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Closeup on a burger featuring a thick patty, bacon, lettuce, and cheese, with thick fries on the edge of the frame
Craigie on Main is currently open for takeout and delivery
Bill Addison/Eater

Where to Eat Burgers in Boston

A meaty to-do list

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Craigie on Main is currently open for takeout and delivery
| Bill Addison/Eater

Boston loves burgers — from pricey, iconic burgers to cheap, quick burgers; from burgers stacked high with multiple toppings to burgers that go virtually topping-free. This map includes solid options on all parts of the local burger spectrum, so there’s something here for everyone, whether you’re looking to drop a couple bucks on a simple fast-food burger or $20 on a limited-quantity legend.

Please note that a number of Massachusetts restaurants have resumed dine-in service, and the level of service offered is indicated on each map point. However, this should not be taken as endorsement for dining in, as there are still safety concerns: For updated information on coronavirus cases in the area, please visit the Massachusetts coronavirus website.

Studies indicate that there is a lower exposure risk when outdoors, but the level of risk involved with patio dining is contingent on restaurants following strict social distancing and other safety guidelines.

This map was originally published on July 3, 2017; it is updated periodically. The date of the most recent update appears above.

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Daddy Jones

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Daddy Jones’s mostly Greek menu has plenty to explore in the gyro and skewers department, but don’t ignore the excellent burgers. Try Chris’s burger ($15) with spicy aioli, Sriracha, sharp cheddar, bacon, mixed greens, onions, and half sour pickles, served on a local Stone & Skillet English muffin, or keep things a little simpler with the regular cheeseburger ($14) with garlic aioli, lettuce, onions, and fries. (Add bacon for $1.) Prefer lamb to beef? There’s a lamb burger as well ($16), served on a cinnamon raisin English muffin.

Currently offering takeout and delivery.

Order: Official Website / Uber Eats

A burger with an English muffin bun is wrapped in white paper. Its toppings include bacon and onions. There are fries on the plate as well.
Chris’ burger at Daddy Jones
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Boston Burger Company

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Boston Burger Company — now with locations in Harvard Square, Back Bay, and Salem as well as the original Somerville one — is the place to go for absolutely over-the-top burgers (and “freak frappes”). They run $11.50 to $17.50 and come topped with stacked-tall combinations such as peanut butter, bacon, and fried cinnamon-and-sugar bananas (The King); mozzarella sticks, fried macaroni and cheese, onion rings, fries, bacon, golden barbecue sauce, and American cheese (the aptly named 420 Burger); and bacon, a stack of beer-battered onion rings, honey barbecue sauce, and American cheese (Killer Bee).

Currently offering indoor dining, takeout, and delivery.

Order: (857) 233-4560 [Boston takeout] / (857) 242-3605 [Cambridge takeout] / (978) 414-5910 [Salem takeout] / (617) 440-7361 [Somerville takeout] / Official Website [delivery, with location-specific links to DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats]

A burger sits on a white plate, its top bun leaning up against it. It’s topped with a stack of five thick onion rings that are drenched in barbecue sauce.
Killer Bee burger at Boston Burger Company
Boston Burger Company/Official Site

R. F. O'Sullivan & Son Pub

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Serving up burgers since 1992, this classic Somerville spot goes through about 500 pounds of burgers a week, according to a 2015 interview with owner Richard Sullivan. “If you fork the burger, all the juices come out,” he said at the time. “If you squish the burger, all the juices come out. You want a nice, puffy, juicy burger.” As such, the restaurant is known for its tall half-pound patties. And if you order your burger rare, it will come quite rare, just the way Sullivan likes it. The menu is full of burger options, most ringing in around $14. There’s a newer location in Lynn as well.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, and indoor dining.

Order: (617) 491-9638 [takeout] / DoorDash [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

Burger topped with pineapple, plus a side of onion rings.
The Chinatown burger (plus pineapple) at R.F. O’Sullivan
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage

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Bartley’s tends to attract more tourists than locals, but there’s something to be said for a restaurant that has survived 60 years and continues to thrive. This Cambridge landmark features a fun ambiance, friendly servers, and a silly menu that plays on pop culture, politics, and more with its topical burger names. Burgers start at $12.50 and top out at $24.50 with the Triple “D” — a double burger with bacon, cheese, barbecue sauce, and grilled onion, served with onion rings.

“A lot of people talk about hand forming; we have a machine downstairs that patties them up — we never have to touch the burger,” said owner Bill Bartley in a 2013 interview. “People handle a burger; it's crazy. All they're doing is taking taste away. Handling them is the worst thing! If you can do it without touching them, they're better off. We barely touch our burgers. It comes off the machine, it's taken with a glove and put onto a tray, and it goes on the grill.”

Currently offering indoor dining and takeout.

Order: (617) 354-6559 [takeout]

A burger on a sesame bun. It’s topped with bacon, egg, and cheese.
The New England Patriot burger at Mr. Bartley’s
Mr. Bartley’s/Official Site

Charlie's Kitchen

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The double cheeseburger Charlie’s is famous for is unpretentious — flat patties topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. It’s served with perfect shoestring french fries, and is best eaten with a cold beer or several. Charlie’s has one of the best patios in Greater Boston (and one of the most accessible), and you should patronize it once it is safe to do so.

Charlie’s is open for indoor dining and takeout.

Order: Official Website [takeout]

Craigie on Main

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The burger, the myth, the legend. One of Boston’s most iconic dishes is the burger at Craigie on Main, a burger available in limited quantities each night that, in non-COVID times, still frequently inspires a line outside before the restaurant opens. It features a grass-fed beef patty, Shelburne Farm cheddar, mace ketchup, and a lettuce-and-onion mixture in “burger vinaigrette,” as well as a tomato slice — but only when tomatoes are in season. The burger is served on a milk-style bun. It starts at $18; add on bacon and/or an egg for a few extra bucks. (The burger currently available for takeout and delivery has a few small differences but captures the soul of the in-restaurant burger. $16.)

“The hamburger is one of those conversations that’s like apple pie and chicken soup,” said Craigie on Main chef-owner Tony Maws in 2015, reflecting on his decision seven years earlier to include a burger on the menu. “For anything that’s nostalgic, everyone has their own idea of what that burger’s supposed to be like. I knew I wasn’t going to make everybody in the world happy; there’s just no way. So I said I’m just going to block out the noise, and I’m going to make a hamburger that I would like to eat, and if people like it, great, and if they don’t, then I’ll deal with it. But I’m just going to make the burger that I would like to eat."

Currently offering takeout and delivery.

Order: Official Website [takeout and delivery]

Close-up photo of a burger with lettuce and bacon visible, as well as some thick-cut fries on the edge of the plate
The burger at Craigie on Main
Bill Addison/Eater

Tasty Burger

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Boston’s essential burger scene tends to skew towards big, pricey, meaty burgers, but there are a few inexpensive options holding their own. Tasty Burger is the local answer to fast-food burger chains — relatively thin patties, quick service, and low prices. The chain now has locations in Fenway, Harvard Square, Back Bay, North Station, and Downtown Crossing, and it’s the “official burger of the Boston Red Sox.” Need a late-night burger? Hours are a bit more limited at the moment due to the pandemic, but keep an eye out for updates: Pre-COVID, the Harvard Square location was open until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Currently offering takeout and delivery at all locations, as well as outdoor and/or indoor dining at some locations. Find details and updates here.

Order: Official Website (with links for each location, including delivery via Uber Eats)

Two hands hold a fast-food burger in front of a box full of more burgers, all over a red checkered tablecloth.
Burgers from Tasty Burger
Tasty Burger/Official Site

Moonshine 152

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The special Moonshine 152 burger (market pricing) changes monthly, but it’s always a hit. Served with shoestring fries. Not into the monthly special? There’s also a grass-fed burger (market pricing) with sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, and aioli, served with shoestring fries, and a similarly dressed vegetarian mushroom tofu burger.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, outdoor dining, and indoor dining.

Order: (617) 752-4191 / Chownow [takeout] / Grubhub [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

The Gallows

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The Gallows doesn’t shy away from big flavors and big portions. The current selection of burgers ($16-$18) includes a burger topped with bacon, jalapeno pimento cheese, pickles, and cherry peppers, and there are several other options as well. Add on a side of cheese fries or poutine.

Currently offering takeout (pick up your order at 492 Tremont St., where sibling spot Blackbird Doughnuts/Sally’s Sandwiches is located) and delivery.

Order: Official Website

A burger topped with lettuce, pickles, cheese, and onions sits on a white plate with a side of fries and ketchup.
A burger at the Gallows
The Gallows [Official Photo]

Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant

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Lincoln has a great reputation for its wood-fired pizzas and elaborate pancakes, but there’s plenty more worth exploring on the menu, including the wood-grilled Lincoln burger, topped with bacon aioli, Cabot sharp cheddar, and caramelized onions, served on a brioche bun.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, outdoor dining, and indoor dining.

Order: Official Website [takeout] / Uber Eats [delivery]

The Haven

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Head to Boston’s only Scottish restaurant for a sturdy eight-ounce beef chuck burger that features Huntsman cheese (a combination of Double Gloucester and Stilton blue cheeses). The burger also has bacon-onion marmalade, pickle sauce, lettuce, and tomato. Room left? Try a deep-fried Mars Bar with maple whipped cream.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, and indoor dining.

Order: Official Website [takeout] / DoorDash [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

A burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and Huntsman cheese
The burger at the Haven
The Haven [Official Photo]

Bred Gourmet

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Located in Dorchester’s Lower Mills neighborhood, this cozy burger joint serves beef burgers and plenty of alternatives (turkey, jerk salmon, and sweet potato veggie burgers, for example) on a variety of buns (brioche, potato, pretzel, whole wheat, gluten-free). Try the Parisian, a grass-fed beef burger on brioche with caramelized onions, bacon, brie, sauteed mushrooms, truffle aioli, and a fried egg. Burgers are $9 to $12.

Currently offering takeout and delivery.

Order: Official Website [takeout] / Grubhub [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

A burger with lots of toppings sits on a plain white background.
A burger at Bred Gourmet
Bred Gourmet/Official Site

Daddy Jones

Daddy Jones’s mostly Greek menu has plenty to explore in the gyro and skewers department, but don’t ignore the excellent burgers. Try Chris’s burger ($15) with spicy aioli, Sriracha, sharp cheddar, bacon, mixed greens, onions, and half sour pickles, served on a local Stone & Skillet English muffin, or keep things a little simpler with the regular cheeseburger ($14) with garlic aioli, lettuce, onions, and fries. (Add bacon for $1.) Prefer lamb to beef? There’s a lamb burger as well ($16), served on a cinnamon raisin English muffin.

Currently offering takeout and delivery.

Order: Official Website / Uber Eats

A burger with an English muffin bun is wrapped in white paper. Its toppings include bacon and onions. There are fries on the plate as well.
Chris’ burger at Daddy Jones
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Boston Burger Company

Boston Burger Company — now with locations in Harvard Square, Back Bay, and Salem as well as the original Somerville one — is the place to go for absolutely over-the-top burgers (and “freak frappes”). They run $11.50 to $17.50 and come topped with stacked-tall combinations such as peanut butter, bacon, and fried cinnamon-and-sugar bananas (The King); mozzarella sticks, fried macaroni and cheese, onion rings, fries, bacon, golden barbecue sauce, and American cheese (the aptly named 420 Burger); and bacon, a stack of beer-battered onion rings, honey barbecue sauce, and American cheese (Killer Bee).

Currently offering indoor dining, takeout, and delivery.

Order: (857) 233-4560 [Boston takeout] / (857) 242-3605 [Cambridge takeout] / (978) 414-5910 [Salem takeout] / (617) 440-7361 [Somerville takeout] / Official Website [delivery, with location-specific links to DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats]

A burger sits on a white plate, its top bun leaning up against it. It’s topped with a stack of five thick onion rings that are drenched in barbecue sauce.
Killer Bee burger at Boston Burger Company
Boston Burger Company/Official Site

R. F. O'Sullivan & Son Pub

Serving up burgers since 1992, this classic Somerville spot goes through about 500 pounds of burgers a week, according to a 2015 interview with owner Richard Sullivan. “If you fork the burger, all the juices come out,” he said at the time. “If you squish the burger, all the juices come out. You want a nice, puffy, juicy burger.” As such, the restaurant is known for its tall half-pound patties. And if you order your burger rare, it will come quite rare, just the way Sullivan likes it. The menu is full of burger options, most ringing in around $14. There’s a newer location in Lynn as well.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, and indoor dining.

Order: (617) 491-9638 [takeout] / DoorDash [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

Burger topped with pineapple, plus a side of onion rings.
The Chinatown burger (plus pineapple) at R.F. O’Sullivan
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage

Bartley’s tends to attract more tourists than locals, but there’s something to be said for a restaurant that has survived 60 years and continues to thrive. This Cambridge landmark features a fun ambiance, friendly servers, and a silly menu that plays on pop culture, politics, and more with its topical burger names. Burgers start at $12.50 and top out at $24.50 with the Triple “D” — a double burger with bacon, cheese, barbecue sauce, and grilled onion, served with onion rings.

“A lot of people talk about hand forming; we have a machine downstairs that patties them up — we never have to touch the burger,” said owner Bill Bartley in a 2013 interview. “People handle a burger; it's crazy. All they're doing is taking taste away. Handling them is the worst thing! If you can do it without touching them, they're better off. We barely touch our burgers. It comes off the machine, it's taken with a glove and put onto a tray, and it goes on the grill.”

Currently offering indoor dining and takeout.

Order: (617) 354-6559 [takeout]

A burger on a sesame bun. It’s topped with bacon, egg, and cheese.
The New England Patriot burger at Mr. Bartley’s
Mr. Bartley’s/Official Site

Charlie's Kitchen

The double cheeseburger Charlie’s is famous for is unpretentious — flat patties topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. It’s served with perfect shoestring french fries, and is best eaten with a cold beer or several. Charlie’s has one of the best patios in Greater Boston (and one of the most accessible), and you should patronize it once it is safe to do so.

Charlie’s is open for indoor dining and takeout.

Order: Official Website [takeout]

Craigie on Main

The burger, the myth, the legend. One of Boston’s most iconic dishes is the burger at Craigie on Main, a burger available in limited quantities each night that, in non-COVID times, still frequently inspires a line outside before the restaurant opens. It features a grass-fed beef patty, Shelburne Farm cheddar, mace ketchup, and a lettuce-and-onion mixture in “burger vinaigrette,” as well as a tomato slice — but only when tomatoes are in season. The burger is served on a milk-style bun. It starts at $18; add on bacon and/or an egg for a few extra bucks. (The burger currently available for takeout and delivery has a few small differences but captures the soul of the in-restaurant burger. $16.)

“The hamburger is one of those conversations that’s like apple pie and chicken soup,” said Craigie on Main chef-owner Tony Maws in 2015, reflecting on his decision seven years earlier to include a burger on the menu. “For anything that’s nostalgic, everyone has their own idea of what that burger’s supposed to be like. I knew I wasn’t going to make everybody in the world happy; there’s just no way. So I said I’m just going to block out the noise, and I’m going to make a hamburger that I would like to eat, and if people like it, great, and if they don’t, then I’ll deal with it. But I’m just going to make the burger that I would like to eat."

Currently offering takeout and delivery.

Order: Official Website [takeout and delivery]

Close-up photo of a burger with lettuce and bacon visible, as well as some thick-cut fries on the edge of the plate
The burger at Craigie on Main
Bill Addison/Eater

Tasty Burger

Boston’s essential burger scene tends to skew towards big, pricey, meaty burgers, but there are a few inexpensive options holding their own. Tasty Burger is the local answer to fast-food burger chains — relatively thin patties, quick service, and low prices. The chain now has locations in Fenway, Harvard Square, Back Bay, North Station, and Downtown Crossing, and it’s the “official burger of the Boston Red Sox.” Need a late-night burger? Hours are a bit more limited at the moment due to the pandemic, but keep an eye out for updates: Pre-COVID, the Harvard Square location was open until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Currently offering takeout and delivery at all locations, as well as outdoor and/or indoor dining at some locations. Find details and updates here.

Order: Official Website (with links for each location, including delivery via Uber Eats)

Two hands hold a fast-food burger in front of a box full of more burgers, all over a red checkered tablecloth.
Burgers from Tasty Burger
Tasty Burger/Official Site

Moonshine 152

The special Moonshine 152 burger (market pricing) changes monthly, but it’s always a hit. Served with shoestring fries. Not into the monthly special? There’s also a grass-fed burger (market pricing) with sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, and aioli, served with shoestring fries, and a similarly dressed vegetarian mushroom tofu burger.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, outdoor dining, and indoor dining.

Order: (617) 752-4191 / Chownow [takeout] / Grubhub [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

The Gallows

The Gallows doesn’t shy away from big flavors and big portions. The current selection of burgers ($16-$18) includes a burger topped with bacon, jalapeno pimento cheese, pickles, and cherry peppers, and there are several other options as well. Add on a side of cheese fries or poutine.

Currently offering takeout (pick up your order at 492 Tremont St., where sibling spot Blackbird Doughnuts/Sally’s Sandwiches is located) and delivery.

Order: Official Website

A burger topped with lettuce, pickles, cheese, and onions sits on a white plate with a side of fries and ketchup.
A burger at the Gallows
The Gallows [Official Photo]

Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant

Lincoln has a great reputation for its wood-fired pizzas and elaborate pancakes, but there’s plenty more worth exploring on the menu, including the wood-grilled Lincoln burger, topped with bacon aioli, Cabot sharp cheddar, and caramelized onions, served on a brioche bun.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, outdoor dining, and indoor dining.

Order: Official Website [takeout] / Uber Eats [delivery]

The Haven

Head to Boston’s only Scottish restaurant for a sturdy eight-ounce beef chuck burger that features Huntsman cheese (a combination of Double Gloucester and Stilton blue cheeses). The burger also has bacon-onion marmalade, pickle sauce, lettuce, and tomato. Room left? Try a deep-fried Mars Bar with maple whipped cream.

Currently offering takeout, delivery, and indoor dining.

Order: Official Website [takeout] / DoorDash [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

A burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and Huntsman cheese
The burger at the Haven
The Haven [Official Photo]

Bred Gourmet

Located in Dorchester’s Lower Mills neighborhood, this cozy burger joint serves beef burgers and plenty of alternatives (turkey, jerk salmon, and sweet potato veggie burgers, for example) on a variety of buns (brioche, potato, pretzel, whole wheat, gluten-free). Try the Parisian, a grass-fed beef burger on brioche with caramelized onions, bacon, brie, sauteed mushrooms, truffle aioli, and a fried egg. Burgers are $9 to $12.

Currently offering takeout and delivery.

Order: Official Website [takeout] / Grubhub [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]

A burger with lots of toppings sits on a plain white background.
A burger at Bred Gourmet
Bred Gourmet/Official Site

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