2023’s Best Cities for Burger Lovers

Where can you find the hottest, juiciest, tenderest burger in America?

To mark National Hamburger Day on May 28, Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Burger Lovers.

We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on four categories. We considered access to burger vendors, consumer ratings, and national recognition, among nine total metrics.

See the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for burger lovers below, followed by key stats from our reportBe

Best Cities

for Burger Lovers

Worst Cities for Burger Lovers

Rank	City
1	Paterson, NJ
2	Miramar, FL
3	Pomona, CA
4	Thornton, CO
5	Chula Vista, CA
6	Carrollton, TX
7	Surprise, AZ
8	Brownsville, TX
9	Aurora, IL
10	Killeen, TX

Key insights:

• Burger empire: Each of the five New York State cities in our ranking finish in the top 100, with New York City cooking up to first place overall and in Recognition and Demand. NYC ranks in the top three across all four Recognition metrics, including the most establishments recognized by Mashed for serving the best burgers.
• Golden (State) arches: Fill your belly full of burgers in Fullerton, California (No. 61), which flaunts the highest average consumer rating for burger restaurants, followed by Moreno Valley (No. 68) and San Diego (No. 20). Unfortunately, the hometown of McDonald’s — San Bernardino (No. 143) — broils near the bottom with low Access and low-quality patties. 
• Satisfied stomachs: Emerging foodie hub, Charleston, South Carolina, sizzles to No. 18 with the top Consumer Satisfaction score. Chucktown claims the highest share of top-rated burger vendors and the highest average number of reviews per vendor. New Orleans (No. 13) takes second place in Consumer Satisfaction, followed by San Diego (No. 20), Springfield, Missouri (No. 30), and Savannah, Georgia (No. 29). 
• Lone Star sliders: Eight Texas cities score in the top half of our ranking, with Houston (No. 14) and Dallas (No. 19) finishing in the top 20. Texans are hungry for burgers — especially in Houston, which has the second-highest number of Google searches for burger-related terms over the past year. Establishments in Dallas and Houston also boast high Recognition in national “best burger” lists. 
• Regional standouts: Some regions bring their own special spin to the beloved hamburger. The cheese-stuffed Juicy Lucy helped bring Minneapolis, Minnesota, up to No. 6. Bite into a Wisconsin Butter Burger in Milwaukee (No. 35) and Madison (No. 64). Devour a cheeseburger in paradise in Honolulu (No. 23), or try a Loco Moco or spam-topped patty.
   

Helpful links:

• See where your city ranks
• Full study article