The Northwest is home to the best burger in the nation

Thrillist just released its 100 Best Burgers in America list and four Seattle restaurants made the list. But instead of compiling favorite burgers from existing lists and food writers around the country, one burger-crazed man embarked on a year-long burger eating mission.

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Thrillest’s national burger critic (yes, that’s a real job) Kevin Alexander reviewed 330 burgers across 30 cities. And yes, you can pick out Seattle’s best burger from his list.

“I also ate 18 burgers as a civilian. I have no idea why I did that,” Alexander laughed. “That was earlier in the year.”

To trust and follow a critic, you must first understand their taste. Kevin describes his ideal burger.

“It’s the diner style,” he said. “Kind of thin patty, griddled, soft white bun that’s toasted, American cheese, caramelized onions. You need acid from some pickles and maybe a little mustard/mayo mixture or Thousand Island. But that’s it. I like the most basic burgers.”

Seattle’s best burger

Alexander ate 14 burgers in Seattle, adding an extra 12 hours of burger-eating time to his trip because he was so impressed with our selection. Plied with recommendations from local food writers and chefs, he ate a burger at King’s Hardware, Dick’s, Quality Athletics, Quinn’s Pub, Loulay Kitchen and Bar, Palace Kitchen, Li’l Woody’s, Wedgewood Broiler, 8oz Burger & Co and Bateau. Great State, Uneeda Burger, Two Bells Tavern and Loretta’s Northwesterner made it to the top 100 list. Loretta’s was ranked as the fourth best in the country.

I was impressed with Alexander’s more obscure restaurant choices for Seattle’s best burger, especially Loretta’s Northwesterner, located in Seattle’s seldom explored South Park neighborhood.

“It’s so funny,” he said. “I have a lot of friends in Seattle who grew up in Seattle and I had to show them on a map where it was.”

When you’re eating a dozen burgers in 24 hours, there has to be some palate fatigue. Can the last burger of the day possibly compete with the first burger of the day?

“That’s a great question. I would only eat three to four bites of each burger. I usually would try not to eat more than eight burgers in a day, which I know sounds crazy when you say it out loud. I tried not to be too full but it’s true. You get to the last places and you’re sort of like, ‘Oh my god, I never want to see another burger again.’ There were times where I literally thought I was going to throw up and one time in Cleveland where I actually did. I got to the point, as a professional, where you just recognized when a burger is great, regardless of how full you were. But I definitely still felt like I wanted to die most of the time.”

Alexander says Seattle has some of the best burgers in the country, in his top five.

The no. 1 burger on his list is in the Pacific Northwest.

“Stanich’s in Portland,” he said. “A divey sports bar that’s been around since 1949. When you think of Portland, you think of the hipster new food spots and this is the farthest thing from that. Steve Stanich, the old owner, cried when I told him it was the best burger in the country.”

The biggest burger crime committed? The soggy bun. Alexander insists that buns are toasted, so the bottom bun doesn’t turn into a soggy, mushy mess.

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