The humble burger has endless delicious iterations, including cheeseburgers, sliders, patty melts and local favourites such as Oklahoma onion burgers. In these cases, the originals really are the best – and at some of America's best historic fast food joints, there's a steadfast loyalty to the classic recipes. Here, we look at America's original burgers, from state specialities you may not have tried (or perhaps even heard of) to icons that have stood the test of time – counting down to the most legendary of them all.

Read on to discover the historic styles and specialities from around America, and find out where you can (and should) try them.

We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each burger in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.​​