Best burgers in New Jersey? 15 spots for classic and inventive burgers

A burger is delicious any time of year, but especially now, as the weather warms and spring eases into summer.

You can grill one up yourself, of course: A backyard burger always hits the spot. But so many of New Jersey’s restaurants make a great burger, why bother?

Whether you prefer a thick, hearty patty, where the flavor of the meat is the star; a lacy-edged burger smashed to perfection; a burger piled with toppings or one with nothing at all, these spots deliver when it comes to this classic favorite.

22 West Tap & Grill, Bridgewater

Forget slapping a slice of American cheese that has spent its life in plastic on a patty at creative gastropub 22 West Tap & Grill in Bridgewater. Here, customers can customize their own burgers, choosing from a dozen types of cheese, including fried mozzarella and pimento.

Too overwhelmed with the list of build-your-own burger options? Choose from one of the restaurant’s signature burgers, like the 22 West Burger, which gives cheese a carb-y edge. This piled-high burger has two patties, two pieces of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, pork belly, lettuce, tomato, onions and an onion ring.

Plus, you can enjoy it with a view of athletes running off their calories, since every seat has a view of the restaurant’s 19 TVs, including a 110-inch model that fills an entire wall.

Go: 1601 Route 22, Bridgewater; 732-627-5012, 22westtapandgrill.com

Bun Buddies, Wood-Ridge

Smash burgers with crispy edges and well-seasoned patties await at Bun Buddies, Bergen County’s best-kept fast food secret. Run by a chef who once whipped up high-end fare in Manhattan’s finest kitchens (including the three Michelin-starred Jungsik), the tiny Wood-Ridge gem is home to irresistible comfort dishes prepared at an elite level.

Order the “Special Buddy,” for example, and be wowed by the way 100% chuck melts in your mouth like a pasture-raised steak. Note how its caramelized onions are rich with sweetness, and how the mixture of sauces have a subtle hint of mustard, providing the perfect balance to every bite.

From flawlessly grilled beef to the optional addition of housemade coleslaw, the burger is reflective of all others on the menu: intentionally designed, meticulously executed and served with pride by a dude who knows what he’s doing.

Go: 271 Valley Blvd., Wood-Ridge; 201-604-4813, bun-buddies.com

Burger 25, multiple locations

Ask anyone in Ocean County where to get a great burger, and chances are they’ll say Burger 25.

The trio of restaurants, run by Denise and Steve Vetter and their children, Alexis Wasilick and Aidan Vetter, has a burger for everyone. The menu includes everything from a classic cheeseburger, made with six ounces of Angus beef and served on a Martin’s Famous Potato Roll, to a French onion burger that’s seared in French onion soup and topped with Swiss and provolone cheeses, sautéed onions, crouton crisps and garlic aioli on an onion bun.

The 25th burger on the menu is a special that rotates monthly. Recent offerings include a burger seared in consommé and topped with Oaxaca cheese, beef birria, salsa and guacamole, and one with housemade chili, cheddar cheese, Fritos, sour cream and chipotle mayo.

Go: 2045 Route 88, Brick, 732-451-4747; 199 Route 37, Toms River, 732-270-0025; 1915 Long Beach Blvd., Ship Bottom, 609-879-2525; burger25.com

The Committed Pig, multiple locations

You’ve likely heard of the supreme burgers at The Committed Pig, which has locations in Morristown, Summit and Manasquan. They’re fixtures on lists of the state’s best burgers from a variety of media, and word-of-mouth darlings for hungry New Jerseyans.

The burger is built from a blend of Pat LaFrieda steak cuts, and you can enjoy that in a plain, scrumptious cheeseburger or take advantage of the Pig’s culinary creativity. We’re talking a baked Brie burger with creamy Brie, bacon and fig preserves; a chipotle bacon burger with Muenster, chipotle mayo, bacon and an onion ring; and the triple-decker “Pig Mac” with American cheese, pickles and special sauce. There also are turkey and veggie burger options.

Go: 28 W. Park Place, Morristown; 862-260-9292; 165 Main St., Manasquan, 732-837-9800; 339 Springfield Ave., Summit, 908-219-4543; thecommittedpig.com

Harpoon Willy’s, Manasquan

Asbury Park Press readers recently named the burgers at Harpoon Willy’s the best at the Shore, and with good reason.

The restaurant serves nearly half a dozen varieties made from 10-ounce patties of 80/20 Angus ground chuck blended especially for them. The most popular of the burgers, which are cooked to order and served on kaiser rolls with pickles and salted steak fries, is the “River Road,” a traditional burger topped with a diner’s choice of cheese, plus lettuce and tomato if they like.

Or try the “Dockside,” topped with bacon, mushrooms, sautéed onions and Swiss, cheddar and American cheeses, or the “So Cal,” with avocado, frizzled onions, spicy mayo and roasted tomatoes.

A bonus: If you order a burger at the bar, you can watch it sizzle on a grill behind the bartop.

Go: 2655 River Road, Manasquan; 732-223-8880, harpoonwillys.com

Hey Burger, Hazlet

This is a burger you won’t be able to stop thinking about, from a place you might not expect.

Inside Nic’s Hometown Tavern, a classic neighborhood bar with trivia nights, packaged goods and sports on TV, is Hey Burger, a restaurant concept serving smash burgers, wings, cheesesteaks and more. The menu includes nine versions of the thin, crispy-edged burger, including the “No. 1” with burger sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickles and onions; the “Black & Blue” with blue cheese crumbles, crispy onions and Cajun seasoning; and the “Cherry Bomb” with cherry peppers, American cheese, bacon and chipotle sauce.

Order your favorite with “Tornado Potatoes,” which are thinly sliced potatoes on a stick that come in flavors like sour cream and onion, cheddar and Old Bay; onion petals or salt and vinegar french fries.

Go: 180 Roue 36, Hazlet; 732-769-2200, instagram.com/heyburgernj

Krug’s Tavern, Newark

Simply put, this may be the most famous burger in North Jersey, if not the whole state. That’s for good reason: It’s simple, massive and delicious.

A three-quarter pound beef patty is charred on the outside on Krug’s flat-top griddle, giving it a delightful, roasty bark. The meat is unseasoned, but you won’t care — a plain burger or cheeseburger has more than enough flavor, and each bite oozes with fatty goodness. You can always order the bacon bleu or pizza burger if you need further adornment. 

There’s also few better environs to chow down on a burger than the scene at Krug’s. This nearly century-old pub is a good time with cold beer, good cheer and a terrific pub menu (get the bar pie and shrimp parm).

Go: 118 Wilson Ave., Newark; 973-465-9795, krugstavernnj.com

Outlaw’s Burger Barn & Creamery, Vineland

A top location for gourmet smash burgers, the family-owned Outlaw’s Burger Barn & Creamery also offers cheesesteaks, fried chicken sandwiches, housemade ice cream and milkshakes.

Some of the burger options, of which there are nearly a dozen, are “Shroomin,” with caramelized mushrooms, charred balsamic red onion, fontina cheese and steakhouse mayo; “The Works,” with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, pickled jalapeño and special sauce; and the “Smokehouse,” with bacon, pickled jalapeño, white cheddar cheese, onion rings and housemade barbecue sauce.

The restaurant was opened in 2016 by owner Ryan Briggs, who wanted to create a place for families to gather “over fresh, local food and leave feeling part of the Outlaw’s family.” It started as a small mom-and-pop shop, the website says, but grew into a hometown favorite.

Go: 1370 S. Main Road, Vineland; 856-691-5438, outlawsburgerbarn.com

The Raging Bull, Pennsauken

This smash burger and cheesesteak spot, also known for its hand-spun milkshakes, cooks up burgers that are made from ground chuck and served on Martins & Sons Potato Buns.

There’s “The Oklahoma,” with thin-sliced Vidalia onions, Bully burger sauce and yellow Cooper Sharp American cheese; “The Classic,” which has yellow Cooper Sharp, mustard, diced onions and dill pickles; and “The Deluxe,” with Bibb lettuce, tomato, bacon, Bully burger sauce, dill pickles and Cooper Sharp.

Not a burger fan? Try a Buffalo cheesesteak with brined and shaved chicken, or “The Raging Bull” cheesesteak with Cooper Sharp Whiz, chipotle mayo and roasted long hots.

“Our goal is simple: Use the highest quality ingredients, prepare everything fresh, and never cut corners,” owner Eric Adili said.

Go: 6007 Mansion Blvd., Pennsauken; 856-324-0725, theragingbullnj.com

Rocky Hill Inn, Rocky Hill

The only reason many New Jerseyans have ever heard of sleepy Somerset County enclave Rocky Hill is because they’ve made the drive to Rocky Hill Inn for the gastropub’s famous burgers and pub fare.

“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host Guy Fieri helped put the tavern’s inventive burgers on the map when he visited in 2017, taking more than a few bites of the fried green tomato burger with goat cheese, bacon jam and mixed greens.

You’ll find yourself coming to the Rocky Hill Inn over and over again to check off all of the colossal burgers on the menu, which feature patties made with pancetta, short rib and strip steak. Favorites include “The Royale,” a nod to “Pulp Fiction,” with two smashed four-ounce patties, American cheese, melted onions, shredded iceberg, tomato and Thousand Island dressing, and the “Fat Daddy” burger with braised short rib, provolone, red onion jam, arugula and horseradish crème fraiche.

Go: 137 Washington St, Rocky Hill; 609-683-8930, rockyhilltavern.com

The Shore Spot, Manasquan

One doesn’t usually equate food eaten at the beach with top-notch cuisine. But at The Shore Spot at Manasquan’s oceanfront Sea Watch Pavilion, owner and chef Frank Valgenti finds ways to elevate everything — including burgers.

He grills a top-notch smashburger, which is made with two perfectly salted, American cheese-topped beef patties, sautéed onions, lettuce and a thick slice of tomato, all cradled by a sturdy-yet-tender roll.

The seasonal restaurant, which has a second-floor dining room overlooking the beach, also serves rotating burger specials, like one with Gruyére cheese and jam made from figs owner Frank Valgenti grows himself, and another topped with macaroni and cheese.

Go: 95 Beachfront, Manasquan; 732-400-1985, theshorespot.com

Steve’s Burgers, Garfield

It’s been a year since Steve’s Burgers made history in North Jersey, becoming the first fast-casual restaurant in the area to make USA TODAY’S Restaurants of the Year list. A seemingly out-of-place addition, the humble roadside joint was sandwiched between fine-dining destinations, contemporary gastropubs and upscale special occasion spots with wine lists.

Nonetheless, it held its own.

Critics praise Steve’s Burgers for its blend of nostalgia with innovation, from the combination of retro digs with uniquely topped burgers to the hometown hangout atmosphere with Instagram-able eats. Most recommended for devouring was the signature “Steve’s Burger,” which comes topped with American cheese, tangy Steve’s Sauce, crisp bacon and a battered onion ring.

Go: 506 Route 46, Garfield; 973-772-1770, stevesburgersgarfield.com

Tierney’s Tavern, Montclair

Tierney’s in Montclair is one of the best bars in America, but it also slings some of the best burgers in the area, too (if you know how to order them).

You can go here and get a killer cheeseburger, or you can order slightly off the menu and get the not-so-secret-anymore “Buddy burger,” a cheeseburger topped with Worcestershire-laden grilled onions. It’s pure comfort and enough to sate any size of appetite.

Tierney’s is also an ideal spot for casual eats. Order a burger and a pint, maybe throw in some wings, laugh it up with friends and you’ll leave without having broken the bank.

Go: 138 Valley Road, Montclair; tierneystavern.com

White Rose Hamburgers, Highland Park

It doesn’t get much simpler — or more soul-satisfying — than White Rose Hamburgers.

Other places may be artificially retro, but White Rose is the real thing. Like “Happy Days,” the restaurant has a classic counter with barstool seats. The burgers are served on paper plates, just like at a picnic or when Mom doesn’t feel like doing the dishes.

Go for the time-honored fundamentals that offer simple pleasure in a complex world: a cheeseburger, bacon burger or hamburger. And if you really need to smother your sorrows, make it a double. 

True to its 1950s roots in the previous golden age of hamburgers, the hefty slider patties wait for you on soft Kaiser rolls with onions, regardless of what add-ons you choose for your burger.

Go: 154 Woodbridge Avenue, Highland Park; 732-777-1881, whiteroseburgersnj.com

Woosmash, Verona

Cheeseburgers may be the (unofficial) national dish of America, but that’s not stopping Korean-born culinary wizard Woosung Cho from redesigning them with delicious Asian twists. In downtown Verona, he’s “woo”-ing locals with everything from standard smash burgers to Korean barbecue-flavored ribeye burgers drowning in garlic mayo and topped with kimchi relish.

As for the onions? Caramelized with miso.

When Woosmash first opened, we delighted in the fact that we were the only ones who knew about it. Infatuated with Cho’s gochujang-glazed chicken sandwiches (when not in the burger mood) and spicy “Woo-Ha Smash” with Firestorm sauce, we gave it a few weeks before blowing the spot up on Instagram.

Today, though, everyone knows about the place, as word spread about Cho’s “thoughtful flavors” and “unbeatable prices” faster than the cars rip down Bloomfield Avenue outside its windows.

Go: 648 Bloomfield Ave., Verona; 973-433-7256, woosmash.com