The humble hamburger is America’s signature fast food and, despite many places serving them with new twists and toppings, you can't beat the original recipes. These burgers have stood the test of time, gracing the menus of their respective restaurants for decades – and their loyal fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Here we’ve gathered America’s most old-school burger spots, from the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich to a restaurant that's used the same cooking grease for over a century.

Click or scroll on for our favourite steadfast fast food spots around the USA – counting down to the most iconic of all.

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

The old-timey fast food joint is a local landmark in Folsom, Pennsylvania, and has been slinging its delightfully simple cheeseburgers since 1935. From the beginning, the juicy beef patties have been cooked from fresh, never frozen, and locals praise the consistent quality of the food and the reasonable prices. There are a few house specials alongside the classic hamburger and cheeseburger, but toppings are all reassuringly simple; the Bunny Special, for example, comes adorned with yellow cheese, raw onion and tomato.

As Fort Smith’s oldest restaurant, Ed Walker’s is famous for its French dip sandwich, unique kerbside beer service and its regular hamburger. But the five-pound cheeseburger is what truly puts it on the map. This is the biggest hamburger in all of Arkansas and is served cut into wedges, like a pizza.

Originally a beachside stand that served freshly cooked burgers to hungry surfers, Hodad’s (which now has multiple locations) has been run by the Hardin family since 1969. The restaurant is known for its enormous burgers – the menu’s 'mini' burgers are about the size of a standard burger. The Double Bacon Cheeseburger has become an icon not just for its sheer size but because of its pressed bacon 'patty', which is much more substantial than typical bacon strips.

Kincaid’s Hamburgers first opened as a grocery store in 1946, but owner Charles Kincaid’s butcher, O.R. Gentry, started cooking burgers that overshadowed the retail element of the store. The restaurant still serves O.R.’s original burgers, including this juicy cheeseburger topped with a dollop of hot chilli. Kincaid’s has also expanded its burger menu to include the Cowtown Deluxe with pimento cheese and bacon, and the Cattleman with BBQ sauce and onion rings.

You might think Stevenson’s – running since the 1920s – is a fairly nondescript Cleveland dive bar, but its burgers have been ranked as some of the best in the country. The Big Guy is the bar’s double-patty cheeseburger (there’s also a one-patty Lil Fella) and, while it’s not revolutionary, it has all the elements of a perfect bar burger. The patties are thin and crispy, the secret white sauce is creamy, and it’s topped with a nice balance of shredded lettuce, pickles and melted cheese.

The All American Hamburger Drive In is not just the oldest drive-in hamburger stand on Long Island – it's the only one. It first opened in 1963, and its burgers are exactly as the name suggests: simple, all-American burgers that set the standard for drive-ins all over the country. They might not be fancy, but there's a reason the joint has been a local favourite for so many years.

If you order an All The Way burger from Brooks’ Sandwich House, you'll get a hamburger with a generous scoop of Southern style, all-beef chilli placed right on top of the patty. The joint, which opened in 1973, specialises in burgers and chilli, so it's only natural to combine the two. Cheese and bacon are optional, otherwise the burgers come simply dressed with mustard and onions. Hot dogs here are topped with chilli too.

It makes sense that Chris Madrid's two specialties – burgers and tacos – are combined in the restaurant’s Tostada Burger. The burger is topped with house-made refried beans (a recipe from original owner Chris Madrid’s mother), fresh salsa, tortilla chips and Cheddar. Although the most popular burger at the joint, which has been open since 1977, is the Cheddar Cheezy, the Tostada Burger is a true original.

A Delaware favourite that opened in 1956, Charcoal Pit’s award-winning burgers haven’t changed since the restaurant opened in 1956. The recipe is a closely guarded secret but The Pit, as locals call it, doesn’t conceal the size of these big juicy burgers. The Cheeseburger Deluxe comes in both quarter-pound and half-pound sizes to satisfy big appetites.

Hackney’s on Harms has been serving its self-proclaimed 'famous' Hackneyburger since 1939. Customers can request their burger on a bun, but the half-pound patty of freshly ground meat is traditionally served on toasted house-made dark rye bread. It’s best enjoyed with a side of Hackney’s other signature dish, a 'brick' of crispy French-fried onions.

Billed as East Nashville’s oldest dive bar, Dino’s has been serving its famous cheeseburger since the 1970s. The 5.5oz patty is impressively thick, fully encased in Cheddar cheese and topped with generous portions of onion, tomato, pickle and lettuce. Those with fancier tastes can add avocado or a fried egg, or ask for the burger to be prepared animal-style, with grilled onions and mustard cooked onto the patty.

White Hut is an institution in West Springfield, serving up classic 'hamburgs' and 'cheeseburgs' since 1939. Locals claim that the burgers haven’t changed one bit, even though the burger stand came under new ownership in 2020. The classic cheeseburgs are smothered in melted white cheese, and fans recommend paying a little extra to get a pile of freshly fried onions placed lovingly on top of the burger.

This no-frills joint hasn’t changed in terms of recipes or service since it opened in 1941. Miller’s Bar's single-patty Ground Round is served with or without cheese, stacked with pickles and onion on an uncomplicated bun. The burgers are served on squares of waxed paper and patrons sitting at the bar still order on the honour system, simply telling the bartender what they had before they pay and go, just like in the old days.

Motz’s is a Midwest mainstay that specialises in sliders. The restaurant has changed its name a few times over the years, but the sliders have essentially remained the same since 1929. Available in single or double size, and with or without cheese, these little burgers are topped with grilled onions, pickles, mustard and ketchup with the option of adding bacon. Motz’s has grown to include bigger burgers on its menu too, but the sliders remain its standout item.

In operation since 1972, the Redcoat Tavern is an ale house and wine bar, but the house specialty is a big, juicy burger. While the tavern offers some updated takes on its burger, the original is the real deal. It features a half-pound of the restaurant’s freshly ground proprietary beef blend with tomato, lettuce and a mayo-based special sauce. Customers are invited to customise the burger to their own tastes, adding things like bacon, pickles, cheese and other goodies.

Shortly after neighbourhood watering hole Matt’s Bar opened in 1954, the Jucy Lucy (with no 'i') was born, and the burger has since been replicated around the world. The Jucy Lucy is marked by molten American cheese inside the thick beef patty, which oozes as you bite into it. It’s greasy and messy, and requires more than a few napkins, but that’s exactly what makes it so great.

Gilley’s started its life in 1912 as a portable lunch counter that was towed by horse. It's changed names over the years and its current namesake is former, late employee Ralph Gilbert, who worked there for more than 50 years. The joint has been parked in a permanent location since 1974 and still serves a solid Double Cheeseburger, with juicy patties and a generous ooze of cheese.

Green chile burgers are a big deal in New Mexico, and the Owl Bar & Cafe, open since 1945, is one of several spots that claim to have first served them. Legend has it that scientists working on the Manhattan Project ordered their burgers with a side of the state's famous green chile. When there weren’t enough clean bowls to serve it in, the cook smeared it right on the burger – and a classic was born.

The Galley Boy burger is a double cheeseburger with not one, but two different special sauces, and an olive perched on top. You'll find it at Swensons Drive-In, a regional Ohio fast food chain that got its start in Akron in 1934 and now has locations all over the state. The real magic is in the sauce: one is creamy and similar to a tartare sauce, while the other is a tangy barbecue spread.

With the mantra 'Hamburg, pickle on top, makes your heart go flippity-flop', you just know that Kewpee’s no-nonsense cheeseburger is going to deliver. Kewpee’s roots date back to 1918 when its first stand opened in Flint, Michigan, but the chain has since become exclusive to Lima, Ohio, which saw the first of its three locations open in 1928. Despite being a fast food joint, the patties are ground in house, giving them a homemade flavour.

The Oklahoma fried onion burger is a Depression-era concoction that grew out of a few restaurants in the small town of El Reno on historic Route 66. The burger wasn’t invented at Johnnie’s, but the restaurant is one of a handful of old El Reno restaurants that still serves them. The burgers were designed to be economical with the meat but heavy on the onions, which are fried right into the patties as they cook on a flat-top griddle.

Pie ‘n Burger has been a fixture in Pasadena since 1963 and its specialty is no-frills, classic California-style burgers. The patty is made with top-quality freshly ground beef, and it’s topped with tomato, pickle and lettuce, with the option of cheese. The key to the burger is the restaurant’s homemade thousand island dressing.

Stanley’s Famous Hamburgers was founded in 1932 by Polish immigrant Stanley F. Kryla. He wanted to make an all-meat hamburger that was still affordable to Rhode Islanders suffering during the Great Depression. Today’s Stanley Burgers are still made from top-quality ground beef and topped with grilled onions and pickles. It’s similar to an Oklahoma fried onion burger, which originated well over 1,000 miles (1,609km) away.

Slugburgers are another Depression-era specialty, created during a time when many people couldn’t afford an all-meat burger patty. The burgers, which are built around a patty fortified with a non-meat filler (in this case, soy grits), were invented in Corinth, Mississippi. Borroum’s, the oldest drug store and soda fountain in the state, still makes them the same way they have for decades. The burgers are an acquired taste, but are popular enough that Corinth has long held an annual Slugburger Festival.

Since 1946, White Manna has dealt in classic New Jersey sliders – that's full-sized hamburgers, not the appetiser-sized burgers with the same name. Onions are pressed into these griddle-fried patties as they sizzle away, and the cheese is placed on top while the burger is still cooking so that it melts completely. It's all held together by soft potato buns.

Legendary dive bar Workingman’s Friend first opened in 1918 and has long been known for its smashed burgers, a Midwest specialty that has more recently gained steam across the globe. The smash method of cooking results in an ultra-thin patty that crisps around the edges, retaining an extra hit of grease from the grill. The burger here has two patties and two slices of American cheese, with a slice of bread in between for added structure.

Steamed burgers neither sound nor look particularly appetising, but Ted’s Restaurant has been using this unique cooking method since 1959, claiming to be the only restaurant in the US to exclusively steam its burgers. The restaurant says that the steaming creates a better flavour. The blanket of white Cheddar that tops the burgers is also steamed, then scooped on top of the patty, along with the customer’s choice of additional toppings.

In-N-Out is known for its surprisingly simple hamburgers, and the chain has known not to mess with perfection since it first opened in 1948. The famous Double-Double consists of a toasted sponge-dough bun, two slices of American cheese, two 100% beef patties, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and a secret sauce that hasn't changed since opening. There are In-N-Out locations throughout California (and a few adjacent states), but Baldwin Park, just outside Los Angeles, is where it all started.

Dyer’s has been serving its classic cheeseburgers since 1912. The restaurant boasts a 'secret' cooking process that hinges on it never changing the grease used to fry the burgers. The grease is occasionally topped up to keep the supply going, but at least a few drops in the mix have been in there for over a century. The business takes the grease so seriously that armed police escorts took charge of it when the restaurant changed locations.

Wisconsin is the land of dairy so it’s no surprise that, in addition to cheese, restaurants would put creamy local butter on their burgers. Solly’s, which opened in 1936, is the home of the Butter Burger. The sirloin patties aren’t just cooked in butter; butter is also spread on top after it’s cooked. Solly’s serves its original-recipe Butter Burgers with stewed onions, but it has also developed new versions with additions like mushrooms, bacon and jalapeños.

Louis’ Lunch is recognised by the Library of Congress as the birthplace of the hamburger. The burgers are still served as they were in 1895, and they look a little bit different than the burgers in a bun that most modern restaurants serve. An Original Burger is made with five different cuts of meat, ground fresh, and served on toasted white bread. They’re topped simply, with just cheese, onion and tomato.

Now read more about America's classic burger recipes (including some you may not have heard of)

Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.