HAMBURGER HEAVEN Democratic, economical and absolutely delicious, this is the comfort food we’re craving now. At Hiram’s Roadstand (pictured here) in Fort Lee, N.J., they’ve been doing it the same way since 1928.
Photo: Alex Lau for The Wall Street JournalAS A TEENAGER in Los Altos, Calif., one of my first jobs was at Brian’s Place, the sort of neighborhood diner fairly common in suburban America. The vinyl booths matched the covers on the menus. More than anything, the no-frills burger, served with iceberg lettuce on a squishy bun, kept me working there through high school.
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You know this burger. Maybe you’ve had it at your own go-to diner, drive-thru, old-school drive-in or neighborhood tavern. With its thin patty, generally a quarter-pound or under, and minimal garnishing, this one-handed meal is the great culinary legacy of 20th-century American car culture.
As a new millennium dawned, this unpretentious and delicious burger was eclipsed by a bigger, beefier style loaded with ever more outré toppings. In 2003, Jeff Weinstein opened the Counter in Los Angeles, boasting ultra-customizable burgers with 10 different cheeses, 26 toppings, 17 sauces and 8 buns to choose from. Patties came in three sizes, the heaviest a 1-pound behemoth. This period also brought us chef Daniel Boulud’s DB Burger, a patty of ground sirloin with a core of wine-braised short rib, foie gras and black truffles.
Nostalgia is only part of the equation. The burger is as appealing and user-friendly today as it was 100 years ago.
Illustration: James Guliver HancockIn the last few years, thankfully, the classic diner/drive-thru-style burger has made a comeback, showing up even at fine-dining and Michelin-starred restaurants such as Lazy Bear in San Francisco and the Four Horsemen in Brooklyn. More than ever, during the Covid-19 pandemic the humble thin-patty burger is striking a chord.
“I think it’s coming back around because people are realizing that with quality ingredients, handled the right way, the burger can speak for itself,” said Guy Fieri, host and co-executive producer of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on the Food Network. “It doesn’t need all the mumbo jumbo.”
“ ‘On a road trip, a quick stop and bite will almost always be a burger.’ ”
I was lucky enough to find a superb iteration of this minimalist style at my neighborhood restaurant, Alameda, in Brooklyn. Chef Nick Padilla found inspiration in his native Minnesota: the Jucy Lucy served at Matt’s Bar in Minneapolis, a small-patty burger with molten cheese on the inside. (See “Keepers of the Flame,” below.) “We wanted something that was approachable and not fussy,” said Mr. Padilla. “But we made a couple upgrades.”
The chef used dry-aged meat from local butchers the Meat Hook and added toppings of lettuce, tomato, onion, housemade garlic-dill pickles and a simple but definitely special sauce of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. “There can be as much thoughtfulness in the composition as there is in elevated dishes,” said Mr. Padilla.
Bonanza Drive-Up in Cottage Grove, Ore., caters to pedestrian traffic, as well, with this walk-up window.
Photo: Celeste NocheThat‘s true of the burger at the Oinkster in Los Angeles, too. Owner Andre Guerrero emigrated from the Philippines in the 1950s and cooked in restaurants across L.A. before opening the Oinkster in 2006. The menu is as retro as the Oinkster’s A-frame structure, but with a Slow Food ethos. Mr. Guerrero keeps the burger basic but uses fresh-ground Nebraska Angus beef, real cheese and housemade condiments.
That burger made a deep impression on his son Frederick Guerrero, who co-founded Burgerlords in L.A.’s Chinatown in 2015. The opening menu there was mostly vegan—with the exception of a classic beef burger inspired by the one at In-N-Out Burger, California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand, now a chain of over 350 locations in six states. “We wanted to go back to a simple, democratic hamburger for $5,” said the younger Mr. Guerrero.
With the restaurant doing limited, takeout-and-delivery-only service during the pandemic and because a fully vegan menu was always the goal, Burgerlords no longer offers a beef burger. But the vegan cheeseburger, a custom blend of grains and vegetables, delivers the same nostalgia—another example of this burger style’s adaptability and enduring appeal.
During the coronavirus crisis, other restaurants are recognizing the virtues in the old model of a limited burger-based menu with takeout service. Back in 2016, Scott Clark and his partner, Alexis Liu, opened Dad’s Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, a half-hour south of San Francisco. Mr. Clark had been working as the chef de cuisine at the multi-Michelin-starred Saison and decided to shift away from the long hours of fine dining when starting a family. His burgers are cooked in the traditional diner style. The beef is cut, ground and portioned into 4-ounce balls prior to the restaurant’s opening each day. To order, the burgers are seasoned with salt and pepper and smashed onto the grill, creating a savory, textured crust.
This cheeseburger from Nick Padilla of Brooklyn’s Alameda is a new classic. Find the recipe below.
Photo: Chelsie Craig for The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Pearl JonesDad's retrofitted caboose sits right on Highway 1. “On a road trip, a quick stop and bite will almost always be a burger,” said Mr. Clark. Formerly, the caboose seated 12-14 diners; now it offers takeaway only. “We had the structure in place,” said Ms. Liu. “We were super fortunate and grateful that we didn’t have to adapt as much as other restaurants.”
Alameda wasn’t so fortunate. Mr. Padilla had to close it last month. “It’s the hardest thing to make the smart decision,” he said. “For us it meant pulling the plug when we couldn’t make a [lease] deal even though there’s a huge emotional connection to the business.”
Even during a difficult time, Mr. Padilla was kind enough to share his recipe with me. I expected to uncover some cheffy secret that made his burger so special. Turns out, the true genius of the thin-patty burger is its straightforwardness. “We don’t do anything to the beef except shaping it without overworking it,” said Mr. Padilla. “That’s it. There’s nothing to it. It’s as simple as can be.”
KEEPERS OF THE FLAME
Here, we salute the people who keep the flat-tops sizzling at America’s most beloved burger joints. Drive on up. In a challenging moment for restaurants, their time-tested business model—portable, reliably good food at a fair price—looks better than ever.
Kewpee Hamburgers
Scott Shutt
Started working there in 1979; his parents started in 1957 and became owners in 1980.
The order “The mustard-pickle-onion is probably our most popular. Or our Special: Miracle Whip, lettuce and tomato.” Plus a frosted malt and a slice of pie.
Why customers have lined up since 1928 “The quality, the locally raised beef, the freshness. You talk about comfort food. It’s not just nutrition; it’s something more.”
111 N. Elizabeth St. and two other locations, Lima, Ohio; kewpeehamburgers.com
Dick’s Drive-In
Demi Dissen
Started working there in 2014
The order The Deluxe: two ⅛-pound patties with cheese, shredded lettuce, mayo and relish. Plus hand-cut fries and a hand-dipped shake.
Why customers have lined up since 1954 “I still get a burger almost every day. Even now at the restaurant, everything feels kind of normal when you eat a cheeseburger and a fry, and it’s the same cheeseburger and the same fry you remember.”
111 NE 45th St., Seattle, and 6 other locations; ddir.com
The Beacon Drive-In
Karen Harwell
Started working there in 1998; co-owner since 2015.
The order Beacon Burger, two patties with coleslaw, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato. Order it “A-Plenty,” buried in fries and onion rings.
Why customers have lined up since 1946 “It’s the tradition. I mean, we still have curb hops. You pull up, eat in your car or get it to go, and you never have to leave your vehicle. Right now, that’s really comforting to people.”
255 John B. White, Sr. Blvd., Spartanburg, S.C.; beacondrivein.com
Hiram’s Roadstand
Pete Demiris
Started working there in 1981; owner since 2001.
The order “A cheeseburger, a dog and a fry would be ‘CB, dog, fry.’ Eight dogs, four fries, an onion ring and a cheeseburger would be ‘eighty-four, a ring and a CB.’ ” (Got that?)
Why customers have lined up since 1928 “I don’t care how busy it is, we converse, back and forth. They give us crap, we’re gonna give them crap. And it’s a free show to boot.”
1345 Palisade Ave., Fort Lee, N.J.; 201-592-9602
White Hut
Andy Yee
Started working there in 2020, when his family’s Bean Restaurant Group purchased the business from the founding family.
The order “My go-to is a single with cheese and what we call the works: raw onions, relish and mustard. Love that burger.” (Call it a “cheeseburg” if you want to pass for a local.)
Why customers have lined up since 1939 “Consistency. We’re going to preserve that at White Hut for the next generations.”
280 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, Mass.; whitehut.com
Bonanza Drive-Up
Brad Welt
Started working there in 1980, when his family purchased it.
The order The Original, a Willamette Valley beef patty with shredded lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and tangy Eureka! Sauce, on a butter-grilled bun. And don’t miss the soft serve.
Why customers have lined up since 1949 “We’ve stayed with the times but also stayed with the classics the families who have come here for generations have always known.”
505 Hwy. 99 South, Cottage Grove, Ore.; weltandwelt.com
Matt’s Bar
Paul Rees
Started working there in 2003; now co-general manager and, in his words, “head burger jockey.”
The order The Jucy Lucy, two patties squeezed together with a molten-cheese center. “We don’t overpower it with a large bun. We don’t put a lot of toppings on. It’s focused on the meat and the cheese.”
Why customers have lined up since 1954 “It’s the vibe. You know, it’s a neighborhood establishment. We keep it simple and we keep it fresh.”
3500 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis; mattsbar.com
Texas Tavern
Matt Bullington
Started working there in 1994, under his dad, who took over from his father and his father’s father before him.
The order Cheesy Western, a burger with a scrambled egg and cheese on top. “If you want onions, ask for it ‘with.’ Say, ‘Give me a Cheesy with.’”
Why customers have lined up since 1930 “People go in and it looks the way it did when their grandfather brought them. It’s a connection you can’t get going to Starbucks.”
114 Church Ave. SW, Roanoke, Va.; texastavern-inc.com
Pie ‘N Burger
Michael Osborne
Started working there in 1972; owner since 1992.
The order ¼-pound patty on a buttered, toasted bun with housemade Thousand Island, pickles, lettuce and tomato. “We also have a really good patty melt, on rye with grilled onions.” And 20+ pies.
Why customers have lined up since 1963 “It’s sort of symbiotic with the community and staff. It may sound hokey, but everyone’s special here, and we treat them that way.”
913 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, Calif.; pienburger.com
Zack’s Hamburgers
George Demopoulos
Started working there at 15, when his parents founded the business.
The order Zack’s Special: double cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato, mayo, pickle, onion, special sauce, with fries or, for 65 cents more, onion rings.
Why customers have lined up since 1975 “You know ‘The Andy Griffith Show’? I always say we’re a Mayberry place in the big city. We just work from our hearts and with a great deal of passion.”
4009 South Blvd., Charlotte, N.C.; zackshamburgers.com
Robert’s Grill
Edward Graham
Started working there when he was 12, in 1979; owner since 1989.
The order Onion-fried burger, with thin-sliced onions pressed into the patty and caramelized on the griddle. “You can start out with the Coney, our hot dog—it’s a homemade chili and slaw dog. That way you have a little appetizer.”
Why customers have lined up since 1926 “We start off with a quality product. And people like visiting with us.”
300 S. Bickford Ave., El Reno, Okla.; 405-262-1262
—Edited from interviews by Beth Kracklauer
The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets.
Classic Cheeseburger
At Alameda in Brooklyn, Mr. Padilla took the bar burger he remembered from his Midwestern youth and gave it an update with ground dry-aged beef from a local butcher—upped slightly from the classic quarter-pound weight to 5 ounces—and an effortless special sauce of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and chopped pickles. As you cook, it's important to apply pressure to the patty using a sturdy spatula or other tool before flipping to achieve the signature crust of a diner-style burger. Make sure to get the skillet screaming hot; it should be smoking when you add the patties. A large cast-iron griddle or two large cast-iron skillets work well to get all the burgers cooked in short order. But if those aren’t in your batterie de cuisine, working in batches with one large nonstick skillet, wiping the pan in between, works fine.
Total Time: 20 minutes
makes: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup chopped dill pickles
- 20 ounces ground beef, preferably dry-aged
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 potato sandwich rolls, preferably Martin’s brand
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 small head lettuce, such as Bibb
- 1 medium tomato, sliced about ¼ inch thick
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 16 dill pickle slices (about ½ cup)
For the special sauce:
For the cheeseburgers:
Directions
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Special sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Heat a cast-iron griddle or 2 cast-iron or nonstick skillets over high heat. Meanwhile, divide ground beef into 4 (5-ounce) ½-inch-thick patties. Generously season both sides of each patty with salt and pepper.
- Once griddle or skillets are smoking, add patties. (If you only have one skillet, work in two batches, cleaning out skillet and allowing it to cool slightly between batches.) Use a sturdy spatula to press down firmly on patties without completely smashing. (If you have a cast-iron or stainless-steel grill press, that works really well here.) Cook until patties start browning up the sides and bottoms develop a crust, 2½-3 minutes. Flip burgers and top with cheese. Continue cooking until bottom is well seared, about 2½ minutes for medium. Turn off heat. Transfer patties to a cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wipe down griddle or skillets and set over medium heat. Brush inside of buns with melted butter. Lay buttered buns onto griddle or skillets, cut-side down, and cook until well-toasted, about 1 minute.
- To assemble the burgers, smear sauce on inside of top and bottom buns. Add 1-2 lettuce leaves on bottom, followed by tomato, onion and burger patty. Top with a few pickle slices and enjoy.
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