The 10 best burgers in Charlotte

Charlotte’s burger scene runs from stands that have not changed since Eisenhower to chef driven pubs that muddle the aioli with liquid nitrogen. This list is in order, but not by much; the difference between one and ten is a matter of taste, not quality. Every one is locally owned and every one has been open long enough to be sure of. Hours are current as of this writing.

1. Brooks’ Sandwich House

A cash only burger shack on North Brevard Street in NoDa that has fed Charlotte for decades, through the 2019 shooting death of co-owner Scott Brooks and the pandemic closure that followed. There is no dining room, only a walk up window and a standing counter, and the line moves. The burger All The Way, with mustard, onions and the homemade chili, is the order, with chili cheese fries on potato wedges and a sweet tea that people drive an hour for.

Hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday

Address: 2710 N. Brevard St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• The most Charlotte burger there is.
• Homemade chili on a burger All The Way.
• Cash only, walk up, weekday lunch only.
• A family and a business the city rallied around.

Directory listing: Brooks’ Sandwich House

2. Ace No. 3

A 1970s themed burger stand in Belmont Village with smashed patties, fries that appear on every best fries list in the city and milkshakes that can be made boozy. The Ace burger is two patties, American cheese, onions, pickles and comeback sauce on a toasted potato bun. Locations in Myers Park and at Concord Mills too, but the Belmont original with its game corner and side patio is the one.

Hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 1001 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• The Ace burger with comeback sauce.
• The fries.
• Boozy shakes and a weekday afternoon shake special.
• Gluten free bun, egg and bacon add-ons.

Directory listing: Ace No. 3

3. Bang Bang Burgers

A fast casual burger joint in Elizabeth on East 7th Street, with a second location in South End, that treats the patty like a chef would and makes its own pickles. The Bang Bang Burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, house pickles and Bang Bang sauce is the standard; the Cowboy with sharp cheddar, bacon and barbecue sauce is the backup. Brussels sprouts as a side option is the tell that someone in the kitchen cares.

Hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 2001 E. 7th St, Suite D, Charlotte, NC 28204

Why it made the list

• House made pickles and sauce.
• A rotating list of specialty burgers.
• Two locations, Elizabeth and South End.
• A counter that cares about regulars.

Directory listing: Bang Bang Burgers

4. Harriet’s Hamburgers

The smash burger stall inside Optimist Hall, with a menu short enough to read from across the hall: burgers and fries. Two thin patties on brioche with pickles, red onion and a simple sauce, white American cheese if you want it, and fries with garlic aioli. It is the stall Optimist Hall regulars order most and one of the burgers Charlotte kids learn to love.

Hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 1115 N. Brevard St, Stall 6, Charlotte, NC 28206

Why it made the list

• A perfect double smash burger with no distractions.
• Garlic aioli fries.
• Inside Optimist Hall, so everyone else at the table can eat something different.
• Kid approved.

Directory listing: Harriet’s Hamburgers

5. Moo & Brew

The Plaza Midwood burger and beer bar on Central Avenue with a big patio, a long tap list and the Large Marge, a Bloody Mary with a slider on top. The Farmer’s Daughter, with a farm egg, peppered bacon, cheddar, tomato and Bibb lettuce, is the signature; the Moo & Brew Burger with beer braised onions, beer chili and beer cheese is the other order. Open until 11 p.m. every night and family friendly before it turns into a bar.

Hours: Daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 1300 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• The Farmer’s Daughter burger.
• The Large Marge.
• The best burger patio in Plaza Midwood.
• Reasonable prices for the portion.

Directory listing: Moo & Brew

6. Pinky’s Westside Grill

A no frills roadside spot on West Morehead Street that Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured in 2015 and that has not changed since. The Pterodactyl Burger, an award winning five ounce patty, comes everything style, Westside style with chili and slaw, or Ding Dong style with peanut butter, honey cilantro slaw and sriracha. The Triple G is three patties Westside style, Guy Fieri’s order. Crab hushpuppies to start, banana pudding to finish.

Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 1600 W. Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28208

Why it made the list

• The Pterodactyl in three styles, including peanut butter.
• Fieri approved.
• Crab hushpuppies and waffle fries.
• A Huntersville location for the north side.

Directory listing: Pinky’s Westside Grill

7. Growlers Pourhouse

The NoDa pub next door to Haberdish, from the same owners as Supperland, with a bourbon list, raw oysters and a burger that gets its aioli muddled with liquid nitrogen. The Liquid Nitrogen Burger comes medium rare on brioche with American cheese, herb aioli, bread and butter pickles and gem lettuce. Hand cut fries feed two. Open until 2 a.m. on weekends.

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight; Friday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday 11:30 a.m. to midnight; closed Monday

Address: 3120 N. Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• A chef’s burger in a pub setting.
• Bourbon barrel picks behind the bar.
• Oysters, wings and hand cut fries.
• Late hours on the NoDa strip.

Directory listing: Growlers Pourhouse

8. South 21 Drive-In

A real drive-in on East Independence Boulevard since 1955. Pull into a spot, order through the speaker box, and a carhop brings out the Super Boy, two patties with cheese, mustard, onions, lettuce and tomato, with hand battered onion rings and a chocolate shake. Family owned, made to order, and one of the oldest restaurants in the city. The highway noise is part of the charm.

Hours: Tuesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday

Address: 3101 E. Independence Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• Seventy years of the Super Boy.
• Carhop service from a speaker box.
• Hand battered onion rings.
• Prices that belong to another decade.

Directory listing: South 21 Drive-In

9. The Diamond

The Plaza Midwood diner on Commonwealth Avenue founded in 1945, with retro booths, a bar with homemade hot sauce and a menu that runs from cheesesteaks and fried bologna to the Small Block Burger, a third pound patty with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. Weekend breakfast, fresh cut chips with Vidalia onion dip, and a neighborhood crowd that treats it like a living room.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 1901 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• The Small Block Burger since 1945.
• Weekend breakfast from 8 a.m.
• Fried bologna, cheesesteaks and fresh chips.
• Old Charlotte, still open.

Directory listing: The Diamond

10. The Goodyear House

The NoDa restaurant in a transformed early 1900s mill home makes the Goopy Burger with Shipley Farms beef, cheddar, pickles, onion and shredded lettuce on a benne seed bun, built to taste like a Big Mac from a much better kitchen. Make it a double or add Benton’s bacon. It is the chef driven burger on this list, on the best patio in NoDa, from a restaurant that also makes the brunch list.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours; brunch Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: 3032 N. Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• The Goopy Burger, a Big Mac done right.
• Shipley Farms beef and Benton’s bacon.
• The NoDa patio.
• A restaurant, not a burger stand, when the group wants both.

Directory listing: The Goodyear House

Also worth knowing

Two more burgers worth ordering are on restaurants already in the directory: A Really Good Burger at The Crunkleton in Elizabeth, and the burger at Grey’s Diner on The Plaza, the newest of the bunch. If we missed yours, tell us.