Where to Find the Best Burger in Seattle

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We’ve tried nearly all of the burgers that Seattle has to offer in search of the best.

We didn’t leave this up for speculation though. We’ve put a lot of time into consuming and judging all aspects of Seattle’s best burgers. We tested meat quality, size, doneness and flavor, bun quality and flavor, produce quality and flavor, burger presentation and aroma, and location ambiance.

Blue Moon Specialty Burgers
Blue Moon Specialty Burgers

We scored each burger in each category to come up with a total score, which we will reveal here, so you know where to find the best burgers in Seattle.

If you’re already familiar with the burger scene in Seattle, you might have a list of contenders in mind. We wanted to test out all of the burgers that people think of when burgers in Seattle comes to mind.

ยป Interested in where to find the best pizza and the best taco trucks in Seattle?

What We Ordered

Giddy Up's Specialty Burger Menu
Giddy Up’s Specialty Burger Menu

In order to measure all burgers equally, they had to have the same toppings. So we chose to go with the Classic Burger. S classic burger is a single patty flash-cooked on the griddle (usually 1/4 or 1/3lb), melted American cheese, a slice of onion, tomato, pickles, shredded lettuce and special sauce. 

โ‡’ Don’t forget to check out Seattle’s great microbreweries – beer goes perfectly with a good burger!

Supper Club Burger Questers pondering their decisions

Best Seattle Burgers – Reviewed and Scored

Blue Moon Burgers

Blue Moon Burgers used to have locations in a number of different spots, but they’ve now paired down to just one restaurant in Alki. We ordered two standard burgers (the burgers pictured at the top of this article are a couple of their specialty burgers) with a side of French fries.

The Blue Moon Classic Cheeseburger
The Blue Moon Classic Cheeseburger

My first impression of the burger was that it was underwhelming. It’s a pretty small burger. The patty was falling apart, almost like it had been cut in half (as you can see in the photo), and the lettuce wasn’t cut properly. The bun was a bit too sweet for my liking. It was more like a Hawaiian bun than a burger bun. And it wasn’t toasted.

There was a special sauce, but it was scant and I couldn’t really taste it. I couldn’t help but think this burger looked better last time I ordered it, but maybe I was just hoping it did.

The French fries are the redeeming factor at Blue Moon. They are hand-cut potato fries, with just the right amount of crispy exterior to fluffy interior. We all concurred that this basket of fries had a good ratio of both.

Cost of two standard cheeseburgers & fries: $15

The Rating

Meat: 8/16 Bun: 5/8 Produce: 3/8 Presentation: 3/8 Fries: 3/4 Ambiance: 2.5/4

Uneeda Burger

The interior of Uneeda Burger
The interior of Uneeda Burger

The best part of Uneeda Burger is the space. The outdoor seating area is great, especially on a really nice sunny day. The huge garage door opens up and the outdoor and indoor space becomes one. There’s not a lot of parking in this neighborhood. There are other popular restaurants nearby, so you might find it hard to get parking.

Uneeda Burger
Uneeda Burger

The burgers served here are fantastic. The meat wasn’t cooked to our requested doneness, and was actually quite a bit overdone, but it was still a really good burger, despite that.

I really like that they use real cheddar on their burgers, instead of American cheese. One downside was the triple stack of pickles. I like pickles, but that was a bit much, even for me. The bun was a little thick on the bottom, but it was toasted with butter, so it was still delicious.

Uneeda Burger Fries
Uneeda Burger Fries

The French fries were good, as well. They are hand-cut potato fries and are crispy and tender. These weren’t seasoned very well, but we were able to remedy that with the salt provided on the table. The ketchup wasn’t anything special.

Cost of two classic cheeseburgers & fries: $15

The Rating

Meat: 10.5/16 Bun: 6/8 Produce: 8/8 Presentation: 6.5/8 Fries: 3/4 Ambiance: 4

Giddy Up Burgers

Giddy Up Burger exterior
Giddy Up Burger exterior

The aroma of freshly cooked hamburger met us at the door at Giddy Up Burgers. I have to say it was incredibly enticing. The building is really great. You can be sure they got high marks for ambiance. The space inside is large and open, so even if there are screaming children about (and there were), you can find a quite corner. 

They also had quite a few beers on tap, plus a cider or two and a homemade rootbeer.

They have an impressive list of specialty burgers. I was equally impressed by the look of this burger as I was by Uneeda’s. This wasn’t a sad-looking classic burger like we found at Blue Moon. This was a real, substantial burger.

The Giddy Up Classic Cheeseburger
The Giddy Up Classic Cheeseburger

My only complaints about this burger were that the meat was really tough and the pickles were too sweet. The patty didn’t quite fit on the bun – the ratio of meat to bun was off. As you can see there is a chunk of our bun missing, which doesn’t bode well. It was toasted well though, and tasted good.

I really liked that the meat was well seasoned, despite it’s toughness, and that there was ample sauce – enough so that we could actually taste it along with the rest of the components. Also, top marks for real cheddar cheese. In the picture below you can also see that the meat is still medium (as ordered) and that the bun is a bit dry.

The fries were really good here. I feel like that’s an important part of the burger experience, so I’m happy to see so much consistency among all the burger joints. The size of the regular fries at Giddy Up was a little on the small side. Overall, we really liked and enjoyed Giddy Up. The burgers are solid.

Cost of two classic cheeseburgers & fries: $16

The Rating:

Meat: 11/16 Bun: 5.75/8 Produce: 5/8 Presentation: 3/8 Fries: 3/4 Ambiance: 4/4

Lil’ Woody’s

Oh Lil’ Woody’s. I’ve liked you in the past, but something was wrong with you today. You didn’t taste very good, your bun was stale and I’m pretty sure your ketchup was fermented. The last time I was there, I had to send my burger back for being too salty. This time, we just wanted to send the whole lot back.

Lil' Woody's in Ballard
Lil’ Woody’s in Ballard

Lil’ Woody’s was the only burger place that didn’t offer a true “classic burger”. They have a Lil’ Woody’s 1/4 lb burger and a Big Woody’s 1/3 lb burger. The 1/4 has ketchup and no lettuce. We ordered it because we thought it was the most comparable (by price too. It was $4.50). However, when it showed up at our table, we were confused because it resembled a McDonald’s cheeseburger. It was small and disappointing, to say the least.

So we built our own burger, which was basically a Big Woody without the bacon. The cashier didn’t quite understand that and charged me for a Big Woody, but left the bacon off. The Big Woody is $7.50. The build-your-own 1/3 lb without bacon should have been $6.

The Big Woody without bacon
The Big Woody without bacon

Regardless, neither of the Lil’ Woody’s burgers won us over. The meat patty was small and didn’t seem to fit the bun. The burger looked like it was assembled by a 3 year old. It was messy and unappealing.

The fries at Lil’ Woody’s are another problem. The regular order of fries arrives in a basket. There are a lot of them, for sure. But they just don’t taste very good. They are cut too thin and really greasy (which you can see in the picture).

Cost of two classic cheeseburgers & fries: $19.50

The Rating:

Meat: 8/16 Bun: 4/8 Produce: 5/8 Presentation: 4.5/8 Fries: 0.5/4 Ambiance: 2.5/4

Red Mill Burgers

Red Mill Burgers Interbay location
Red Mill Burgers Interbay location

I’ve always enjoyed Red Mill Burgers. We went to the Ballard Locks location, called Red Mill Totem House.  In each of their locations, the tables outside add a lot of extra seating space to the small interior. Since there’s often a line at Red Mill, it’s good to have additional seating available. It’s nothing fancy, but it works.

In my opinion, Red Mill has a good, reliable burger. We ordered the Red Mill Deluxe to stick with our guidelines. They also offer a basic cheeseburger that comes without onion, tomato or pickles. It says American Cheese on the menu, but you can upgrade to cheddar.There’s nothing super fancy about Red Mill. It’s just a good, quick burger. Going in with that knowledge is part of the appeal.

Red Mill Deluxe Cheeseburger
Red Mill Deluxe Cheeseburger

The patty is the most “fast-food”-like of any of the ones on this list, but the toppings and sauce make up for the patty. At least the meat wasn’t dry. The burger isn’t the most pleasing to the eye, either. We were there late – about 10 minutes before closing – so it’s possible they just tossed together our burger so they could go home.

If you don’t mind the sloppiness, it’s a tasty burger. All of the ingredients are in balance with each other.

The fries here are up to standard. The serving size is slightly bigger than we got elsewhere (except for Lil’ Woody’s), and there was a good mix of crunchy and soft fries. We got the ketchup to go, so it was served in packets. No fermented ketchup here!

Cost of two classic cheeseburgers & fries: $19.50

The Rating:

Meat: 9.5/16 Bun: 5.5/8 Produce: 6.25/8 Presentation: 7.5/8 Fries: 3/4 Ambiance: 2.5/4

Seattle Restaurant Burgers

8oz. Burger & Co.

When our burger arrived, we knew immediately that this was going to be a really good burger.

8oz Burger Co Classic Burger
8oz Burger Co Classic Burger

The patty on the 8oz burger far exceeds any other patty. It’s thick enough to cook to order, and it was served a perfect medium, just like we requested, and it was still really juicy. Unfortunately, because of the juiciness, the bottom bun was soggy.

The cheese is also superior and it was melting down the sides of the patty. There was just the right amount of sauce. The bun was fresh and tasty, though somewhat soggy on the bottom.

The fries are perfect here. They somehow manage to get them dark and crispy, but maintain the moisture in the inside, so they aren’t dry or hard. The ketchup was also superior. There was a bottle of a premium brand of local organic ketchup on every table. Of course, all of this awesomeness comes at a price.

The cost of the burger is $11, and that’s without fries. Plus, you have to pay for service. So the total came to around $30. Obviously it was outside of the range we were going for. But it was a really great experience and an even better burger, so no regrets! As you can see, it received near-perfect scores across the board. Yum!

The Rating:

Meat: 15/16 Bun: 7/8 Produce: 6.5/8 Presentation: 7.5/8 Fries: 4/4 Ambiance: 4/4

When we say “restaurant” burgers, we mean the top grade, grass-fed beef patty, piled high with toppings, usually including multiple strips of smoky bacon with tons of oozing melted cheese on the top and a heaping pile of top-quality French fries on the plate – and of course, they have to be served in a restaurant setting, ordered from a waiter and delivered to the table. Thus, here are our recommendations for Seattle’s best restaurant burgers.

Palace Kitchen

Palace Kitchen Burger Royale
Palace Kitchen Burger Royale (Photo by Savored Journeys)

Palace Kitchen, part of the Tom Douglas empire of restaurants, has always been our favorite Seattle high-end burger. There’s nothing about it that we don’t like. The Palace Royale Burger is a hand-ground Washington chuck burger with a Dahlia bakery bun and a boatload of skinny fries on the side.

The burger comes with lettuce, tomato and pickles and your choice of cheese (we always choose cheddar) and you can add your own ketchup. The best parts of the burger are the freshly-baked bun and the fact that the meat is juicy and flavorful, cooked medium rare.

The only disappointing part is that this burger costs $19 (as of this posting), so when ordering 2 burgers and 2 beers for dinner the bill comes to somewhere around $80, which just seems egregious for a couple of burgers.

PRO TIP: If there are two of you, order just one burger and split it (it’s plenty of food!).

Address: 2030 5th Ave. Seattle (Temporarily Closed!)

Quinn’s Pub

Quinn's Pub burger
Quinn’s Pub burger (Photo by Savored Journeys)

The burger at Quinn’s Pub is slightly more subdued and orderly than the other burgers on this list, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty. It’s an 8oz Painted Hills beef patty, with bacon, aioli, white cheddar and mayo on a brioche bun with fries on the side. It’s served with a little flag reminding you how you asked for it to be cooked, and we’ve always found it to be spot on.

The good part about this burger is that it can be easily contained within the bun. I like messy burgers, but I don’t want all of the parts to be falling out as I attempt to take a bite. The bun is good and soft. If you like lettuce, tomato and pickles on your burger, you might not like how minimalist this burger is. The burger is currently priced at $17.

Address: 1001 E Pike St, Seattle

Eureka!

Eureka's Cowboy burger
Eureka’s Cowboy burger (Photo by Savored Journeys)

Located in University Village, Eureka! is a great place to get a burger in Seattle. It doesn’t make the main list because it is technically a chain restaurant with locations in other cities, and we didn’t want to include chains in the list. But, if you’re looking for a delicious burger, you should still know about this option.

The Original Eureka burger is a good place to start with smoked gouda, lettuce, tomato and special sauce. You can add bacon or an egg. Or you could go for one of their specialty burgers. We really like the Cowboy Burger.

When I was linking to their site, I saw that they currently have a Bone Marrow burger as a limited time special. So see, you can get some really great burgers at Eureka!

Address: 2614 NE 46th Street, Seattle

CONCLUSION

So many great burgers in Seattle, it’s hard to pick just one, but these are definitely the top five burgers you can find at restaurants around Seattle. Tell us about your favorite Seattle burger in the comments below.

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Best Seattle Burgers
Best Seattle Burgers
Where to Find the Best Burger in Seattle

23 thoughts on “Where to Find the Best Burger in Seattle

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Nope, we’ve never skipped it. Ever since my trip to Egypt in 2007, I’ve made sure we have our going out of the country burger before every trip.

  1. Elaine J. Masters says:

    Feels like a uniquely American quest. I couldn’t do it in such a short span of time without doing as they do at food competitions and wine tastings. Taking a bite and spitting out or throwing out the rest. The quest is valuable for those of us visiting Seattle though and I’ll put your winners to the test one day.

    • Laura Lynch says:

      That’s why we split the burger into thirds – and even then it was too much. By the end we were feeling the effects of eating 2 burgers in a 4-hour period. The next day we fasted. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Anda says:

    Yumm! This looks really delicious. I am not a fan of burgers, but I remember some good ones I eat in my life. I don’t think I could implement such a traveling tradition though. It would ruin my waistline…

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Well, it all depends on how many times you go out of the country. We usually only take 2-3 trips a year out of the country, so it’s not too bad.

  3. Fiona @ London-Unattached says:

    hahaha, I love the burger grading sheet! We’ve had a bit of a burger craze in London and it would really have helped!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      The grading sheet is the funnest part. Everywhere we go, people are asking about it and wanting to see our ratings. It’s fun.

  4. melody pittman says:

    I really enjoyed this post and wish I could have been there sampling them all with you! I love that the burgers have their own rating guide. lol I live in the south and the perfect burger down here is topped with onion jam OR pimento cheese. NOM! Think you should find the ultimate burger in Florida next. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Melody, that sounds really interesting. I would love to try one. I’m coming to Florida (well Ft Lauderdale and Maimi) next month. I’ll have to check it out!

  5. Holly says:

    I love the tradition that you made. Sometimes you really do just crave something as simple as a hamburger. All the burgers looked pretty tasty. Great journey you two set out on!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Thanks Holly. It was a fun quest. I really enjoy traditions, so for me it’s fun to have one attached to traveling, especially eating. My two favorite things.

  6. Ryazan Tristram says:

    OMG! After reading this post makes me crave for burgers! Great way to explore Seattle. Just remember to burn all the calories afterwards! LOL!

  7. Andrea Leblang says:

    You guys are my kindred, burger loving spirits! I too have been on many a burger quest in the US, and also used to get one before leaving the country! It’s also the first thing I would want upon return ๐Ÿ˜‰ Living abroad, a good burger is the thing I miss the most… seems to be one thing the US does better than anyone else! Now I’m craving one more than ever, and feel the need to hop a flight to Seattle! Thanks for intensifying my already fierce craving.. geez! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    • Laura Lynch says:

      We are definitely fellow burger lovers! I’m finding that a lot of people crave burgers when out the country. They just aren’t the same elsewhere. At least the U.S. has one great claim to fame.

  8. Ana O says:

    This was fun to read and I’m sure it was fun to do as well. Can you ome a do a birger challenge in Dallas? I’ll drive you around!

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Ana, that would be so awesome! I would love to do a burger quest in Dallas. I’ve heard there are some pretty mean burgers there. When are you free? ๐Ÿ™‚

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