Lander.





Miami: Michael's Genuine

Signature Burger: Black Angus Burger (served in a brioche bun).

An optional topping for star chef Michael Schwartz's Harris Ranch Black Angus beef burger: house-smoked bacon.



Photo courtesy of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink.











San Francisco: Zuni Café

Signature Burger: House-ground hamburger (served in a grilled rosemary focaccia).

Instead of traditional cucumber pickles, legendary chef-owner Judy Rodgers accents her burgers with thin-cut zucchini strips pickled in apple cider vinegar, mustard seeds and turmeric.



Photo © Bill Holmes.









Buffalo Gap, TX: Perini Ranch Steakhouse

Signature Burger: Ranch Burger (topped with mushrooms, onions, green chiles and choice of cheddar or provolone cheese).

Self-taught cowboy cook Tom Perini masters the art of open-flame cooking using mesquite coals at his hay barn turned steakhouse, smack in the middle of the state.



Photo courtesy of Perini Ranch Steakhouse.







Click Here for More of the Best Burgers in the U.S.



More from Food & Wine:

Best Steak in the U.S.

Best Pizza Places in the U.S.

Best Fried Chicken in the U.S.

America's Best Ice Cream Spots





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