NATIONAL HAMBURGER DAY 2024

Over the years we’ve eaten one or two (or maybe three) hundred hamburgers on our travels across the U.S.A. so to celebrate NATIONAL HAMBURGER DAY 2024 we looked back at the 12 memorable burgers we’ve chowed on - from worst to best!

🍔 CHECKERS (Memphis, TN)

🤮 NO. 12

📆 VISITED: Aug 4th 2019

When something seems too good to be true, it probably is! We took advantage of a ‘2 for $6’ deal one night when we had the munchies while visiting Graceland, selecting a Deep Sea Double hamburger and Spicy Chicken Double each. Double indeed! Double trouble! For a few hours later the burgers were coming out of both ends! The first and only time we’ve been ill from something we’ve eaten in the U.S. thankfully. 

🍔 MR. CHARLIE’S (San Francisco, CA)

🐄 NO. 11

📆 VISITED: Aug 13th 2023

A vegan restaurant mimicking Mickey D’s that we spotted in Venice but sampled in San Francisco. The flavors of the ‘Not a Cheeseburger Frowny Meal’ were okay but the Not a Cheeseburger was swamped in ketchup and mustard, hiding the actual taste of the patties. Mr. Charlie’s is a clever concept - to get you to think about animal welfare and they should be applauded for that - but the burger left a lot to be desired!

🍔 McDONALD’S (Orlando, FL)

😤 NO. 10

📆 VISITED: Dec 29th 2023

As far as McDonald's is concerned, we’ve been in the good (Orlando in the 1990s when you could Super Size), the bad (Downtown Atlanta, burgers cooked from the floor) and the ugly (Miami Beach - chaos) but you typically know what you’re getting. We specifically visited a McDonald’s in Orlando during the Holidays 2023 to get our hands on the limited edition McNugget Buddies. The collectible toys were nostalgically fab! Meanwhile the patties in our Big Macs were forgettable!

🍔 JOHNNIE’S DRIVE-IN (Tupelo, MS)

👍 NO. 9

📆 VISITED: Aug 2nd 2019

Johnnie’s Drive-In is close to the birth place of Elvis Presley and was a favorite place for the young Elvis to visit. To be authentic to the history of the location, we sampled the traditional Doughburger ($1.35) and Cheese Doughburger ($1.45) having heard that these originated during more challenging times when money was tight and when various ingredients were added to the meat patty to bulk it out. Consequently, the patties weren't as juicy as regular ones, but the unique flavors were there and the exceptionally warm welcome the manageress gave us made this one of our best experiences of ‘Real America’ ever!

🍔 CARL’S JNR (Anaheim, CA)

👍 NO. 8

📆 VISITED: Aug 5th 2023

We stumbled into a Carl’s Jnr while walking to and from Disneyland on a magical visit to Anaheim. We found the restaurant to be quaint and very friendly. The burger was good and we’d definitely revisit, particularly as Carl’s Jnr is a local success story dating from 1941. 

🍔 HAMBURGERS (Sausalito, CA)

👍 NO. 7

📆 VISITED: Aug 11th 2023

We were in need of sustenance after a morning spent exploring the giant redwoods in Muir Woods and the aptly named Hamburgers in the picturesque coastal city of Sausalito was just the ticket! The hamburgers were prepared in front of us in the narrow restaurant which had only one table. We weren’t asked how we wanted the patties cooking and they were served ‘medium’ by default. The patties were thick, meaty and very flavorsome. They were quite a size and probably one of the biggest and thickest patties we’ve ever seen in the U.S.!

🍔 BAD DADDY’S BURGER BAR (Charlotte, NC)

🤔 NO. 6

📆 VISITED: Aug 4th 2022

A forgettable and flying visit - owing to jet lag and the beer served with the burger - but our blog notes tell us that the food arrived after a short wait and wasn’t as hot as it should have been. The portion size was reasonable and the flavors were very good, especially Bad Daddy’s secret sauce which had quite a kick! Definitely a place to try again - if only to create a memory!

🍔 HARD ROCK CAFE (Orlando, FL)

⚽️ NO. 5

📆 VISITED: Jan 6th 2023

Who fills themselves up with giant hamburgers and fries ahead of 20 hours travelling on numerous flights? Us that’s who! The Messi Burger was delicious and succulent, consisting of a double stack of seasoned beef patties, topped with provolone cheese, sliced chorizo, caramelized red onion, and signature spicy smoky sauce on a toasted brioche bun with shredded lettuce and vine-ripened tomato. The burger was served with tasty portions of chimichurri sauce, aioli sauce and a Latin chilli sauce. The fried egg incurred an additional charge of $2 but was another unique flavor to add to the mix. Messi by name, messy by nature. 

🍔 HARD ROCK CAFE (Chicago, IL)

🍕 NO. 4

📆 VISITED: Aug 19th 2019

Many Hard Rock Cafe’s serve unique burgers customised to the location. 

The Local Legend Burger in Chicago’s Hard Rock Cafe had a very vague description in the menu and when I asked for the "lo-cal" burger the server thought I was asking for a low calorie burger - my British accent must have thrown her! Once she knew what I meant, she said she would surprise me with it and hinted "It is very Chicago!" The burger arrived open topped, with both halves made up to be like a pizza. A pizza and burger in one! Flavors were intense and the portion size was of course hefty. 

🍔 FIVE GUYS (Atlanta, GA)

👍 NO. 3

📆 VISITED: Aug 11th 2019

Burgers and fries from Five Guys are always good, no matter where we’ve visited. The food is freshly prepared while you wait - what could be better than that? Being given almost $4,000 with your burger perhaps?! That almost happened to us (kind of)! We visited a Five Guys at Midtown Atlanta and our food came to $35.55. We paid with 40 dollars and 55 cents but our server accidentally rang in $4,000.55 and the register was expecting to give us $3,965 change! If only!

🍔 IN-N-OUT BURGER (Universal City, CA)

🤩 NO. 2

📆 VISITED: Jul 31st 2023

In-N-Out Burger first opened in 1948 and it can now be found at 400 locations, typically in California and some nearby states. We visited In-N-Out at Universal City after a hungry few hours exploring expensive Beverly Hills ("oh how the mighty have fallen"). We tried the aptly-named Double-Double burger, which consisted of “double meat, double cheese”, served with optional grilled or fried onions, plus lettuce and tomato, and the famous In-N-Out Spread sauce. The juicy burgers were of a reasonable size and hit the spot alongside the freshly handmade fries. Two weeks later we visited another In-N-Out, in San Francisco, and the food was equally as good. In-N-Out set a new benchmark on our expectations for fast food burgers in the U.S. and it is yet to be matched. 

And finally the best burgers we’ve ever had in the U.S. can now be revealed! Taking the number 1 spot is:

🍔 DAVID’S BURGERS (Little Rock, AR)

⭐️ NO. 1

📆 VISITED: Aug 3rd 2019

How good were the hamburgers? Well we travelled for 12 hours across Tennessee and Arkansas for David’s Burgers! Everything about our experience was top quality - the burgers, the fries and the service. 

Every visitor who walks through the door at the restaurant in Little Rock’s bustling River Market is made to feel welcome, and that included us: our English accents caught the attention of the friendly staff and they were pleasantly surprised when we said we had come to Little Rock especially for the burgers! 

We enjoyed a double burger with added cheese, fries and soda. Our server took our name and said that our food would be brought to us. We took swivel seats in the window as it gave us a great view of the comings and goings on E. Markham Street. David’s was very busy but service was swift and the atmosphere was buzzing. Our food arrived promptly and we tucked straight in. 

The fries had their skins on and were a dark brown - definitely home-made - and perfectly seasoned. The burger was the juiciest we had ever had and the bread-to-meat ratio was perfect. While we were eating, our server asked us if they could fetch us more refills of our drinks. They even came over and topped up our fries - twice - and gave us free samples of ice cream. We would have had a full dessert but we were just too full from all the free extras! Bliss!

David's Burgers is a family business founded in 2010. We saw young members of staff working hard throughout the restaurant and another member of staff kindly gave us tips on what to see and do in Little Rock - but our time there was soon up. 

Our visit to David’s Burgers was all too brief but 5 years later we are still talking about it - that says it all about why we rate it ‘America’s Best Hamburger’!

We have detailed reviews and hundreds of photographs of all the burger restaurants we've visited on our Facebook page >>> P&K USA