Most people go to Picnic for the whole hog barbecue, but customers shouldn’t sleep on the Picnic burger. Two patties, crafted with house-ground brisket and bacon (from the same place the pigs come from for the joint’s hyped barbecue), are topped with Picnic sauce, pimento cheese, pickled red onion, and bread and butter pickles — sandwiched between a Martin’s potato roll. Burgers also come with a side of choice, and no judgment if that side just so happens to be mac and cheese. Grab a picnic table outside and devour a burger alongside an adult slushie or craft cocktail or order for takeout. Picnic is open Thursday to Monday from 11 a.m to 8 p.m.

Vin Rouge’s VR burger and frites used to be a weekly feature, but as of late, it’s a mainstay for both dine-in and takeout. “I’m a burger traditionalist and It’s one of my favorite burgers,” says chef Matt Kelly. Not only is the patty, crafted with Brasstown Beef ground beef, standout, but the burger is dressed up with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, Dijonnaise, and thick-cut bacon sandwiched between a brioche bun — served with onion soup dip and, naturally, frites. Open for dine-in and takeout Tuesday through Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday brunch, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Located inside the Durham Food Hall, Ray Williams, owner of Everything Bagels, is known for getting super creative with “avant-garde” bagel sandwiches and burgers. “This beauty is a great breakfast addition on our menu,” says Williams, of the popular breakfast burger. We’re talking two grass-fed Angus beef patties, Ashe County Cheese mild hoop cheddar, charred pickled onion, fried egg, and mayo. Williams suggests a plain bagel for this situation. Everything Bagels is open daily; check online for varying hours.

Alley Twenty Six, an upscale craft cocktail bar, is also home to a delicious food menu, including the standout Alley Burger. And after more than four years later, it still remains one of the most popular items on the menu. Think of a combo of eight ounces of house-ground burger with black truffle cheddar cheese, bourbon bacon jam, chipotle aioli, and arugula, housed between a potato bun — with the option to jazz it up with foie gras, a fried egg, or bacon. A four ounce version aptly named the Alley Burger Jr., also exists. Alley Twenty Six is open Wednesday to Sunday for cocktails, dine-in, and to-go, plus a small shop with their famous house-made tonic syrups and a small but exceptional selection of wine, vermouth, amaro, and more.

For those still pining over chef Jeff Seizer’s burger at now-closed Royale — the Royale Burger now exists at Counting House, inside the 21c Museum Hotel in Durham. The seven ounce patty is a house grind and equal parts brisket, short rib, and chuck — which is then frozen in sealed bags and sous vide at 48.8 degrees celsius for precisely 30 minutes. It’s then seared and lightly smashed, with melty gruyere cheese, housed between a deliciously griddled muffin by way of Michaels English Muffins — served with house-made au poivre aioli and hand-cut fries. “It’s so simple on the plate but the work happens for days beforehand,” says Seizer. Counting House is open for dine-in and to-go Tuesday through Sunday.

Bin 54 Steak & Cellar, Chapel Hill’s elevated steakhouse, is known for its juicy steaks, but the burger is not to be overlooked. Chef Kevin Draper also admits that cooking burgers is harder than cooking steaks. Draper makes the Bin 54 hamburger patty in-house using quality Angus beef. Most burgers are around six to seven ounces, but it’s a steakhouse, so 10 ounces is just right here. Topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese of choice (American is the way to go, by the way), the burger boasts a nostalgic outdoor grill taste that can’t be beat. Bin 54 is open for dine-in and takeout Monday to Saturday, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Hightop Burger, an independently-owned, modern day smash burger joint, features a small menu of tasty burgers, hot dogs, shakes, tots, and more. The standout remains the High Burger with beef, ordered the “hightop way” — with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sautéed onion, pickles, and special sauce. Burgers are smashed to order and served on a Martin’s Potato Roll bun. It would be a crime to not order the giant bacon and cheddar-stuffed tots, aptly named High Tots. Hightop Burger is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for dine-in and takeout.

Chef Sean Fowler puts as much thought into the George Clooney Burger as he does with every dish at Mandolin. 75 percent Angus beef and 25 percent pork belly give it a solid meaty flavor, and when paired with blue cheese bacon ranch, tobacco onions, and lettuce on a Lucette Grace brioche bun, served alongside Mandolin fries, it’s next level. Mandolin is open Tuesday to Sunday for dine-in and to-go.

Go to Wye Hill Kitchen + Brewing for the views of downtown Raleigh, but stay for the awesome food and beer— including the Wye Hill Burger. The 1/3 pound burger comes with double cheeses (cheddar and gouda), fried green tomatoes, bacon, and chipotle crema. “The Wye Burger is topped with a fried green tomato that is breaded with brewer’s grain from our brewery,” says Max Trujillo. “Our best beer recommendation would be our Space Disco Hazy IPA,” which pairs well with the flavors of the burger. The spot is currently open Wednesday through Thursday for dine-in and takeout, with an ongoing Lawrence BBQ pop-up on Monday and Tuesday.

At Whiskey Kitchen, the lamb burger is the way to go and has remained on the menu since day one. The burger entails a lamb patty, sheep’s cheese, tomato, vesta aioli, and mint, housed on a brioche bun. Vesta aioli adds a nice kick while mint and basil freshen it up. Whiskey Kitchen is open daily for dine-in and takeout.

On the more inventive side of the burger spectrum, Locals Seafood (inside Transfer Co. Food Hall, with a sister spot in Durham Food Hall), offers a tuna bloodline burger, in which chef/partner, Eric Montagne, notes, emerged out of necessity. The grilled tuna burger comes equipped with American cheese, shaved lettuce, pickles, and tartar sauce, and looks just like a regular beef burger to the eye. Montagne relays that the bloodline of the tuna (a darker strip of meat and what gives it the “real beef patty” look) is often cut out as it's deemed less desirable. “The bloodline has a deep purple color which comes from a higher concentration of blood flow due to its close proximity to the center of the fish,” he adds. “The increased blood flow gives this part of the tuna loin a much higher iron content and a slightly different flavor — and after some R&D we thought that the bloodline behaved and tasted similarly to beef so we decided to follow that rabbit hole,” he says. To date, the team has been able to utilize over 1,000 pounds of tuna line that would have been tossed out. Locals Seafood at Transfer Co. Food Hall is open for dine-in and to-go from 11 a.m to 9 p.m. daily.