What’s it take to say you have the best burger in town?

There’s a couple of approaches – there is, for one, the slow and bureaucratic and sometimes biased democratic method where some third party has a vote or a judging or a contest or something and reaches a conclusion. Which is fine for those who like taste handled by committee.

And then there’s the more direct method – cut out the middleman, and just put up a banner or billboard or website declaring your burgers are best.

To go that route, you need nothing but chutzpah, but you better have a tasty burger.

Little Diner Burger
Little Diner
Little Diner Burger

 

Little Diner

Little Diner's Happy Burger has been named the best cheeseburger in north Alabama, and yet a lot of lists of local burger options will miss it. Certainly, Little Diner itself is off the beaten pass and easy to overlook if you don't know what you're looking for, but the giant Happy Burger is worth the visit. The name is unusual but it lives up to it - if you eat one, you'll be happy. The standard version is just a good old all-American (giant) cheeseburger; if you want something a little different, get the kimchee-topped version.

 

Big Spring Cafe Burgers
Big Spring Cafe
Big Spring Cafe Burgers

 

Big Spring Cafe 

Big Spring Cafe celebrated 100 years in business in 2022, and you can still go to "the Home of the Greasy Burger" to get a burger that tastes just like if you'd gotten one there a century ago. While the classic recipes haven't changed, the menu as a whole has evolved over the years. So if you order a “cheeseburger,” you'll get one with all today’s standard fixings, but if you order a “hamburger with cheese” and you’ll get a burger served up plain-and-simple the way your great-great-great grandmother might have gotten one there.

 

Farm Burger Vegan Burger
Farm Burger
Farm Burger Vegan Burger

 

Farm Burger

Farm Burger isn't technically local-only, but it's a small regional chain and the one in Huntsville is the only one in Alabama. And when people talk about the best burgers in Huntsville, Farm Burger is a name that comes up often. The difference is in the beef – what makes a Farm Burger burger great begins long before the beef reaches the kitchen. Their burgers are made from grass-fed, humanely handled cows raised on small farms with no added hormones or antibiotics. But make no mistake – what happens in the kitchen ain't half bad either, when that beef is added to high-quality ingredients to create an incredibly flavorful burger.

 

Goodland Pourhouse Vegan Burger
Vegan Burgers
Goodland Pourhouse Vegan Burger

 

Vegan Burgers

Looking for a burger – hold the beef – that lives up to your cravings? Huntsville and Madison are home to several restaurants that offer memorable vegetarian and vegan burgers. We've dedicated an entire blog post to some of the local highlights, so check out the options, whether you're looking to dine somewhere with a fully vegan menu or you want somewhere meatless and meat full burgers coexist in harmony.

 

Casa Blanca Margarita
Casa Blanca
Casa Blanca Margarita

 

Casa Blanca 

Unless you're under the age of 10 (and probably even then), it's usually a waste to go to a Mexican restaurant and order a hamburger. Most of the time, a burger is only on the menu as the one "safe" standard American option for diners looking to stay in their comfort zone. At Casa Blanca, however, there's nothing standard about the Mexi Burger.

This unconventional burger ditches the bun in favor of two quesadillas, and the hamburger meat is joined with bacon, cheese, avocado, lettuce, and pico de gallo. There are some unusual burgers on this list, but not as out of the box as the Mexi Burger.