Best hamburger in Philadelphia

[R Washburn]

Hi,

There is a current thread on the New York board about a weekly burger club Burger club and a few posters are considering coming down to Philadelphia in there quest for the perfect Hamburger.

Where would you recommend trying?

Robert

[KatieLoeb]

I put my recs on the NY thread, but I'll repeat them here.

Medium scale: Copa Too. New Wave Cafe. Standard Tap.

Upscale: Bleu, Rouge, Brasserie Perrier, Smith & Wollensky

[gabe]

Monk's Ardennes burger. The one with parma ham and Belgian cheese. Guess that'd fit into your midscale category, Katie.

[R Washburn]

Smith & Wollensky

I would disqualify any chain restaurants.

Does Roosevelt's(22nd and Walnut?) still serve an extremely cheap burger? I think it was $3 for a cheeseburger and fries ~10 years ago.

[Holly Moore]

Philadelphians seem to be size freaks, the bigger, the messier, the more it falls apart the better. I march to a different drummer.

My favorite local burgers are out of Center City and mostly out of Philadelphia. Only exception was Wolf's Market, when it was still Wolf's Market.

Assuming I'm not home and cooking, I'd point you to Dilly's, just north of New Hope, the Charcoal Pit on Rte 202 in Wilmington or Charlie's in Folsom.

[tommy]

Smith & Wollensky

I would disqualify any chain restaurants.

you'd be missing out.

[R Washburn]

you'd be missing out. 

Yeah, but it seems kind of silly for a bunch of New Yorkers to trek down to Philladelphia to eat at the local outpost of a New York restaurant.

I think Pietro's (local outpost of NY's Patsy's) makes excellant pizza, but I wouldn't recommend it to visiting NYers.

[tommy]

you'd be missing out. 

Yeah, but it seems kind of silly for a bunch of New Yorkers to trek down to Philladelphia to eat at the local outpost of a New York restaurant.

I think Pietro's (local outpost of NY's Patsy's) makes excellant pizza, but I wouldn't recommend it to visiting NYers.

you're absolutely right. i glanced through the thread and thought it was going to be for philly people as well.

although i've eaten at Nobu outside of NYC. but that's a bit different i suppose.

Edited October 2, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Mummer]

Roosevelt's (it's at 23rd and Walnut) still does the bargain burger, as long as you order a beverage.

M-F, 5-7, they have happy hour - $5 for unlimited domestic brews (mostly the mass market swill, but they include Yuengling lager) and well drinks.

While inexpensive, I'd put it below either of Katie's tiers.

[herbacidal]

you'd be missing out. 

Yeah, but it seems kind of silly for a bunch of New Yorkers to trek down to Philladelphia to eat at the local outpost of a New York restaurant.

I think Pietro's (local outpost of NY's Patsy's) makes excellant pizza, but I wouldn't recommend it to visiting NYers.

you're absolutely right. i glanced through the thread and thought it was going to be for philly people as well.

although i've eaten at Nobu outside of NYC. but that's a bit different i suppose.

really? to me it's a combo of philly people and new yawkers who need an excuse for day/weekend trip to visit friends/family/etc. or whatever else and would build this into it.

[Holly Moore]

really?  to me it's a combo of philly people and new yawkers who need an excuse for day/weekend trip to visit friends/family/etc.  or whatever else and would build this into it.

Alas, Herb. You underestimate the draw of a great hamburger. Or a Red's lobster roll. Or a Rutt's Hut Ripper. Or BBQ from Allen and Sons or Oysters from Bowen's Island. The food is the thing, no other reason is necessary and distance is but a minor obstacle.

[herbacidal]

really?  to me it's a combo of philly people and new yawkers who need an excuse for day/weekend trip to visit friends/family/etc.  or whatever else and would build this into it.

Alas, Herb. You underestimate the draw of a great hamburger. Or a Red's lobster roll. Or a Rutt's Hut Ripper. Or BBQ from Allen and Sons or Oysters from Bowen's Island. The food is the thing, no other reason is necessary and distance is but a minor obstacle.

but the hamburger is replicated everywhere. to varying degrees of gastronomical tastiness, but they're there.

as opposed to BBQ or lobster rolls or rutt's ripper dogs.

the food is the thing (as defined by my nyc trip last saturday) but only in comparison to what else is available.

[Holly Moore]

But I said a great hamburger. And great hamburgers are especially rare and not well done in Philadelphia.

Considering what is available in Center City, a 90 minute drive to slop down a few White Manna Burgers is a minor inconvenience.

[herbacidal]

Assuming I'm not home and cooking, I'd point you to Dilly's, just north of New Hope, the Charcoal Pit on Rte 202 in Wilmington or Charlie's in Folsom.

okay, these are 2 day trip possibilities.

but what about white manna?

[tommy]

really?  to me it's a combo of philly people and new yawkers who need an excuse for day/weekend trip to visit friends/family/etc.  or whatever else and would build this into it.

i know. i was just kind of going with it.

[Rich Pawlak]

Assuming I'm not home and cooking, I'd point you to Dilly's, just north of New Hope, the Charcoal Pit on Rte 202 in Wilmington or Charlie's in Folsom.

okay, these are 2 day trip possibilities.

[Yannii]

The "kobe" beef burger at vesuvios at 8th and fitzwater is pretty darn good, half price monday nights makes it even better, and their twice baked potatoes are also worth a try. but my heart belongs to monk's abbott burger (boursin and sprouts) which is very similar to copa too's st tropez option. maybe the new yorkers can come down and try a mcdonald's cheesesteak

[Holly Moore]

I've never had a kobe beef burger. Haven't really been wanting one either. But probably have to try one just to see if my preconception that Kobe beef isn't going to make a great meaty, greasy burger is anything more than a preconception.

How much for Bersuvio's version and can you provide a brief description?

[Holly Moore]

I have never understood your fascination with Dilly's Corner , Holly; twice I've tried their burgers and they tasted of freezer burn and were not particularly well grilled, with no dicernable char.  Maybe I visited on a bad day, but not on TWO bad days.

Think the picture pretty much says it all.

Did you order their namesake DillyBurger or just a hamburger.

[elyse]

As president and CEO of Burger Club, I feel I must interject. Burger Club does not does not allow toppings that detract from the burger. Cheese is allowed. Boursin is not. Ketchup is allowed. Parma ham is not.

It's about the burger.

[tommy]

As president and CEO of Burger Club, I feel I must interject.  Burger Club does not does not allow toppings that detract from the burger.  Cheese is allowed.  Boursin is not.  Ketchup is allowed.  Parma ham is not.

It's about the burger.

i think you're overstepping your bounds. although, a burger at any of the places that i suggest would clearly call for nothing more than american cheese, raw onion, and a bit of "catsup".

oh, and, bring your own peppermill to those places that won't offer one.

Edited October 3, 2003 by tommy (log)

[KatieLoeb]

As president and CEO of Burger Club, I feel I must interject.  Burger Club does not does not allow toppings that detract from the burger.  Cheese is allowed.  Boursin is not.  Ketchup is allowed.  Parma ham is not.

It's about the burger.

How about Bacon???!!!???

[elyse]

Bacon is fine on a burger. Boursin is fine on a burger. But for the purposes of Burger Club, they cloud the issue and distract from the burger. I can accept onion.

It's all about the burger.

[mrbigjas]

I had a pretty great burger at Ten Stone a couple months ago.

Really probably the best burgers I've had in town were at the aforementioned Roosevelt's, about 12 years ago when they first introduced the "recession special" as they called it then. My memory may be a little rose-colored from the fact that it was a nice 1/2 pound burger for $2.50 or something, at a place where the menu was a little too expensive for a starving college student, usually. But it seems to me that the burgers themselves were really excellent.

From the accounts above, I guess they're not so good now. Too bad.

[Rich Pawlak]

I have never understood your fascination with Dilly's Corner , Holly; twice I've tried their burgers and they tasted of freezer burn and were not particularly well grilled, with no dicernable char.  Maybe I visited on a bad day, but not on TWO bad days.

Think the picture pretty much says it all.

Did you order their namesake DillyBurger or just a hamburger.

I ordered the Dillyburge both times, and it looked NOTHING like that! Not even close. I swear.