(QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Two Charlotte restaurants landed on a list of best burger places in America.
Ahead of National Hamburger Day on Sunday, the analysts at Yelp have — unfortunately for cows — decided to rank 100 of the top spots for beefy burgers, based largely on the ratings and reviews contributed by Yelp’s online community.
In addition to ranking the burgers, the dining site highlights trends that were discovered while compiling the list. Yelpers want their burgers “cued up and saucy” the post says, and the top restaurant on the list, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q in Atlanta, serves a Texas-style patty with a chopped brisket burger.
There are two eateries in the top 15 that don’t even serve meat-based burgers. Locations in Atlanta and Los Angeles received rave reviews for plant-based burgers. “Vegans and meat-eaters alike are craving plant-based burgers more than ever,” it says.
The top burger spot in the Carolinas and Charlotte is The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar. Here’s how Yelp describes it:
Can’t decide between burgers or sushi? At this always-busy fusion hot spot, you can have both. Fresh, never-frozen burgers, sushi, and combo plates are served under one cacophonous roof, along with eclectic music, and a space decked out with bright-red walls, offbeat artwork, and exotic fish (including real cowfish) in larger-than-life aquariums.
“We decided to just have fun with it,” explains Alan Springate, who owns and runs the unique concept with business partner Marcus Hall.
Yelp
Yelp says DIYers enjoy crafting their own Cowfish burgers from dozens of options for proteins, cheeses and toppings. Fusion fans prefer Cowfish’s popular bento boxes — combo meals that feature a slider-like mini-burger (either classic or the week’s specialty offering), plus sushi and sides.
Coming in at No. 32 is Living Kitchen. This spot in South End’s Atherton Mill complex is among the veggie-based spots on the list.
The Fire and Brimstone burger comes with Chipotle sunflower seed hummus, guacamole, tomato, red onion, fire&brimstone sauce. Then there’s the Classic, with lemon parsley sunflower seed hummus, guacamole, cucumber and red onion.
Other burger joints making the list in North Carolina are Durham’s Sister Liu’s Kitchen (7) and Blue Moon Beach Grill in Nags Head just squeezing in at 98. For South Carolina, 167 Raw Oyster Bar in Charleston ranks 41st, while Columbia’s Pawleys Front Porch is 89th.
Here is the entire top 25:
Below are the top 25 burger spots in the U.S., according to Yelp’s users. The complete list, along with links to each restaurant’s Yelp page, can be found on Yelp’s site.
- Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q – Atlanta, Georgia
- Minetta Tavern – New York, New York
- Slutty Vegan – Atlanta, Georgia
- Gordon Ramsay Burger – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Father’s Office – Los Angeles, California
- The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar – Charlotte, North Carolina
- Sister Liu’s Kitchen – Durham, North Carolina
- Facing East – Bellevue, Washington
- Kuma’s Corner – Chicago, Illinois
- KoJa Kitchen – Berkeley, California
- Evolution Fast Food – San Diego, California
- Monty’s Good Burger – Los Angeles, California
- Crazy Burger Café & Juice Bar – Narragansett, Rhode Island
- Bear Bitez – Newark, California
- Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers – Leesburg, Virginia
- The Counter – San Jose, California
- Peppi’s – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Green New American Vegetarian – Tempe, Arizona
- Osaka’s – Boulder, Colorado
- Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Xi-an Famous Foods – New York, New York
- Plum Bistro – Seattle, Washington
- 5 Napkin Burger – New York, New York
- Panda Gourmet – Washington, D.C.
- Katsu Burger – Seattle, Washington
It’s worth pointing out that Yelp’s analysis isn’t a ranking of the best burgers in the country, but rather a ranking of the top-rated restaurants that serve noteworthy burgers: In compiling its list, Yelp’s analysts first identified the restaurants with a high concentration of reviews that mentioned “burger,” and then ranked those restaurants by their overall ratings and the volume of their reviews.
More information, including a map of Yelp’s top 100 burger spots, can be found at Yelp.com.
