There are a handful of spots in Austin making smoked burgers, but our favorite comes from LeRoy And Lewis. Maybe it’s the all brisket patty that’s thick and peppery with a juicy interior. Maybe it’s the springy potato roll, or the chopped grilled onions that add a little sweetness to each bite. Whatever it is, it’s worth waiting in one of Austin’s famous barbecue lines to get your hands on one.

The burgers here are about as classic as they come—with bacon, jalapeno, and mushroom swiss variations—but something about these perfectly seasoned patties and toasted white buns puts them among our favorites in town. The best part is that you never have to wait in a long line, spend a lot of money, or win some kind of raffle to eat one. Our go-to here is usually the mushroom swiss, but there’s no bad move.

The menu at Dirty Martin’s is simple—burgers, patty melts, onion rings, and milkshakes. Sometimes, simple is better. This is one of those times. Keep it classic with a kumbak burger (the original option here, with or without cheese), or go with our personal favorite, the D.H. special—basically a double patty melt on Texas Toast. Whatever you do, save some room for a milkshake at the end for the full experience.

All of the burgers here share the same basic format—a massive ¾ pound patty with toppings inspired by various cities across the country. So whether you find yourself taking down a Buffalo burger covered in spicy wing sauce and bleu cheese, or a Pitts burger that’s topped with Guinness and sherry sautéed mushrooms, the thing to remember is that the beef is the star of the show. The patty is incredibly thick, with a char-grilled crust and a pink center—and the arch-nemesis of the smashburger.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan of putting greens, or you don’t know the difference between a 9-iron and a tennis racket, Gimme Burger is all the reason you need to head to Butler Pitch & Putt off of Riverside Drive. The food truck’s menu is simple—burgers, hot dogs, french fries, and fried okra. The burger here is massive—with a juicy, double wagyu patty that’s been smashed hard for edge-to-edge crispiness, a couple slices of american cheese, and lots of mustard.

Launderette’s burger is refreshingly simple—petite, with american cheese and thin pickles on a challah bun, this is one of the few burgers we can finish while still feeling like we just ate a light meal. One of the only items on both their brunch and dinner menus, you can get the burger at just about any hour that Launderette is open. Afterwards, grab a birthday cake ice cream sandwich to round out the whole experience.

A bowling alley might not be the first place you’d expect to find one of Austin’s best burgers, but we’re living in a time where the Fast & Furious franchise has hit double digits—wilder things have happened. The burgers at Lebowski’s Grill are, unsurprisingly, named after characters from the titular film. We’re fans of The Dude, with an Angus beef patty and all of the standard toppings, including both mustard and mayonnaise.

The burger at Odd Duck somehow makes time stand still. At least that’s how you’ll feel when it gets put in front you. Don’t get too attached to it though, as the setup for their burger changes a few times a year. A recent iteration was sort of a riff on pickles and bacon—combining a grilled dry-aged wagyu patty with beer-battered pickled zucchini, chunky caramelized pork belly, and melty pimento cheese. The burger is big.

The burger at Frazier’s is basically a McDonald’s cheeseburger that went to culinary school. Think smashed patties and steamed potato buns, plus all the usual fixings. It’s small enough that you can probably put down a couple, though we’d advise you to save some room for a side of frizzle fries—basically the lovechild of a curly fry and a potato wedge. And at just over $3 a burger, it’s hard not to find yourself wishing you were at Frazier’s instead of the drive-thru.

It’s impossible to have a discussion about burgers in Austin without Dan's coming into the conversation. They’ve been a fixture in Austin for five decades. In that time, they’ve expanded to a few locations across town, alongside a series of stories about family drama (that led to the creation, and eventual closing, of Fran’s Hamburgers). All you really need to know is that they still make one of the best classic char-grilled burgers in town. We like the double meat, single cheese option best.