The top 6 new burger spots in the US to visit
From thick, juicy patties to crispy smashburgers, these burgers should be on your radar.
The hamburger, like the blues, is a classically American art form. It’s a simple dish that inspires endless variations and creativity.
The patty can be shaped thick or smashed flat. The buns can be springy brioche, or milk bread, or a thousand other forms. Toppings can range from a single slice of American cheese to foie gras. A burger doesn’t need to be beef, or even meat, and in the case of the Flying Dutchman at In-N-Out, it doesn’t need a bun, either.
Given all that potential for innovation, it’s no surprise that a half-decade after the smashburger craze began, great new burger riffs continue to pop up around the country. Some of the burger places on this list take their cues from fine dining, while others draw on culinary traditions from Vietnam and beyond. Others are more bare bones, because if you have a great patty, cheese, sauce, and buns, what else do you need?
Smish Smash (San Francisco)
This longtime pop-up has enraptured San Francisco with its inventive (not to mention messy) smashburger takes. In early 2025, Smish Smash settled down inside the Saluhall food court. Occasional specials mimic the taste of pho or the McRib, but the core menu is nostalgic and unfussy. It features burgers topped with some combination of onions, pickles, lettuce, special sauce, and American cheese. (Veggie patties are also available.) The sides are similarly bare-bones: fries cooked in beef tallow, and banana pudding.
Deux Luxe (New York City)
What do you do when your restaurant in suburban Westchester County, New York becomes famous for its burger? If you’re Café Deux, you bring that burger to the big city. Last spring, Deux Luxe landed in Manhattan to rave reviews. TimeOut New York dubbed it the burger of the year. The two wagyu patties on the “classic” burger are juicy and rich, and they’re paired with gooey cheddar cheese and a healthy dollop of garlic aioli. It’s all served on a French milk bread bun. Oddly enough for the “City that Never Sleeps,” you may need a nap after this treat.
Boo's Burgers (Houston)
Houston chef Joseph Boudreaux turned his pop-up Boo's Burgers into a brick-and-mortar last year, and it immediately became one of the best burger restaurants in the city. There’s nothing fancy about these burgers: the patties are smashed thin and seared crispy, and toppings are limited to tomatoes, pickles, shredded lettuce, and onions. But a great deal of care goes into every element, from the challah buns to the ground-in-house beef and spicy pickles. Instead of the typical veggie patty, Bourdreaux offers crispy fried-oyster mushrooms.
Le Burger 4304 (Minneapolis)
Le Burger owners Jonathan Gans and Josh Hoyt met while they worked at famed former Minneapolis restaurant The Bachelor Farmer. There are playful nods here to that upscale dining background. The patties are wagyu, you can get a burger with foie gras, and caviar is available as a side. But the important thing is that Le Burger nails the basics. The local news site Racket described the L’Americain as “if McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese was the absolute best, cheffiest version of itself,” and the thrice-cooked fries are a revelation. Le Burger has been such a hit that it recently opened a second location, in Cleveland.
Face Plant (Portland)
Portland burger joint Face Plant has ambitions of becoming a vegan In-N-Out. For now, its single location (in a former McDonald’s) draws raves for its milk-free shakes, chicken-free chicken nuggets, and meat-free burgers — all at genuine fast-food prices. (A basic burger is $4.99; the cheapest combo meal is $9.99.) If it’s surprising that a vegan fast-food joint would attract so much buzz, consider that the recipes come from ex-Bon Appétit breakout star Molly Baz. According to Portland Monthly, she and her team spent years developing the shakes.
Ted's Burgers (Miami)
Ted Amas, owner of Ted’s Burgers, helped to jumpstart the smashburger craze in Miami in the early 2020s, when his business was just a pop-up and he was winning awards for his burger. In late 2025, that pop-up became a bona fide restaurant, albeit one that’s still pretty simple. Ted’s serves smashburgers so wide that they overflow out of the potato buns, topped with fried onions served Oklahoma-style. It’s what most people think of when they imagine a burger: meaty, satisfying, a meal anyone can appreciate.
To uncover the best food and drink experiences for travelers, Food & Wine polled over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros from across the globe for their top culinary travel experiences. We then turned the results over to our Global Advisory Board, who ranked the top nominees in each category. For the full list of winners, visit foodandwine.com/globaltastemakers2026.
