A luncheonette dedicated to bringing back forgotten old-school burger recipes is causing a stir in the fast food world. Launched last year by self-described burger expert, George Motz, Hamburger America is the result of decades of research into America's original fast food recipes. Every month the joint introduces diners to a different regional burger specialty that they may never have heard of, let alone tried, including the quirky and divisive steamed cheeseburger (pictured).
Click or scroll on to peek inside this haven for burger purists – and discover the other fast food joints that are reviving America's lesser-known burger styles.
Burger scholar Motz (pictured here, right) has written a history book about burgers, made a documentary about them – and even taught a New York University course about them. So, if anybody can revive the old-school burger recipes that have slipped through the cracks of time, it's him. Motz opened his first restaurant, Hamburger America, in 2023 in New York City's Soho neighborhood, and the joint has already won rave reviews for its short menu of historically accurate burgers, including a classic smash burger and his take on the Oklahoma onion burger.
According to Motz, the secret to a good burger is using as few ingredients as possible to let the beef do all the talking. That means no lettuce, no tomato, and definitely no ketchup. The burger patty itself should be at least 20% fat and smashed thin onto a grill until perfectly crisp and caramelized. The only additional ingredients on Motz's classic smash burger (pictured) at Hamburger America are mustard, diced raw onion, dill pickle, and a slice of American cheese. You could say it's unusual, then, that Motz is currently reviving the steamed cheeseburger – a divisive burger that's famous for being steamed rather than fried.
The idea of a steamed cheeseburger may not sound particularly appetizing, but what these burgers lack in crispiness, they make up for with extreme juiciness. The home of this unusual delicacy is Ted’s Restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall joint in Meriden, Connecticut that’s been around since 1959. The unusual burgers are cooked in purpose-made steam trays until well done, with steamed Cheddar cheese scooped on top. According to fans, the go-to order is the 'everything' version, which comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayo.
Ted's Restaurant was one of the iconic burger joints featured in Motz’s 2004 documentary, Hamburger America, so it makes sense that the burger expert is keen to bring the dish to a larger audience at his New York City diner. Ted's steamed cheeseburger will be November’s monthly burger special, available until the end of the month. Previous limited-edition specials have included Wisconsin’s butter burger and Michigan’s olive burger. And despite Motz's famous dismissal of ketchup as a burger condiment, Hamburger America is serving the steamed cheeseburger with mustard, raw onion, and ketchup.
According to Motz, this is the first time the steamed cheeseburger has ever been served in New York City. Hamburger America has also taken authenticity to the next level by borrowing a bespoke steam box from Ted's for the month the burger is on the menu. Bill Foreman, the owner of Ted's Restaurant, even flew out to give the team a tutorial on how to cook the burgers perfectly. The steam box takes around 15 minutes to cook just 20 burgers – significantly slower than smashing them on the grill – but Motz says they’re worth the wait.
The burger expert is the first to admit that when the burger first comes out of the steamer, it looks a bit 'gross' – almost like a grey, wet sock. But once you try the burger, it becomes clear why it's so popular. "[It's] so beefy," said Motz in a Burger Scholar Sessions clip. "All I really want when I eat a burger is to taste beef." And Motz isn't the only person keeping old-school recipes alive. A growing number of new fast food restaurants, from California to Utah, are putting their spin on classic regional burgers and giving diners a taste of fast food history.
Some of America’s finest burgers are served at restaurants that have been slinging patties the same way for generations. A growing number of new spots are taking inspiration from these storied burger joints, too, putting a fresh spin on classic recipes. From food historian George Motz’s retro-inspired luncheonette to trendy bistros giving the patty melt a gourmet makeover, we’ve hunted down the top places to try old-school burgers many will never have tasted before.
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-traveled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
The frita burger is a classic Cuban comfort food that has its origins in 1930s Havana, but was popularized by a Miami restaurant owner in the 1960s. Amelia's 1931 is a cozy Cuban diner that opened in 2017 but, initially, chef Eileen Andrade was set against putting a frita on her menu, as it seemed like the obvious choice. She wanted to defy expectations and go in another direction – until her mother convinced her otherwise. And we're glad she did, because Amelia's now serves one of the most interesting renditions in Miami.
Amelia's frita features an 8oz beef and chorizo patty topped with Gruyère cheese, mayo infused with huacatay (a Peruvian herb also known as black mint), sliced plantains, and fresh shoestring fries. All of that is stuffed into a house-made Cuban brioche bun and served with French fries on the side. It is, in short, a feast, with legions of fans flocking to the restaurant to try it.
A sophisticated brunch spot in sunny San Diego isn’t the first place you’d expect to find Oklahoma’s famously messy fried onion burger, but diners say Madi makes one of the best out there. The pride of El Reno, the fried onion burger is a regional specialty that dates back to the 1920s, when Depression-era chefs would bulk out their beef patties with caramelized onions to keep costs down. These days restaurants all over Oklahoma have their own versions, and it seems the onion burger love is spreading all over the US.
Madi is a bright and buzzy eatery that’s known for its colorful brunch dishes, with popular items including orange cinnamon roll pancakes and loaded Greek fries. The onion burger is the only burger the restaurant serves, but locals are already hailing it as one of the best in San Diego. It comes with American cheese, pickles, and house sauce on a brioche bun and the perfectly smashed patty is cooked to a secret recipe.
Utah’s signature fast food isn’t much known outside of the Beehive State, but the pastrami burger is a regional delight that deserves more attention. It’s the most popular menu item at Patty Shack, a Salt Lake County joint that already has a following for its juicy, flavor-packed burgers. The dish was popularized in the 1980s by Salt Lake City’s various Greek-style burger joints and traditionally consists of a beef patty topped with Fry Sauce (another Utah staple), lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, and a hefty pile of cured pastrami.
Fans say the pastrami burgers at Patty Shack really are a cut above the rest. The fresh (never frozen) beef patties are formed by hand and cooked to order, and all toppings are chopped fresh every day. The all-important pastrami is thinly sliced, perfectly seasoned, and wonderfully tender. The simple pastrami burger is the go-to order here, but you can customize it with a fried egg or extra toppings.
The fried onion burger rose to prominence in El Reno, but the Sun Cattle Co. has brought its own version to Oklahoma City, putting a fresh spin on the historic fast food by using only the finest Oklahoma beef. But aside from using gourmet meat, chef Brad Ackerman has left the old-school recipe essentially unchanged, believing there's no point in messing with perfection. The joint, which opened in 2023, smashes ground beef and sliced onions onto a griddle to fry them hard and fast. The signature burger is topped with American cheese and pickles for the ultimate bite.
Burgers make up the heart of Sun Cattle's menu, with other hits including variations on the chili cheeseburger and the Theta burger, another regional Oklahoma specialty that features a beef patty topped with hickory sauce, mayonnaise, slices of dill pickle, and shredded Cheddar cheese. For those searching for something besides a burger, the menu also has Coney dogs, steaks, and desserts. It's earned plaudits from customers and critics as lofty as The New York Times.
This unassuming spot on Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue is said to serve some of the city’s best burgers. At Two8Two, the patties are a simple affair to allow the flavor of the top-quality meat to shine. They’re served medium-rare and made with a special blend of beef that’s ground fresh daily by historic Brooklyn butcher Los Paisanos. The simple double cheeseburger, topped with two slices of Cheddar cheese, pickles, red onion, and house-made burger sauce, is a thing of beauty, but diners also rave about the New Mexico–style Hatch green chile cheeseburger (pictured).
Founder Billy Thanopoulos first learnt about New Mexico’s legendary Hatch green chile cheeseburger when reading food historian George Motz’s book Hamburger America and spent years perfecting his recipe. The burger features a juicy beef patty topped with Cheddar and roasted green chiles (the variety used is distinctively fresh and citrus-tasting), all piled on a Martin’s potato roll with burger sauce. These days, it's a bestseller and the joint has become famous for the dish, alongside other fast food favorites like chili dogs, milkshakes, and loaded sandwiches.
A fast food joint putting a modern spin on Minnesota’s iconic Juicy Lucy, Burgers & Beignets is considered a comfort food mecca in Fond Du Lac. It's famous for its huge range of innovative (and award-winning) burgers and enormous sandwiches. Here, the decadent creation (pictured) looks like a regular hamburger from the outside, but when you bite into the patty, molten Cheddar and American cheese come oozing out.
Diners rave about the signature Juicy Lucy, praising the quality of the beef and the perfectly melty combination of cheeses stuffed inside. But if you want to take things up a notch, orders at Burgers & Beignets are totally customizable, so you can add jalapeños, extra cheese (American, Cheddar, pepper Jack, and provolone) and salad, or swap your regular bun for a pretzel one. Be sure to grab a side of the restaurant's famous cheese fries too.
This retro-inspired spot promises ‘old school vibes and new school flavor,’ and it's certainly gone down a storm with diners in Williamsburg, Virginia, since launching in April 2024. Opened as a homage to classic mid-century Midwestern luncheonettes, the 1950s-style spot combines classic dishes with top-quality, local ingredients. On the menu, you’ll find comforting dishes such as tallow fries and a classic patty melt. Cook's Burger Bar also serves its take on another Midwest classic, the olive burger.
The olive burger is a Michigan classic, invented in 1923 at Flint’s Kewpee Hotel Hamburg – a joint that went on to spawn one of America's first fast food chains, Kewpee. It traditionally consists of a beef patty topped with Swiss cheese, chopped green olives, and mayonnaise, all crammed into a bun. At Cook's, you can have your olive burger with a single or double beef patty and it comes topped with house-made olive mayo, aged Swiss cheese, marinated tomato, and romaine lettuce. Burgers are fried in beef tallow (a great old-school touch) for maximum flavor.
The humble patty melt is the burger fan's sandwich: a classic bite that combines the best bits of a burger and a grilled cheese to make a truly mouthwatering (and very messy) feast. While it may have been overshadowed by more outrageous, innovative burgers in recent years, the patty melt is now having a bit of a moment, with a host of restaurants and fast food joints bringing this old-school sandwich back. One of these spots is Daily Provisions, a small New York café chain serving retro eats in elegant surroundings.
Founded in 2017, Daily Provisions may look fancy, but its menu is peppered with old-school classics – think egg and cheese sandwiches, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and tuna melts. The diner introduced patty melts as a dinner special in 2023, and it soon secured its place as a permanent item. Here, the team have given it a gourmet spin by using top-quality beef, a house-made spicy Thousand Island–style sauce, and griddled, seeded rye. Happily, it's still a very traditional affair and has won rave reviews from the likes of The New York Times.
Revelie Luncheonette is a wonderfully retro diner that opened in SoHo NYC in 2023. It’s the more relaxed sister restaurant of Raoul's (a Parisian-style bistro that dates back to the 1970s) and has a reputation for serving French café classics – like onion tart, croque madame, and a classic jambon-beurre – as well as a stellar patty melt. Straightforward simplicity is the key to success here; golden caramelized onions, oozy American cheese, and a juicy patty are sandwiched between buttered slices of seeded sourdough rye.
Considering the French leanings of Revelie Luncheonette, you might be surprised to hear that the bustling all-day spot also serves up a sensational rendition of New Mexico’s signature fast food: the green chile cheeseburger. A true culinary treasure, the burger dates back to 1940s San Antonio and is traditionally packed with green chile, a beloved native pepper that's famous for its hot, zesty, and subtly sweet character. At Revelie, the burger is a bestseller and comes piled with shredded lettuce, tomato, Hatch chile, and American cheese.
The brainchild of chef Eve Aronoff, a former Top Chef contestant, Frita Batidos specializes in Cuban-influenced burgers, also known as frita Cubana. The welcoming joint opened in Ann Arbor in 2010, with a Detroit outpost following nine years later. It serves up all kinds of Cuban comfort food, from crispy plantain to traditional tropical milkshakes, but the signature burger is a runaway favorite, frequently coming out top in rankings of Michigan’s best burgers.
The frita dates back to the 1930s and is traditionally made with seasoned ground beef and pork (sometimes mixed with chorizo), topped with crispy shoestring potatoes and served inside a Cuban-style roll. At Frita Batidos, diners can customize their burgers, filling them with everything from traditional chorizo and beef to fish or chicken. Toppings include Muenster cheese, fried egg, tropical slaw, and more. All burgers are served in a soft bun with shoestring fries on top.
Opened in January 2024, LA-based restaurant Chain is, confusingly, not a chain restaurant. Its name refers to the fast food chains, past and present, that inspired it. So far, Chain – which started as a pop-up before getting a permanent spot in LA’s Virgil Village – has collaborated with Sonic Drive-In, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. Chain was founded by chef Tim Hollingsworth and actor B.J. Novak, star of NBC’s The Office, whose involvement in the venture has attracted the patronage of Hollywood stars including Mindy Kaling, Chrissy Teigen, and Andy Cohen.
The restaurant holds events a few times a month and menu items have included riffs on Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme and Outback Steakhouse’s Bloomin’ Onion. For one venture, dubbed the ‘Comeback Combo,' the restaurant asked fans on social media which discontinued fast food items they'd like back. One of four items chosen was Taco Bell’s Bell Beefer, a cult-favorite burger from the 1970s. Diners also rave about the over-the-top aesthetic of the joint, which is decked out with old-school memorabilia and life-sized statues of retro mascots.
The mission statement at Split Lip, one of Denver’s hippest fast food spots, is to ‘tell an American story through food,’ taking inspiration from historic regional dishes such as New Jersey’s pork roll (pictured), Oklahoma’s fried onion burger, and Boston’s delightfully messy roast beef sandwich. The joint puts a gourmet twist on these local favorites with top-quality meats and inventive house-made sauces and pickles, while staying faithful to the original dish. One of its signature dishes is the slugburger, a unique burger rarely seen outside of Mississippi.
According to Split Lip’s founders (a duo of longtime fine dining pros), the menu highlights ‘hyper-regional food alongside the stories, secrets, and legends these dishes hold.’ The Depression-era slugburger was invented in Mississippi and is traditionally bulked out with a cheap ‘extender,’ such as potato flour or soy grits, to get more patties per pound. The gourmet version at Split Lip is made with a mix of ground beef and panko breadcrumbs, topped with sweetcorn butter, American cheese, and pickles, all served in a fresh potato bun.
Launched by self-described burger expert George Motz, Hamburger America is the result of years of research into America's original fast food recipes and regional burger specialties. The spot opened in 2023 in New York City's Soho neighborhood and has been causing a stir on the fast food scene ever since, with fans saying it’s unlike any other burger restaurant. Its USP is historically accurate burgers, with a menu that currently has just two permanent options: a traditional smashburger and Motz’s signature 100-year-old Oklahoma fried onion burger.
The diner-style joint (pictured) also offers a rotating monthly burger special, focusing on different regional specialties. These have included Wisconsin’s gloriously decadent butter burger and the olive burger. For a side, customers can order oversized shoestring fries. Motz is keen to recreate the early diners that first popularized burgers, so the small menu also includes old-school favorites such as tuna salad, PB&J sandwiches, a grilled cheese, slices of pie, and chocolate chip cookies.
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Last updated by Luke Paton.