Local Burger Kings

Lettuce and tomato? Meh. Bite into something royally different.

Chedda burger

Chedda Burger started as a food truck and expanded into bricks and mortar. Burgers are made with 100-percent Angus beef, free of hormones and antibiotics and routinely cooked to medium unless you intervene. Patty toppings tend to be Portlandia-hipster—mac and cheese and green chilies, or cream cheese, pulled pork and fried jalapenos, for instance. They verge, Voodoo Donut-style, on the ridiculous: a beef patty with blue cheese and bacon, arugula and cranberry sauce served on a Krispy Kreme donut?

26 E. 600 South, SLC, 602-865-9797

Pago

The famous Pago Burger uses a custom ground beef mix of ground chuck, brisket and short rib—the patty almost overwhelms the bun so you might end up eating it with a knife and fork, but I forgive that because the beef flavor is so good. It’s topped with bacon, Gouda, house-pickled onion, black garlic aioli and comes with truffle frites. The wine-savvy staff will suggest a perfect pairing from the varying by-the-glass selection.

878 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-532-0777 

Paris Burger

The bun is toasted, so there’s no Soggy Bun Syndrome. The eight-ounce Utah-grown, grass-fed, open-range sirloin beef patty is raspberry red inside—rare but not raw—and barely charred. It’s topped with Gruyere, naturellement, and comes with all-American sides, like pommes frites. Because no one can ever leave well enough alone, this burger lily can be gilded with duck foie gras and caramelized shallots. Just add $14.95 to the original $15.95 tab.

1500 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-486-5585

HSL

HSL stands for Handle Salt Lake—Chef Briar Handly’s much anticipated restaurant in Salt Lake. This is not a clone of Handle in Park City, but Handly’s innovative approach and impeccable palate are the same. His signature burger is made from prized beef cheek, one of the most flavorful cuts on a cow, topped with house-made American cheese and onions, and sided with duck fat potatoes—so much better than truffle oil!

418 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-539-9999

Burgers & Bourbon

A luxe burger palace in the deeps of Montage, B & B says what it is. The beef is the star—a proprietary mix of Niman Ranch chuck ground in-house by the chef and served in its most basic rendition on a potato roll with Gold Creek aged cheddar. From there, things get more complicated, the top of the pyramid being the $32 Lux Burger, topped with foie gras, truffled cheese, bourbon-onions and arugula.

9100 Marsac Ave., Park City, 435-604-1300

Tonyburgers

Not a chef burger but a mini-chain burger—nevertheless, the beef is a custom blend of chuck, sirloin and brisket, all USDA Choice and, surprisingly, 90-percent lean. Patties are 1/3 pound, griddled at 400 degrees and served with your choice of toppings. Eat this instead of a fast-food burger. You’ll be a lot happier.

613 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-419-0531 (and other locations)

Copper Onion Burger

Copper Onion’s burger is an over-the-top local celebrity—made with Pleasant Creek Ranch wagyu beef on a slightly-too-soft house-made bun with caramelized onions and aioli.

111 Broadway #170, SLC, 801-355-3282

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