Burgers are my favorite food! Hey, I am but a simple man.

They are easy to find, easy to make, have a huge variety all over the country, and are good (almost) every time.

When I first moved to SLC, I briefly delivered for DoorDash. I encountered dozens of burger joints across the city and started wondering, which was best? There are plenty of foodie reviews, newspaper articles, and so on, but I wanted to know for myself. So, I started keeping track of every burger I ate. I compiled lists of what burgers I wanted to try, who else thought they had found the best burger, and kept tabs on restaurant news for new, special, or underrated burger joints. Since 2022 I have visited over 70 burger joints in Utah (and counting!).

My criteria for a great burger are the same as what makes burgers so compelling to me: there are so many factors that contribute to a burger. Patty, bun, toppings, quality, quantity, overall flavor blend, plus fries and fry sauce (Utah’s specialty), restaurant staff and ambience, and that effervescent secret ingredient, hunger.

My findings are reported in the map and spreadsheet here. There are still many burgers on my “to-try” list, so updates will be made occasionally. If you have a favorite that I’ve missed, please please please send it my way!

MARK, get to the point: what’s the best burger in SLC?!?!

Lucky 13! No question, hands-down, the best. Anything on the menu or the specials will be A+.

Runners-up: The Copper Onion (mouth-watering just to think about), The Garage (a true giant of a burger), and Jack’s Taphouse (unfortunately now closed).

Update - During 2024 I attempted an even greater challenge: NO BURGERS or beef of any kind. This sacrifice led me to try lots of burger-adjacent items: chicken sandwiches, pork sausages, and plenty of (mostly disappointing) meatless burgers. But I’m happy to report I successfully completed the challenge and I am back on the wagon! This beef-free year has made me appreciate burgers even more and I have thoroughly anticipated and enjoyed returning to my favorite places.

Update - In 2026 I moved away from Utah, putting an end to my Burger Safari. Fourteen unvisited burger joints remain on my list, likely forever, clinging to the eternal hope and mystery of unknowingly being the best burger in Utah. But the safari can never truly be complete, as burger joints notoriously come and go constantly. Part of the joy of the hunt is the constant cycle of life and death, classics and creativity. I will now return to perhaps eating other items off a menu… but I will certainly always have a special place in my stomach for the perfect patty.

Click the arrow in the upper left of the map to see notes and the full list of places. Click the box in the upper right to open the map in its own full page. See the full spreadsheet with notes on each place below!