Fast food burgers - worst to best

[George K]

https://www.mashed.com/136239/fast-food-hamburgers-ranked-worst-to-best/

The worst? White Castle Slider.

If we're being totally honest here, it doesn't strike us as a fantastic start if a burger chain isn't even willing to market their hamburgers as hamburgers. No, White Castle prefers to refer to them as "sliders" — and, to their credit, branding them as such makes it just a little less disappointing when you order a hamburger and are instead handed one of these monstrosities.

First off, at 2x2", it's far, far too small. Yes, fine, maybe you're supposed to buy lots of them — but this is a ranking of America's best and worst hamburgers, not America's best and worst small piles of hamburgers. Then there's the bun, which is more the kind of roll you'd buy in a supermarket, and is far too airy and big relative to the actual components of the burger; which, by the way, consist only of a thin, square patty, a load of onions and a pickle. It's the sort of thing you'd expect to eat during wartime rationing, not at a fast food joint in 2018. Zero marks.

The best? In-N-Out Burger: Hamburger

And here we have it... the best; the creme de la creme; the head honcho; the bee's knees; the godfather; the undisputed heavyweight champion of the fast food hamburger world: In-N-Out. The toppings are simple (lettuce, onions and tomatoes) but compounded with a special sauce that more than makes up for it. Everything is entirely fresh — peek inside the kitchen of your local In-N-Out and you won't find a microwave, heat lamp or freezer in sight. Vegetables are hand-selected, while pretty much everything is regionally-sourced and free of additives and preservatives.

The patties themselves are cooked on the grill to the point of perfection, of course, and the toppings on each burger are generous in quantity without ever becoming clumsy or overbearing. You can tell they're fresh, too, with every piece of lettuce, onion or tomato tasting genuinely, honest-to-god real. And that's not something you can say for the rest, is it?

I've only been to In-N-Out once, in San Francisco. It was a decent enough burger, but nothing really special, IMO.

[Jolly]

I'll take Five Guys over In-N-Out...

[LuFins Dad]

Five Guys isn’t fast food...

I would take White Castle over In & Out. I don’t see the love for In & Out at all.

[Mik]

[Mik]

But seriously, that guy is whacked out for some of his middle tier ordering.

[LuFins Dad]

@Mik said in Fast food burgers - worst to best:

Wait, who’s the blasphemer?

[Mik]

Both of you.

[Catseye3]

This reviewer's scurrilous comments about White Castle sliders are a vile smear campaign!!!

Vile!

[LuFins Dad]

I agree with @Catseye3

I like White Castle...

[Jolly]

@LuFins-Dad said in Fast food burgers - worst to best:

I agree with @Catseye3

I like White Castle...

Yeah, and you probably think you voted for Trump.

White Castle loses in the initial vote and in the recount. Just like we knew all along.

[Horace]

white castle sliders are good food. But they are better described as burger shaped objects than burgers.

[SD Tav]

I couldn't believe the 14-hour wait in line for the first In-N-Out joint in Colorado. I would've said to those in line "it's not that great!". A few years ago they shrunk the size of the patties. Way overrated. White Castle.........bring backs memories of growing up in Cincinnati.

[Mik]

I wouldn’t wait 14 hours in line for the second coming. Agree with Horace that sliders are a BSO.

[Larry]

Ever eat a Butter Burger from Culvert's? Best burger I've ever had, other than a Fuddruckers.

[Horace]

Well yeah I did. I worked a short walk from the founding Culver's franchise, for a few years. Sauk City, WI.

Fuddruckers is probably the best franchise burger I've ever had. The best? It's at bars.

[jon-nyc]

+1 on Fuddruckers.

In and Out isn't bad, but it isn't great either. I had one last fall in California. It's been too ling since I've had a 5 guys burger so I'd have to try them each again to compare.

Shake Shack is my favorite of the regionals.

But still second to Fuddruckers.

[George K]

I just looked at 5 guys - there's one close to me.

The fries:

The burger:

Cheeseburger and Fries is over 1800 calories!

[Mik]

Also agree with Horace that the real best burgers are to be found in taverns and bars.