Buffalo's Best Burgers
Whenever the question comes up of who has the best burger, I ask a qualifying question: do you want smash burger or a seasoned, hand-formed patty? More recently, I have been adding the question of stuffed or unstuffed. Jeff is pretty much always down for a burger. It is probably his favorite food group after seafood. So we have made the rounds of Buffalo’s best burger spots and we’re sharing our results!
First, I feel that no discussion of burgers in the Buff would be complete without paying homage to a burger institution that I, along with other Western New Yorkers, still fondly discuss despite the restaurant being closed since December of 2018. I am speaking of course, of Vizzi’s, previously housed at 967 Kenmore Avenue in Kenmore.
A tribute to the Vizzi’s Burger
There are no words really, only moans of satisfaction to describe the pleasure of devouring this 1/2 pound of perfection with it's generous sides. The inclusion of garlic in this patty, warms my little Italian heart. I chose the potato salad as my side, which I had previously estimated to be two pounds. It's actually one pound. I took home half of it and weighed it on my food scale. I have a problem with potato salad, seriously. I don't trust myself to buy it at the store because I know I will eat the entire tub of it. So that really speaks to the burger when I have to take the potato salad to go.
I suggest a moment of silence while viewing the picture below.
Jeff may never experience the Vizzi’s Burger, but to date, Jeff and I have sampled burgers from eleven restaurants in the “best burgers” category on our to-try list. It’s a list I have cultivated based on my own experiences, the recommendation of friends, and from other online lists such as this one.
Smash Burgers
As mentioned, I feel like we need to separate burgers into three categories: Smash Burgers, Hand-formed patties, and Stuffed burgers. The Smash Burger is made from a ball of ground beef smashed or pressed into a thin, flat patty on a hot pan or grill. Smash burgers may or may not be seasoned and are typically crisp on the edges.
Our favorite place for smash burgers is Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs at 707 Kenmore Avenue on the Kenmore/Buffalo line. It’s our favorite place for a lot of things, including the best hand-cut French fries!
Another place that we have enjoyed for smash burgers is Mister Sizzle’s at 346 Connecticut Street in Buffalo. What I love most about Mister Sizzle’s is their options for vegan and lactose-sensitive friendly Milkshakes!
Hand-pressed Burgers
In the interest of keeping this post at the [approximately] 5-minute read mark that I strive for, I am just going to list the burgers we have enjoyed in this category with a brief note. Listed in alphabetical order to avoid the appearance of ranking:
Allen Burger Venture at 175 Allen Street in Buffalo - over a dozen creative varieties of dry-aged, grass-fed Angus beef burgers.
Gabriel’s Gate at 145 Allen Street in Buffalo - a half dozen choices of 1/2 pound burgers named after Buffalo streets.
Griffon Gastropub at 5445 Transit Road in Williamsville/Clarence (multiple locations) - several choices of half-pound burgers made from a blend of freshly ground chuck, short rib & sirloin plus a wild game burger that changes daily. (Menu may vary by location).
Grover’s Bar & Grill at 9160 Transit Road in East Amherst - “The Grover Burger” available in several incarnations—12 oz. of fresh 90% lean Angus Beef. CASH ONLY
Juicy Burger Bar at 1 Buffalo Street in Hamburg - over a dozen burger varieties plus two veggie options. Jeff orders his medium-rare and I, medium. They nailed those temps! We’re not in the South towns often but when we are, this place is a go-to!
Mike & Pop’s Bistro & Tavern at 3020 Delaware Avenue in Kenmore - Mike’s Burger or the Rodeo Burger: both 8oz chuck, short rib, brisket, and angus burger. Plus two veggie options. Pro tip: order the Caprese Dip for an appetizer. You’re welcome!
Roaming Bison Tavern at 732 Hertel Avenue in Buffalo - RBT Bison Burger or a 1/3lb House Ground Brisket Burger—this one is one of my favorites!
Stuffed Burgers
Not-usually my go-to, but a creative and newly emerging category of burger is the Stuffed Burger. My first experience in this category was at Stooges Stuffed Burger Bar at 2 Pine Street in Lockport. I tried, The Krazy, a house blend burger stuffed with mac n' cheese with a little more cheese sauce on top. There are about a half dozen varieties of Stuffed Burgers at Stooges as well as Chicken and Sausage Burgers.
Another spot for even a larger variety of stuffed burgers is Rock Burger. Currently with three locations, one each in Niagara Falls, Cheektowaga, and Tonawanda, I’ve read that they have plans to expand with even more locations. Rock Burger offers all of their burgers in two sizes: the 1/2 pound Rock Burger as well as 1/4 pound Rock Mini. The burgers come stuffed and topped with a variety of options and are available unstuffed as well. As for temps, you can order them “with pink” or “no pink” which I thought was really smart to give a temp option but narrow it down to two. You can catch the founder of Rock Burger on an upcoming episode of Food Network’s show “Guy’s Grocery Games,” which will air on May 24 at 9PM (EST).
So who did I miss? Did your favorite burger spot not make our list? Tell me about it in the comments so that we can check it out!
Jamie. As a man who could literally eat a burger 7 Days a week this is a Treasure Trove, especially since I have so little Suburban Burger eating experience. You're creating an amazing Guide Here, and as always with funny and enticing to read Prose. This will be a winner with a local small publisher!
I, as usual, want to make sure the SoBo, Southtowns get their Fair Shake, so let Me suggest You try the Historic Red Top; on the Lake Shore just where Route 75 Curls into Route 5. It's well over 60 Years Old, and used to be Known as Cliff's Red Top. Cliff had grill burns on his belly that He gave Himself while admiring a bikini clad young woman "Walking "Away". Not knowing his gut was laying on the charcoal bars... Anyway the burger there is tremendous. You sit in Your car to eat with a Sunset view of Lake Erie. Red Top is Cash Only. On Route 5 across from the Ford Stamping Plant is the Fantastic Tony's Red Hots. They're right near each other and both have brilliant burgers. Last, many people don't realize that the burgers at Ted's, especially on Southwestern in Orchard Park, has tremendous burgers too.
I Love This Column. Great Work!