Philadelphia's 5 Most Mouthwatering Burgers

Whether you're craving a hearty lunch or a reward after a tough workout, it's hard to beat a juicy, mouthwatering burger right off the grill. We've ranked five of our favorite spots to savor a burger around Philadelphia—including a couple that offer vegetarian options.

The Blue Duck
Northeast

A signature ground pork-beef patty has made this four-year-old establishment a favorite in a competitive burger league. Its Pork Roll Burger ($11) includes a fried egg, American cheese and a Sriracha-based mayo on a potato roll, and regularly makes local and national must-try food lists.

Its more exotic porky cousin is The Beast Of Northeast ($12): a wild boar-beef patty, with bacon, sweet tomato jam, smoked gouda, and Sriracha-crispy onions on brioche.

Blue Duck is also on a roll, opening two Center City locations this summer, one on Broad and another on 11th for those trying to avoid the trek and lines at the original location. 

Sketch Burger
Fishtown

This unassuming burger spot is named after the crayon drawings from younger customers that decorate its walls. But there's nothing sketchy about its loosely-ground and perfectly-cooked patties that come in sirloin beef, Kobe beef (for the fancy), turkey (for the healthy) and veggie (for the very healthy). A big range of add-ons lets you take your selection from there—with a popular recent addition of the truffle butter.

All burgers start under $10, including the high-end options.

Generous dessert sizes, Kosher and vegan options (including a milkshake), and the easy atmosphere have helped make Sketch a perennial city favorite. Just watch for the crowds around dinner time.

SpOt Gourmet Burgers
Brewerytown

SpOt began its life as a food truck for local college students, but it graduated last year to a centrally-located brick and mortar location. Burgers are the feature of a broader meat-heavy menu, with the flagship being the Sp0t Burger: sirloin, chicken or veggie patty, bacon, cheddar, pickles, spicy coleslaw and steak-style Sp0t sauce on a potato bun. 

SpOt began its life as a food truck for local college students, but it graduated last year to a centrally-located brick and mortar location. Burgers are the feature of a broader meat-heavy menu, with the flagship being the Sp0t Burger: sirloin, chicken or veggie patty, bacon, cheddar, pickles, spicy coleslaw and steak-style Sp0t sauce on a potato bun. 

We'll stray momentarily from burgers to note that SpOt's ribeye cheesesteak is also a local award winner. That item will set you back $11 but all the burgers are under $10. 

Rouge
Rittenhouse Square

While modern burgers compete for the most creative toppings, Rouge hearkens back to a simpler time with a burger that offers 12 ounces of beef patty, gruyere cheese, and caramelized onions on a brioche challah bun. In fact, it's been offering the same style since the 90s, when the restaurant was owned by pioneering local restaurateur Neil Stein. 

The restaurant itself is credited with helping to shape the city's modern scene—literally, since Stein fought local government officials to allow outdoor seating at the French-style bistro. His son-in-law, Rob Wasserman, has his own burger-related legacy: he founded the Philadelphia Burger Brawl, an annual charitable burger competition that has helped promote some of the other places on this list. 

Prices are reasonable considering the beautiful park-side location and the establishment's place in the local food scene, with the burger starting at $16. 

Village Whiskey
Rittenhouse Square

If you're looking for deluxe burgers, the Whiskey King may be your best bet in in the city. For $26, the big beef patty comes loaded with maple bourbon glazed cipollini, bleu cheese, bacon and foie gras.

The simpler Village Burger features a house-made Thousand Island dressing and standard burger ingredients, for $13. 

The Veggie Burger, meanwhile, stands out separately among the city's vegetarian burger options, and may be worth a second look even for carnivores. The patty is made of black beans and lentils, with guacamole and pickled red cabbage on top, for $12. 

You may also recognize Village Whiskey as the home of celebrity chef Jose Garces—if you're of age, be sure to check out his 200+ spirits available, too.