You can always count on chef Aaron Bludorn to deliver decadence and deliciousness, and his restaurant’s expansive menu of French-inspired classics features one of the juiciest burgers in H-Town. Bludorn’s dry-aged beef burger is made wantonly juicy thanks to a blend of aged cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and Dijonnaise. The patty is then nestled in a sesame seed bun. Or, if you walk in for brunch, try the dry-aged burger with grafton cheddar, short rib, Dijonnaise, and caramelized onions. And for additional flavor, add an egg.  Bludorn’s other restaurant, Navy Blue, also serves a dry-aged beef burger for brunch, this one accented by raclette, pork belly, and horseradish.

The brainchild of Houston food influencer Abbas Dhanani, Burger Bodega started as a series of pop-ups before segueing into a brick-and-mortar in fall 2022. The Washington Avenue smashburger sensation’s double smashburger is a crispy-edged delight and worth all the hype. Burger Bodega excels with its toppings and unparalleled atmosphere, sporting kitschy design flourishes that make it look like a New York City bodega. It’s a great spot to scarf down a double smashburger—or two.

If you’re looking for a burger that meets all your expectations, sometimes you just have to build it yourself, and there’s no better place to do that than Burger-chan, Diane and Willet Feng’s burger joint in the Galleria area. Burger-chan’s 2-ounce or 5-ounce patties can be served on either sweet sourdough, brioche, rye bread, lettuce, or with no bun at all. Burger-chan’s toppings—like sambal mayo, thousand island, charred jalapeños, and kimchi relish—will help satisfy your inner burger artist.

Although the Burger Joint sports a menu that is meatier than a Crossfitter on their 57th leg day, the buzzy burger restaurant has a vegan option on the menu worth throwing in the proverbial meat towel for. The ImpossibleTM features a flavorful plant-based patty alongside lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and vegan aioli. If you’re looking to jazz your ImpossibleTM burger up a bit, which we highly recommend, consider topping it with vegan cheddar for only a dollar. The Burger Joint has locations in Montrose, the Heights, and Baybrook, with more on the way.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more storied Houston burger joint than Lankford’s, which sits at the literal intersection of Montrose, Fourth Ward, and Midtown. The decades-old business has captured the hearts of generations of Houstonians, first as a grocery store and market, then as an ice house, and finally as the full-service restaurant we know it as today. The burger hot spot has made quite a name for itself, even earning an appearance on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. While we don’t recommend getting Fieri’s frosted tips, we do recommend pretty much all the burgers at Lankford’s. The pimento cheeseburger is our favorite, but the Houston burger featuring thick slabs of brisket is a close second. Three generations in, the staple is not going anywhere, so you have plenty of time to try them all, and the family even opened a second location in Bellaire.

This Ford Fry establishment might change its menu often, but the Classic H-Town Pharmacy Burger is a guaranteed item, and thank goodness for that because it’s a must-order on every visit. La Lucha’s mouthwatering burger comes with cheese, pickles, onions, mustard, lettuce, and tomato, and it’s wrapped up nicely so you won’t make too much of a mess while eating it. The oysters and fried chicken stand out, too, so take a couple of friends and try a bit of everything.

While Moon Tower Inn is known for its substantial draft beer selection, we mainly visit the East End “sudworks” for the food. Since the business gets its name from cult classic Dazed and Confused, it’s no surprise that the menu here looks like it was cooked up late at night in a stoner’s kitchen. The Cheech and the Chong burgers are quite nice, but our go-to at Moon Tower is the Willie, a greasy bomb of goodness featuring a hamburger patty, griddled ham, chipotle pimento cheese, and roasted jalapeño coleslaw.

EaDo burger destination Rodeo Goat has one of the largest burger menus in the city, with 15 well-conceptualized varieties to choose from. While the Marvin Zindler, featuring applewood smoked bacon, jalapeños, and pickle chutney, is a total delight, our favorite mash-up is the whiskey burger: The salty-sweet patty comes topped with whiskey cheddar, candied bacon, blackberry compote, shredded lettuce, and whole grain mustard.

Stanton’s City Bites knows a thing or two about making burgers, which makes sense considering the grocery-store-turned-restaurant was founded a long, long time ago in 1961. While there are several burgers here that strike our fancy—from the Holy Cow to the Miss Piggie—there’s one in particular that stands out more than the rest. The Luke Skyburger features a beef patty, deep-fried bacon, garlic-sauteed spinach, grilled mushrooms, provolone, and enough meaty goodness to have you swearing off the dark side for good.

No Houston burger restaurant has attracted more national attention than rapper Bun B’s Trill Burgers (duh). The smashburger hot spot has become a sensation through its pop-ups across the country, and it was even named the nation’s best burger by ABC’s Good Morning America. In June 2023, Trill Burgers opened its first brick-and-mortar in Montrose, in the former home of a James Coney Island. We recommend the OG Burger, an extra-crispy marvel that comes topped with pickles, caramelized onions, American cheese, and Bun B’s super-secret Trill sauce.

It’s hard to find a pop-up in Houston that hustles harder than Umbrella Fellas. The hot-dog-and-burger-dispensing dive bar staple, founded in 2016 by Chito Perez, can be found throughout the week at places like Axelrad, Little Dipper Bar, Grand Prize Bar, and Bad Astronaut Brewing. Beneath its famous red-and yellow-striped umbrella, Perez cooks up some of the most perfect burgers in the city. A standout on the menu is the Chito burger, a concoction that sports a beef patty topped with bacon, gorgonzola, and cranberry, all served on a buttered challah bun, and for more deliciousness, consider adding a fried egg.