Elite
The Old Fashioned
Burger: The Old Fashioned House Burger
Price: $7.95
Ingredients: Third-pound burger grilled over a live fire, fried onions, Bavaria's hickory-smoked bacon, aged Cheddar, garlic sauce and a soft-cooked egg on a buttered and toasted roll.
What makes it great: The egg on the House Burger is not just a novelty; it's a necessity. It's what put this burger on the top of our list - well, at least a huge part of why it's on top. It would be a contender without the egg, with a fantastic bun - which Jen, general manager of The Old Fashioned, thinks makes the burger something great - a sweet garlic sauce and a lightly seasoned patty you can taste the flames on. But topped with a soft-cooked egg, yolk running into every crack, this burger reaches new heights. The combination of bacon, yolk and garlic sauce is sublime, making this burger the best in Madison.
What's unique: Obviously the egg on the burger, which has a unique story of its own. The idea comes from a German mining tradition, where miners would have breakfast and lunch in one meal to last until dinner. Basically they'd have burgers with eggs on top and bacon on top - as much protein as they could get,"" Jen said.
Drawback: It's a calorie-packed burger, with eggs, bacon and a large patty, so it's not for those looking for a lighter meal.
Best beer to complement it: Furthermore Knot Stock.
- Gabe Ubatuba
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry
Burger: Melting Pot
Price: $7.25
Ingredients: Swiss, Provolone and Cheddar, Bacon, English-style Garlic Sauce.
What makes it great: The English-style Garlic Sauce. ""The sauce is good on anything you eat at this restaurant,"" said Rachael Stanley, owner. ""It's delightful with french fries."" She's right. Otherwise somewhat ordinary, the heavenly garlic sauce makes this a burger that is nearly impossible to beat. Talk about synergy. While the sauce is the eminent flavor, the undertones of the cheese and bacon round out the experience of the burger and give it an irresistible flavor and texture of melted goodness - hence its name.
What's unique: The family-owned and operated establishment has antique decor collected over the last few decades, giving Dotty's a unique atmosphere among Madison's burger joints.
Drawback: Where's the side? A burger should never fly solo, but that's what you'll get unless you make a separate order for some fries or curds. The price isn't quite low enough to justify an unaccompanied burger.
Best beer to complement it: Ale Asylum's Hopalicious. ""It's a bitter beer, so it really balances well with the garlic,"" Stanley said.
- David Heller
Superior
Nitty Gritty
Buger: The Grittyburger
Price: $5.50
Ingredients: 6 oz. ground chuck (sourced locally by K&S), Honeywheat bun, Grittysauce.
What Makes It Great: This burger is ""bathed"" in the pale peachy-pink signature secret ""Grittysauce,"" according to the restaurant's menu but it is actually applied moderately and has a mild taste. The sauce's mild flavor is paired with a great piece of meat at an affordable price and has been a staple of Madison cuisine since 1968 when Marsh Shapiro started the Nitty Gritty.
What's unique: Despite boasting a great sauce, the real standout ingredient of the Grittyburger is the honeywheat bun with sesame seeds. The bun, custom-formulated for the Gritty by the Alpha Baking Company, is tasty and soft. Come on your birthday and drink soda or one of the 21 beers on tap for free all night along with the 50 to 60 other people celebrating birthdays every day.
Drawback: Overall, the Grittyburger is one of the superior burgers in town and treats you to a lot for your dollar but doesn't quite have that special something to lift it into the same dimension as Madison's burger elites.
Best beer to complement it: PBR.
- Kyle Bursaw
Five Guys
Burger: Bacon Cheese ""All the Way""
Price: $5.59
Ingredients: Dual patties with bacon, cheese, grilled onion and mushrooms.
What makes it great: Five Guys made a big splash on the State Street scene in 2008 and continues to thrive. Burger-craving patrons still fill the restaurant looking for a high quality, reasonably priced burger prepared in a timely fashion. It's hard to find a burger at Five Guys that isn't delicious, and the bacon cheeseburger with onion and mushroom is no exception.
What's unique: The Five Guys folks are so confident that their burger can sell itself that they have never advertised - word of mouth works well enough for them.
Drawbacks: You'll find napkins are a necessity, as grease is in abundance from start to finish, which wouldn't be an issue if it didn't soak into the bun and make a mess.
Best beer to complement it: Spotted Cow by New Glarus.
- David Heller
Wando's
Burger: The Wando Burger
Price: $8.25
Ingredients: Full half-pound burger, buffalo sauce, bleu cheese, pepper jack cheese, honey-smoked bacon and onion strings on top.
What makes it great: The Wando burger is for those with an affinity for the eccentric, exciting and gut-busting - but not particularly in that order. This burger is a thinker, with a complex, unique amalgamation of flavors that will keep you attentive to the last juicy, savory bite. The buffalo sauce is a different twist that could go horribly wrong if overdone, but as it is, the flavor subtly complements the potent bleu cheese and medium-cooked ground beef. This flavor blast isn't for the weak of heart, so expect to walk (or crawl) home sluggishly satisfied.
What's unique: ""Wando's is known for things that are big ... You definitely never leave hungry,"" asserts owner Jay ""Wando"" Wanserski. From the same place that brought you fishbowls of booze comes a menu with human face- sized burgers and chicken patties. He's right, you won't leave empty.
Drawback: This whirlwind of flavor might not be for everyone, and its sheer girth might be too intimidating for some.
Best beer to complement it: Stella Artois (20 oz. mug for $4.50 on sale all this month, and possibly for the summer).
- Al Morrell
Great
Churchkey
Burger: Churchkey Burger
Price: $7.00
Ingredients: Angus beef, American cheese, grilled Kaiser roll.
What makes it great: The Churchkey offers a zesty, well-seasoned Angus beef patty that is mouth-watering on its own. Throw in a grilled Kaiser roll and you have a terrific burger any pub would be envious of.
What's unique: The flame-seared, perfectly cooked burger patty and crispy exterior of the Kaiser roll make this burger taste like it flipped right off the grill and onto your plate.
Drawbacks: Although the burger patty stands on its own two feet, the Churchkey Burger is unoriginal in its toppings and additional ingredients. They offer add-ons but at a cost.
Best beer to complement it: Corona's citrus overtones compliment this burger well.
- Sara Barreau
Hawk's
Burger: Hawk's classic
Price: $8.39 (fries come standard)
Ingredients: Top sirloin, cheddar cheese, dark honey wheat bun, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo.
What makes it great: The Hawk's classic is just that - a classic. It's a foil to the extravagant burgers elsewhere in Madison slathered with various cheeses, sauces and spreads. This burger isn't unlike a product you might encounter at a family grillout - a sizable, juicy slab of meat that's hand-packed daily, topped with real cheddar cheese, spices and traditional toppings inside a hearty wheat bun. It's a simple, nostalgic reminder of good times with family and friends - which is what most people are looking for more often than not, according to owner Hawk.
What's unique: Hawk's beef is both ground and hand-packed every day, making this simple classic the pinnacle of freshness. ""There are some great, strange burgers out there, but 90 percent of the time people want a regular, well-cooked burger,"" said Hawk.
Drawback: The flavor is simple and satisfying, but some might be searching for more bang for their buck in the flavor department. At $8.39, it's also a little steep compared to the competition.
Best beer to complement it: Hawk says Stella Artois in summer and Spaten Dark in winter.
- Al Morrell
Good
Lucky's Bar and Grille
Burger: Wild West Burger
Price: $6.75
Ingredients: BBQ sauce, grilled onions, Cheddar cheese and Applewood smoked bacon.
What makes it great: If you like BBQ sauce, you'll love the Wild West Burger. The sauce is tangy and sweet, mixing wonderfully with the smoky bacon. However, the BBQ sauce was not overpowering, allowing for the taste of the seasoned patty to come through.
What's unique: It's a BBQ bacon burger done well, but that's about it.
Drawback: There's nothing very interesting about the burger, and for the price you could get something better somewhere else. It's not a very unique idea and there's nothing that really sets it apart from the pack of BBQ bacon burgers.
Best beer to complement it: Miller Lite.
- Gabe Ubatuba
Plaza
Burger: The Plaza Burger
Price: $4.25
Ingredients: Pre-formed burger patty, cheddar, fried onions and Plazasauce.
What makes it great: The Plaza had one of the cheapest burgers in town at $4.25 with cheese and onions. General Manager Ian Miller also highlighted the speed and consistency of the burger, which has remained very constant since its introduction shortly after the Huss family opened the restaurant in 1963.
What's unique: A secret recipe that is only known by about six people is what lifts a relatively average burger into a tastier treat than it otherwise would be. A fusion of dill and other secret ingredients blended for a stark white sauce that goes well with not only the meat but also the fries and onion rings. Plazasauce die-hards have even requested the mixture with a spoon to eat it straight when it was too late to order anything grilled, according to the Miller.
Drawback: The mediocre bun and patty are barely better than fast food fare, but the portions just don't compare to what you'd get at Five Guys for mere cents more. Overall, the Plaza is serving up an average burger with a great sauce that doesn't match up to the other beefy competition in town. Instead grab some fries or onion rings and dip them in Plazasauce.
Best beer to complement it: PBR.
- Kyle Bursaw
