The 21 best burgers in Philly to eat right now

It’s burger season. What season is that, you ask? Well, really all of them. A burger is just as good on a hot day by the pool as it is in a cozy pub on a winter night.

Philadelphia has many great burgers, but we have some clear favorites. But we also have the classics, plus which burgers come with the best fries and which ones are best washed down with a beer.

Here are our favorite burgers in Philly and the suburbs. This list has been updated, and will continue to be, as we eat more of the most delicious burgers the city has to offer.

The double-pattied burger made with a mix of beef chuck and brisket comes layered with oozy cheese, creamy dijonnaise, and cornichons, which combine into one magnetic fistful of carnivorous lust.

📍 135 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 🌐 akitchenandbar.com, 📷 @a.kitchenphilly | Modern American | $$$

The burger at Dave Conn’s fantastic Italian Market gem takes full advantage of the open kitchen’s charcoal-fired hearth. Its thick patty of dry-aged beef recalls a deluxe backyard cookout beauty topped with clothbound Cabot cheddar melting down its sides, aioli, and house BBQ sauce over caramelized onions.

📍901 Christian St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 🌐 alicephiladelphia.com, 📷 @alice.philadelphia | Modern American | $$$

This cozy Fairmount gastropub does many things well, from shatteringly crisp wings to great drinks. But the burger is also a steady draw, a gently packed 6-ounce patty blend of Hereford brisket, short rib, and chuck served on a toasted sweet potato bun. The fixings change seasonally, but the winter version with Birchrun Hills blue cheese, chipotle-spiked mayo, and peppery arugula was most notable for a feature that never changes — onions caramelized in beef fat that continuously baste the burger in a double beefy savor.

📍726 N. 24th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, 🌐 badbrotherphilly.com, 📷 @badbrotherphilly | Gastropub | $$

Owners Stew and Julie Keener’s not-so-secret weapon, which paired with the house-brewed beers, may be the burger at their taproom a few blocks from Eastern State Penitentiary. When planning the menu it was decided they’d grind the meat themselves. It’s about a half-pound of chuck-brisket blend, topped with Cabot mild cheddar, a sauce of Thousand Island dressing and house hot sauce, red onion, Bibb lettuce, and house-made bread-and-butter pickles. Treat: Get it at brunch, and your side will be the home fries (red bliss potatoes and stout-caramelized onions).

📍1720 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, 🌐 barhygge.com, 📷 @bar_hygge | Gastropub | $$

Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran’s 13th Street empire went retro in 2015 with the opening of Bud & Marilyn’s, and the lively corner restaurant has become a favorite spot for comforting, greasy (in the best way) food. Its happy-hour special burger (comes with two patties when ordered at brunch), with bacon, pickles, two layers of cheese, and creamy “special sauce,” served with a rotating craft ale, is a must-try.

📍 1234 Locust St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 🌐 budandmarilyns.com, 📷 @budandmarilyns | Modern American | $$

Charlie’s Hamburgers, the Delco throwback to elemental slider comfort that dates to 1935, has long been a reluctant holdout to the “in” burger of now, whatever “in” might be at the time (things like truffle-topped burgers and crab-topped burgers both had their moment at other burger joints). Its old-school griddle powers result in greasy, beefy little patties, all stacked up in crumbly burgers tucked inside griddle-crisped buns. The Bunny, Charlie’s, and Peg special combos have transcended the shop’s 2019 move from Kedron Avenue and not lost one ounce of their charm.

📍 237 E. MacDade Blvd., Folsom, Pa. 19033, 🌐 charlieshamburgers.com | Burger | $

Melted cheddar, thinly sliced pickles, smoked bacon, and the restaurant’s signature Churchill sauce sit atop the Dandy Burger at this British-inspired pub. It’s available during lunch, brunch, and dinner, and makes a fine partner for one of the restaurant’s many draft beers.

📍 124 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 🌐 thedandelionpub.com, 📷 @thedandelionpub | British | $$

The burger royale at chef Christopher Kearse’s modern French destination in Old City — a smash burger with comeback sauce — is one of the most indulgent anywhere. After a dinner menu switch-off, Forsythia now offers a junior version for happy hour.

📍 233 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106, 🌐 forsythiaphilly.com, 📷 @forsythia_philly | French | $$$$

Philly’s ultimate bar burger can be found at East Passyunk’s Fountain Porter, which is served with house pickles and should be ordered with one of its many craft beers.

📍 1601 S. 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 🌐 fountainporter.com, 📷 @fountainporter | Bar | $

There are two burgers on the menu at the always-buzzing Center City bar, but the must-try burger is its signature, a sirloin patty stuffed with blue cheese and covered with caramelized onions. Funnily enough, this burger also drove one of us (Craig) to create a burger music video back in 2007. You should watch it, ideally while eating one of these burgers.

📍 224 S. 15th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 🌐 gooddogbar.com, 📷 @gooddogbar | Bar | $

Craig LaBan is a fan of Yehuda Sichel’s corner shop near Rittenhouse, home of the “massive, cheesy smash burger with Animal sauce I still dream about,” but do not overlook a new offering: the Mott, which starts with a 6-ounce smash patty, and layers on a five-cheese blend, pickled chilis, caramelized onion, ranch, and sweet chili glaze on one of Sichel’s house-made milk buns. Mott happens to be chef Devin Motter, who developed it.

📍32 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 🌐 hudaphl.com, 📷 @hudaphl | Sandwich | $

Chef Ange Braca’s Ramly burger is her tribute to the Malaysian street burger — two patties wrapped with shaved cabbage and sambal mayo inside a sheer omelet that contains the sauce. “Snug in a sweet potato bun, it’s a meaty juice bomb that takes burger comfort for an international ride,” LaBan wrote in his review. “Add a side of thick-cut chips drizzled in Chinese curry — a throwback to Branca’s university days in Edinburgh, where her first job was at a Chinese takeout— and you may agree: The burger and fries is reason alone to come to Kampar.”

📍611 S. Seventh St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 🌐 kamparphilly.com, 📷 @kamparphilly | Malaysian | $$$

This low-lit Cajun-inspired pub, which gets its name from a mountain pass in Pakistan, brings Southern flair to the Khyber Burger. This burger packs a punch with its kick of chipotle rémoulade atop a beef patty with American cheese, pickled green tomato, and lettuce, sandwiched between a classic potato roll.

📍 56 S. Second St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106, 🌐 khyberpasspub.com, 📷 @khyberpasspub | New Orleans | $$

Lucky’s Last Chance didn’t need luck to win Philly’s Burger Brawl over the years. It just needed its series of award-winning burgers — and there are a lot of them. Choose among crowd favorites like the Mak Attack mac and cheese burger, or peanut butter and bacon burgers, or burgers topped with shredded chicken, pierogies, or fried pickles. For a good price and meal filled with creativity, Lucky’s is a good bet.

📍 4421 Main St. (Manayunk), 848 S. Second St. (Queen Village), 5154 Ridge Ave. (Wissahickon), 🌐 luckyslastchance.com | Burger | $

Beer and burgers go together. It’s as simple as that. And on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough, New Ridge Brewing Co. pairs house-made beers with its double-pattied Ridge Burger, made with Happy Valley beef layered with Cooper Sharp cheese and a mayo-based “special sauce” that encapsulates all of the traditional burger topping flavors (ketchup, pickles, and mustard).

📍 6168 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.19128, 🌐 newridgebrew.com, 📷 @newridgebrewing | Bar | $

For the double-patty burger at this Ardmore pub, chef/co-owner Biff Gottehrer stacks two quarter-pounders with extra fat content and dry-aged beefy oomph between melted layers of Gouda, house-pickled onions, a “special sauce” with smoked tomatoes, capers, and shallots over a pain au lait bun that’s soft without being eggy. Most important, it has local personality: Two thin pads of fried Lebanon bologna slipped between the patties add a touch of smoky sweetness where, in other burgers, bacon plays the role.

📍 29 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, Pa. 19003, 🌐 ripplewoodbar.com, 📷 @theripplewood | Gastropub | $$

The in-demand Mother Rucker burger at River Twice was once an off-menu delicacy, but now you can find it in the additions section of the restaurant’s tasting menu. The burger, named for the restaurant’s James Beard-nominated chef and owner, Randy Rucker, is a true two-fisted indulgence of a stacked burger whose drippy pink juices are almost too much for its bun to hold. The ingredients are local, with two 4-ounce pattiesand Cooper Sharp American cheese; house-pickled red onions and an everything-spiced mayo are the finishers.

📍 1601 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 🌐 rivertwicerestaurant.com, 📷 @rivertwicephl | Modern American | $$$$

The burger at Rittenhouse Square-facing Rouge has been one of the city’s iconic burgers since 1998; you can order it with the classics — tomato, lettuce, and dill pickles — but the addition of caramelized onions and creamy Gruyere sets it apart.

📍 205 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 🌐 rouge98.com, 📷 @98rouge | Modern American | $$$

As the name suggests, the burgers are the main draw (though SpOt’s cheesesteak is worth a visit, too). Here, you’ll find a selection of 10-plus burgers, all available in their classic sirloin style, or as chicken or veggie burgers. Of particular note is the aptly named Umami burger, which comes with mushrooms, grilled onion, lettuce, pickled daikon, ssamjang (a spicy Korean paste), cucumber, and pickled daikon.

📍 2821 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, 🌐 spotburgers.com, 📷 @spotburgers | Burger | $

One of South Street’s coolest dive bars serves a top-tier pub burger that offers the best of both worlds — it can be made classic or vegan. The only difference is the patty and cheese, everything else is the same, with the patty of your choice being cooked on a flat top grill for a nice crispy bite complemented by LTO with a pickle and your choice of American, cheddar, or vegan Gouda cheese. Don’t forget the in-house classic burger sauce with a kick of heat.

📍 530 South St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 🌐 tattooedmomphilly.com, 📷 @tmoms | Bar | $

This cozy Rittenhouse bar is known not only for its beverage namesake but also for its juicy burgers, which range from classic options, like a single or double smashburger, to an 8-ounce patty loaded with blue cheese, bacon, and foie gras.

📍 118 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 🌐 villagewhiskey.com, 📷 @villagewhiskeyphl | Gastropub | $$

» READ MORE: Our best Philly tips: Read our most useful stories