Hot grease drips off a buttery brioche bun as you sink your teeth into a savory combination of hot grilled Angus beef, melted cheddar cheese and smoky bacon.
Hungry yet?
It is no secret that Greensboro is filled with locally owned joints that serve up some of the best burgers in the state. Fresh, readily available ingredients are piled onto patties made from the best meats by both established diners and just-opened restaurants. The following are just a few of the best:
Jam’s Deli (5707 W. Friendly Ave. and 2920 Martinsville Rd.)
Walking into Jam’s is like traveling 60 years back in time to a land of 50s and 60s music, brightly colored plastic and friendly service. Diners at the deli will have a difficult time deciding between their excellent six-ounce burgers paired up with some of their flavorful curly fries. Offerings include the standard Jam Burger piled high with lettuce and tomato and a bacon cheeseburger.
Fincastle’s Downtown Diner (215 S. Elm St.)
The cooks behind the counter will fix you a burger that might just blow your mind.
“It’s like my Spidey senses kicked in when they place my plate in front of me,” wrote Derrick Matthews in a review of Fincastle’s on his blog, TheDowntowner. “But instead of sensing danger, I was sensing a plate of food I was getting ready to wreck.”
Their menu includes the classic Fincastle Burger, served up with their trademark Fincastle sauce. Adventurous students can venture out to try the Joel Burger, featuring spicy pimento cheese and Fincastle sauce sandwiched between two perfectly cooked patties.
Emma Key’s Flat-Top Grill (2206 Walker Ave.)
Inside an old barbershop, chefs serve up delicious burgers from a massive flat top grill.
“The burger is glorious; a hand-formed patty browned atop the griddle to a perfect dark on the outside, with a center pristinely pink enough to remind me that I’m eating meat,” wrote former editor of YES! Weekly Brian Clarey in a review of the joint.
Signature burgers include the James Taylor, topped with enough chili, slaw and onions to make the singer-songwriter proud. Or, maybe you were never into folk rock and would rather have The Greensburger, with pickle spears and spicy sport peppers.
Hops Burger Bar (2419 Spring Garden St.)
Hops serves up some of the greatest burgers around in wire baskets lined with brown paper to catch all the flavorful juices that drip from their burgers.
“Build-your-own burgers are available, but skip the work and just order one of Hops’ specialty burgers,” wrote Jennifer Bringle in a review for The News & Record. “I’ve eaten a lot of burgers and fries in this town, and I must admit that Hops has taken its place among my favorites.”
You might even be tempted to sample one of their newest and top-selling burgers, the French Onion, topped with caramelized onions, savory aioli and gruyere cheese. If Angus beef is not your thing, Hops offers mushroom, cauliflower and nutty patties made in-house. Additionally, Hops offers a variety of hot and crispy fries as well as local craft beers.
The Big Burger Spot (3750 Battleground Ave. and 510 A Nicholas Rd.)
Behind the counter, you can hear the loud sizzling of patties as they cook on the infrared griddle.
“Big Burger Spot is the really fun kind of burger joint, total blink and you miss it kind of place,” said Kristi Maier on her food blog, triadfoodies. “On the side of a gas station and convenience store…not exactly a dive, but almost.”
The Spot serves a wide variety of burgers, including the Backyard BBQ with fried onions and smoked bacon and the Mediterranean with hummus and cucumber yogurt sauce, in any of three sizes: Almost Big, Big, or Colossal. Additionally, their french fry menu is nearly as big as their burger menu, featuring Pesto Garlic Aioli and White Truffle Parmesan fries.
