(From August 2009) If, like us, you have a deep and abiding love of both buffalo wings and hamburgers and have often wondered if together they would not produce something greater than the sum of their parts, this is the burger for you. The tangy vinegar-and-Tabasco sauce is hot but not overpowering, and the richness of the blue cheese is complemented by the thick tomato slices and a delicate spring mix of arugula and spinach. We know that sounds a little sissified, but balance is provided by the sports bar’s pool table, dart boards, waitresses in short shorts, and abundant flat-screen TVs tuned to ESPN.

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(From August 2009) A Tex-Mex combo plate on a bun—that’s the way to think of this iteration of a San Antonio bean burger. Slathered with refried beans and stuffed with crisp, salty corn chips, the behemoth is further dolled up with an american-cheddar blend, chopped onions, and sliced pickled jalapeños. Crazy as it sounds, everything coalesces into one glorious, chin-wiping, shirt-splotching meal. Between bites, stare at the array of vintage knickknacks and old license plates adorning every surface of the off-road country cottage’s rock walls.

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(From August 2009) We feared a place called Burger Fresh would be the work of health nuts, the kind of folk who perish if alfalfa sprouts are not made available. Instead we found a classically good Angus burger: hand-formed; kissed by a hot griddle; oozing plenty of artery-clogging juices; carefully but not pretentiously dressed with mustard and a ripe tomato slice above and mayo, lettuce, and slices of white onion below; and resting on one kick-ass sourdough bun flecked with bits of jalapeño and cheese.

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(From August 2009) Sometimes you want a burger that’s just a little bit different, and the Korean owners of this humble restaurant cook up a delicious twist. The tender beef has been audaciously marinated in soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil, but what really makes it unique is that it’s thinly sliced rather than ground. Sure, there might be some grumpy purists out there who insist that ground meat is a constitutive part of hamburgers. To these scrooges we say, your loss is our (weight) gain. The bulgogi sauce is a hot, coral-colored blend featuring roasted garlic and onions. At the fixin’s bar, you dress the shaved meat yourself with fresh tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and homemade condiments.

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(From August 2009) Admittedly our expectations were not high for a burger that achieved fame by filling bottomless student bellies, but after one bite of the Snuffy Burger we almost let out a fightin’ farmer whoop! The Snuffy is complemented by a soft and toasty bun, crisp iceberg, fresh chopped onion, sliced tomato, and pickle. Considering the high quality of this burger, the fact that the plentiful mayo and mustard were combined on the bottom bun—a no-no in some books—was forgiven.

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(From August 2009) While not huge, Classics’ cheeseburger requires a two-handed grip to be properly managed. Its patty is handmade from beef freshly ground that day and nestled under crisp condiments on a butter-toasted bun. They’ll respectfully cook it to your specs (a rarity in smaller-town burger joints, we’re sorry to report), and even the “medium” stayed nice and tender till the last bite. The lightly battered fries crowding the plate define “addictive.”

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(From August 2009) There are voluptuous-burger people and slim-burger people. If your taste in burgers runs more to Scarlett Johansson than, say, Audrey Hepburn, go eat this sandwich now: the half-pound patty of freshly ground Black Angus beef arrives all shimmering and juicy on a toasted whole-wheat bun. The lettuce is crisp, the thin-sliced pickles are tart, and the tomato is a ripe red instead of a pale green. For a small fee, you may have your choice of one of six cheeses—adding the rich, creamy asadero results in custom-made gloppiness where every flavor still stands on its own: perfection on a bun.

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(From August 2009) They rush it to your table with the meat still sizzling. Old-school to the max, this burger is the perfect construction of sweet, toasted homemade bun and hand-pressed ground beef patty that’s just greasy and juicy enough to disintegrate in your mouth. Driving south of downtown, watch for the yellow, two-story cinder-block building with “Fatty’s” in black letters.

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(From August 2009) The pure outrageousness of a classic chili cheeseburger is epitomized by Gene’s legendary Frisco Burger. The chili spills lavalike onto the plate; the cheese caps it in gold. You’ll want to hose down afterward, but it’s worth it. Celebrating its fiftieth year of flipping burgers and serving shakes, this loud, popular joint is a household name in North Texas, and the number of tourists who have snapped pictures in front of its neon sign, in the shape of an ice cream cone, must now number in the millions.

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(From August 2009) You bite gently, and the patty’s grill-striped exterior yields to a moist, medium-rare center. Fashioned from eight ounces of Certified Angus, the meat is seasoned both inside and out and served on a toasted, fresh-baked sourdough roll. Customize it with weird and wonderful toppings (grilled pineapple or roasted red pepper, anyone?) and cheeses (American for old-schoolers, Camembert for Francophiles). The setting is more strip center than venerable burger joint, but close your eyes and the burger will convince you otherwise.

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