Updated 6/13/2010:
I get so much inbound traffic to my blog to this article about the “Best Burgers… in Atlanta”, I’ve written an update that includes my reviews of burgers in Atlanta – and my pick for for very best burger in Atlanta.
Best of the Best:
Flip burger: "Bacon & cheese"
1. Flip Burger Boutique: By far, the best-tasting burger in Atlanta.
Good: Unbelievably juicy and flavorful burgers with wide variety of unique burger choices (see menu). 100% grass-fed beef (according to menu). One size: 5.5 oz (not huge, but 5.5 oz of awesomeness). Some people complain that the burgers are expensive, but I disagree ($7.50 for an amazing bacon cheeseburger isn’t unreasonable). Milkshakes are quite awesome and unique – my favorite is nutella + burnt marshmallow; (other milkshakes: krispy krème, coffee + doughnut, spicy chocolate mole, pistachio + white truffle, foie gras). Really liked the panko & parmesan zucchini fries with gremolata mayo. Small jar of house-made b&b pickles are an extra for $2 and were really good.
Bad: Crowded, expect to wait for a table. Milkshakes are expensive.
Ugly: Atmosphere (decor and music) is like a NYC or Miami club – and comes across as try-hard. Bad techno-pop is too loud.You can eat at the bar, but the bartenders are pretentious – they avoid eye contact with customers and seem to try to avoid being helpful. Review your check at the bar: bartender ran my card on someone else’s much more expensive tab.
Wish: A burger as good as Flip, without the techno-pop club atmosphere and too-cool-to-provide-service bartenders.
Location: 1587 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
Menu: Flip Burger Boutique menu
2. George’s: Neighborhood favorite. Since 1961.
Good: Delicious burgers with a bun that is just-right. Un-freakin-believable onion rings (my favorite onion rings anywhere). Expanded outdoor patio seating with overhead ceiling fans. Long-time wait staff is friendly and gets the job done. Choice of 8 oz or 5 oz burger. Authentic: hole-in-the-wall restaurant/bar not trying to be anything that it isn’t.
Bad: Nothing.
Ugly: Nothing.
Wish: More seating outside (your wish is granted!)
Location: 1041 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
Menu: George’s menu
Farm Burger grass-fed burger
3. Farm Burger: Grass-fed burger bliss.
Good: 100% grassfed beef that is dry-aged for two weeks and ground daily. Menu is seasonal and sourced from local farms. I like that Farm Burger has a clsoe watch on its supply chain for the meat it sources. Grassfed beef is sourced primarily from Moonshine Meats of Athens, Georgia (a cooperative committed to ethically raised cows, started by Farm Burger partner Jason Mann and supplemented by other local ranchers). Brisket chili is really, really good, don’t miss it.
Bad: Possibly a long line to place your order.
Ugly: None.
Wish: Milkshakes added to the menu. Abita root beer is okay, but not great – would like to see a better root beer on the menu. A Virginia Highland location.
Location: 410b W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Menu: Farm Burger menu
Grindhouse burger
4. Grindhouse Killer Burgers: A great choice for lunch in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market
Good: freshly ground certified Angus chuck and brisket for these 1/4 lb burger patties (that are thinner than Flip and Farm Burger) were classic. I liked the potato bun – sourced from Martin’s in Pennsylvania, owner Alex Brounstein describes it as “the best hamburger bun in America”. Casual sit-at-the-lunch-counter atmosphere. Crinkle-cut fries just like I remember from Friendly’s in New England in the 80’s. Laid back and friendly staff. Free parking in lot with ticket validation. The price is right.
Bad: n/a
Ugly: n/a
Wish: n/a
Location: 209 Edgewood Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30303-3012
Menu: Grindhouse Killer Burgers menu
(Photo credit: Grindhouse burger by marklarson)
More from around the web:
Atlanta: Top 10 Burgers (BlackBook)
Best Atlanta Hamburger (CitySearch)
Looking for the Best Burger in Atlanta (Sneaky Sunday)
Flip Burger Boutique review (Creative Loafing)
Farm Burger review (Creative Loafing)
Grindhouse Killer Burgers review (Atlanta magazine)
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Original article, March 30, 2007:
As we head into the weekend…. If you’re in town for the Final Four, and looking for a great burger, the Wall Street Journal recently ran an article profiling the best burgers in the country. Not only were three Atlanta restaurants featured, one of them was selected as having the best burger in America.
In addition to WSJ’s picks below, I can suggest George’s in the Virginia Highland neighborhood (my pick for best burger in Atlanta) and Vickery’s in Midtown.
More: AOL City Guide “Atlanta Best Burgers”
From the Wall Street Journal article:
I think the best burgers in America are…in Atlanta.
The Vortex, a pseudo-biker joint that you enter through a human mouth, serves an estimable burger, as good as any in Tinseltown. Even better is the well-charred number with beautifully crisped thick-cut bacon at the Earl, in East Atlanta.
But the outstanding hamburger experience I found in an odyssey of several months and thousands of miles was at Ann’s Snack Bar, a justifiably renowned little diner on a broken-down industrial stretch of highway.
Miss Ann, as habitues call her, is a woman of commanding style and ready banter. She works alone at her grill, patting each ample patty lightly as she sets it down. Her masterpiece, the “ghetto burger,” is a two-patty cheeseburger tricked out with bacon that she tends closely in a fryolator.
Observing Miss Ann in action would be enough of a show, one perfected over many decades. But while she demonstrates the extreme economy of motion of a superb short-order cook, she simultaneously carries on a running dialogue of lightly sassy repartee with customers she knows.
Then Miss Ann dusts your almost-ready patties with “seasoned salt” tinged red from cayenne pepper. It looks like a mistake, too much, over the top. But when you get your ghetto burger in its handsomely toasted bun envelope, you regret doubting the lady for one second. The big burgers stand up fine to the spice. This is the next level in burgerhood. And it just barely fits in your mouth.
