Whether stacked with numerous patties or just one, caramelized on the flat top or char-broiled, covered with a tower of toppings, or simply a swipe of special sauce, the American hamburger has survived battles, earthquakes, space exploration, and even epidemics like COVID-19.
Burgers abound in Portland, a city as passionate about meat as it is about vegan meals. A culinary delight that will leave you wanting more, the best burger in Portland. They’re served smashed or stacked high in dive pubs and wine bars, food carts, and hotels. Burgers and all of their trimmings continue to shine at a time when foods that can be readily packed and taken to go represent the peak of food safety. Portland is well known for its vibrant and diverse burger restaurants, which provide a wide selection of delectable options to satiate the cravings of any burger enthusiast.
While Portlanders like their burgers in a variety of ways, including chicken, lentils, black beans, and more, we have prepared a list given below of burger restaurants in Portland that are now serving their classic beef burger. Burger restaurants in Portland are a food lover’s paradise, boasting a rich selection of mouthwatering burgers that showcase the city’s culinary excellence. Some notable establishments, such as Kenton’s Derby and Alberta’s Urdaneta, are no longer providing their burgers.
Best Burger in Portland - You Should Go for it!
It’s not as simple as it appears to perfect a traditional burger. A patty on a bun can be served by any teen employee or backyard barbecuer. It’s no easy work to master each piece, to make a chorus of flavors, to uncover and unlock our inner burger endorphins. Few things in life, however, are more enjoyable when done correctly. As a result, we have devised the list of best burgers that will help you in finding the best burger places in Portland, Maine to satisfy your cravings.
- Bless Your Heart Burgers
- Bottle Rocket
- Burger Stevens
- Clyde’s Prime Rib
- Derby Kenton
- Expatriate
- Farmer And The Beast
- Fuller’s Burger Shack
- Grain & Gristle
- Hit The Spot
- Jojo Food Truck
- Lardo
- Lay Low Tavern
- Ok Omens
- Pdx Sliders
- Rough Draft Burger Shop
- Sammich
- Super Deluxe
- The Old Schoolers
- Tulip Shop Tavern
1. Bless Your Heart Burgers
John Gorham, the company’s illustrious founder, has passed away. But the house staple is as good as it’s always been, with chef-favorite Duke’s mayo and East Coast cult-favorite Martin’s potato rolls, which are very popular at Shake Shack. Their burgers are at the next level.
It was attractive and well-scaled, with a bunch of long lettuce shreds sprinkled about. The patties had juiciness that we didn’t find in many of the burgers we sampled. The bun (despite its great squish), the delicious onions, and the zucchini pickles were sprinkled everywhere. But, as I overheard at the first mouthful, the bottom line is, “Damn, that’s good.” It’s also a good deal.
- PRICE: $6.95
- Address: 5410 NE 33rd Ave
- Official Website: Click Here
- Contact: (503) 719-6447
2. Bottle Rocket
Bottle Rocket is a fun-filled, hand-hewn burger point located in the middle of Cartopia, Portland’s OG food cart pod, with says that they bring out artisan culture flavor in their burgers. Let’s get one thing straight: the mayo sauce is very spicy, but this burger complements classic form in every other way.
The deep tastes, cold-crisp-crunchy ingredients, toasty Franz bread, and Nicky USA’s hard-formed, perfectly browned patty brightly drew us in. The onions, which go amazing, some raw and some gently caramelized, add more flavor. The back half of the burger has an M.I.A. cheese flavor, which is a drawback.
- PRICE: $10
- Address: 1207 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
- Official website: Click Here
- Contact: (971)279-4663
3. Burger Stevens
Burger Stevens went from being a little-known “chef-driven” food cart to becoming a cult burger in 2016. His secret: a near-perfect smash burger, built like a Shake Shack burger but with his own paprika-infused sauce. Our cheeseburger experience in February was neither so good nor so bad, It was dubbed “off day” by the group.
After that, during the epidemic, the downtown cart went down. Don Salamone, the proprietor, returned in early November after a brief break to again present some new tastes and nostalgic burgers.
eventually, he opened two carts in one week during an epidemic end and this leads to the inconsistent behavior that we have witnessed during our four visits: wonderful beef, bitter sauce, Meat that is half-raw and tasty, properly cooked meat. It was clearly too soon to rank it. This is a fantastic burger on a good day, with prime meat that is well breaded and seasoned. Burger Stevens, we’re confident that it will be back in form soon.
- PRICE: $7
- Address: 4237 N Mississippi Ave (Prost Marketplace), 4250 SW Rose Biggi Ave (BG’s Food Cartel)
- Official website: Click Here
4. Clyde’s Prime Rib
One of Clyde’s Prime Rib’s major attractions is the titular piece of beef, but the so-called Lounge Burger is delightfully simple: ground beef, American cheese, tomatoes, pickles, onion, and a ketchup-mayo “burger sauce” on a brioche bun (a mildly upscale touch).
The patty stays moist behind its scorched edges thanks to a special blend of tenderloin and brisket. The restaurant provides onsite dining as well as delivery and takeaway.
- Address: 5474 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97213
- Contact: (503) 281-9200
- Address: Visit Website
- PRICE $9
5. Derby Kenton
Make no mistake Judith Stokes is a fierce entrepreneur, a proud Filipino American, and a one-time leader of Mississippi’s food-cart scene with Tita’s Pista. “My burger, my place,” she said simply at Derby Kenton, which she opened in 2018. Her attempt with turmeric-laced burgers, however, was pathetic.
As a result, she dived into traditional burger research and discovered Portland’s best-kept smashed burger secret. Two melty cheese-encrusted burgers, the delicious crunch of lettuce ribbons and handmade pickles, and a ketchup/mayo sauce heightened by the kitchen’s stoneground mustard aioli. It’s still a topic of discussion for Okazaki. It was a top-five favorite for Pauline. “This is Heaven’s Big Mac,” Oakley complained.
- Address: 8212 N Denver Ave
- Official Website: Click Here
- Price: $12
6. Expatriate
The Expatriate bar in Concordia isn’t just known for its inventive cocktails and bar foods like fried wontons, lemongrass beef, and Thai chile cheese sauce nachos; the bar has also introduced an excellent cheeseburger to the menu, with no twists (or lettuce or tomato).
The quarter-pound burgers are served in a soft An Xuyen roll with American cheese, raw onion, squirts of Heinz ketchup, and French mustard. The bar accepts takeout as well as delivery orders via Instagram DM.
- Address: 5424 NE 30th Ave
- Official Website: Click Here
- PRICE: $18
7. Farmer And The Beast
Farmer and the Beast, a food cart in the buzzy Nob Hill Food Carts pod, is located in the street of Northwest Portland. Farmer and The Beast are likely best known for their titular Beast burger, despite serving a range of local veggie dishes.
This burger stands its own among the smash burgers in the city, with a flavor reminding of a backyard BBQ in all the best ways, thanks to two crushed patties, American cheese, sliced yellow onion, and pickle, iceberg, and its “really exceptional” sauce. Farmer and the Beast offer to-go orders as well as an outdoor covered table sitting in a well-lit pod.
- Address: 1845 NW 23rd Pl Portland, OR 97210
- Contact: (971) 319-0656
- Official website: Click Here
- PRICE: $10
8. Fuller’s Burger Shack
Fuller’s Coffee Shop in the Pearl, an icon and relic of Drugstore Cowboy Portland, is known for serving the delicious cheeseburger. Fuller’s cheeseburger hasn’t changed since 1947, according to the people. It now has a second life as the major attraction and raison d’etre of partner company Fuller’s Burger Shack, a mall eatery with franchise ambitions, thanks to a local restaurant group.
The Burger Shack edition is, finer than the coffee shop version. The warm richness, the right proportions, the juicy char, the great crunch of full iceberg leaves, and the way the cheese poured over the rims were all things we enjoyed.
- Address: 10131 NE Cascades Pkwy
- Official Website: fullersburgershack.com
- Contact: (503) 206-8048
- PRICE: $6.95
9. Grain & Gristle
Willamette Week’s 2017 burger survey was won by this delicious meat burger by a wide margin. Does it still make sense? The answer exemplifies the inconsistency that we discovered in Portland’s Burger World.
Consider: In a couple of hours, this one went from tasty to dead. Lunch consisted of beautifully toasted bread and gleaming organic beef, which was still custom-ordered from Oregon’s top Hawley Ranch and ground daily.
Cabal workers who arrived for supper that night discovered an undercooked mess. The pickle effect was excellent on both occasions, bursting with acidity and crunch, but the taste was a little muted overall. Nonetheless, we like the zeal displayed here.
- Address: 1473 NE Prescott St
- Official website: Click Here
- Price: $16
- Contact: 503.288.4740
10. Hit The Spot
Hit The Spot is a food truck located in a car park on busy Sandy Boulevard that was founded by a father-son duo in 2014. Customers can add as many patties and texture ham strips as their hearts wish and their budget can afford their smash burgers, which are simple but well-made.
The burger is topped with the typical burger fixings, as well as a smoky chipotle aioli that elevates it from decent to great. Hit The Spot has some outdoor seating as well as take-out options.
- Price: $4.99
- Address: 4835 NE Sandy Blvd.
- Official website: Click Here
11. Jojo Food Truck
Jojo is well known for its fried chicken sandwiches and is housed in a bright blue food truck in a bottle-shop-adjacent food cart pod off SE Powell. The spicy cheeseburger, in particular, is not to be missed.
Impossibly oozy American cheese and savory-sweet caramelized onions are layered on top of a crushed beef patty. The acidic and spicy sambal mayo complements the smoked pepper relish to create a remarkably sophisticated condiment in its own right. The mix of richness and restraint in this burger is a work of art. Jojo has a plaza where customers can sit outside or order cuisine to go.
- Address: 3582 SE Powell Blvd Portland, OR 97202
- Contact: (971) 331-4284
- Official website: Visit Website
- PRICE: $9
12. Lardo
The latest burger from Lardo sandwich restaurant pays homage to White Castle by heating the patty and griddling the onions before encasing them in a fluffy Japanese milk bun.
The delicious “Castle sauce,” a creamy whoosh of mayo, ketchup, and pickle juice, on the other hand, comes right out of the Big Mac school. While the beef was tender and delicious, it yearned for some surface sear and toasting on that excellent bread. In the end, it’s not spectacular, but it’s good and fun.
- PRICE: $9
- Address: 1212 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
- Official website: Click Here
13. Lay Low Tavern
Coming from the dive-bar vibes like the blaring ’90s hip hop. What about the burger, though? It’s a little blah, but it’ll do when you’re having a good time with pals (at socially separated tables) and everyone is banging about club music while piling the complimentary crispy fries.
The highs and lows: a low-quality bread but excellent toasted; meat with good sear but real beef flavor; scarcely visible cheese. The sauce was not specified. The people are nice and friendly, and the meals are large.
- PRICE: $9
- Address: 6015 SE Powell Blvd.
14. Ok Omens
Justin Woodward, Portland’s ruling modernist, is no exception when it comes to towering burger monuments. The classic ingredients won us over, it was almost too cheesy for our goal. The wonderful beef, which tasted like umami bacon in some ways, and the double-onion whammy—a thick raw slice teetering over grilled slices—were the two pluses.
More of that Omens sauce, boosted by house-smoked beef fat, which Woodward employs “to mimic the smoky, beefy flavor seen at McDonald’s or Burger King back in the day,” we hoped. However, clamping down on the entire towering structure would need an open jaw. As a result, if the tower is removed, we can begin to communicate. (Woodward has already made this switch, replacing iceberg lettuce with silky butter lettuce.) The fries were excellent.
- Address: 1758 SE Hawthorne Blvd
- Official website: Click Here
- PRICE: $15
15. PDX Sliders
A Yelp army formed around this Sellwood food truck in 2016. It became a brick-and-mortar a year later, and today PDX Sliders has Portland’s mini-chain fever. Though the kitchen is most known for its quirky sliders, it also serves a full-sized conventional cheeseburger.
It’s not The Wire of burgers, but rather Friends: rewatchable, well-crafted, and quite likable. The ring of smoky char on a delicious bun; the slight smack of salt in the meaty meat; the proper cheese drip; and big-tasting pickles are all noteworthy. What it needed was contrast, which is essential for a truly superb burger. It may be ideal with lettuce and tomato, or perhaps ketchup and mustard.
- PRICE: $11
- Address: 3111 SE Division St.
- Official website: Click Here
- Contact: (971) 717-5271
16. Rough Draft Burger Shop
There’s a new food cart in town, and it’s serving up some tasty burgers! A short but concentrated menu includes cheeseburgers (single or double), waffle fries, a fried broccoli item that looks amazing, shaved Brussels salad, and a veggie plate.
We ordered a package of five burgers with fries. Those burgers were incredible, particularly the crispy patty edges. They’re topped with American cheese, onions, pickles, and a dipping sauce. It’s a cross between a standard burger and a slider. Crispy, hot fries with a cheese dipping sauce were served.
They’re just next door to Uptown Beer, which features outside tables and, of course, a lot of beer. Although there is a small parking lot, many people are getting ready to leave and aren’t staying long.
It’ll be available for you if you order ahead of time online. If you like burgers, please go follow the new tiny business! You’ll be glad you did.
- Address: 6620 SW Scholls Ferry Rd Portland, OR 97223 Southwest Portland
- Official website: Click Here
- Price: $6
17. SAMMICH
In a faded Cubs tee and sideways cap, Chicago ex-pat Melissa McMillan dominates her small sandwich restaurant. The raucous Windy City sandwich homages, the Kanye-level braggadocio — everything here is an expression of her soul.
Her burger was massive, with red wine vinaigrette-marinated onions, a snowstorm of shredded lettuce, and a substantial dollop of mayo, ketchup, pickle, and mustard sauce. “Think adult Big Mac, lovely in a drippy, over-filled kind of way,” Drew added. “A very nice burger,” Oakley continued, “but every mouthful tastes the same to me, which isn’t an A.”
- PRICE: $10
- Address: 2137 E Burnside St.
- Official website: @sammichportland
18. Super Deluxe
There are no disagreements here: Micah Camden (and his business partner Matt Lynch) has meticulously researched the influential Shake Shack model—not to mention America’s classic drive-through culture, which has been cleverly reproduced here, with an interminable queue of cars to prove it.
Bottom line: This is the greatest burger in Portland that you can purchase without leaving your car, just beating out McDonald’s Fresh Beef Quarter Pounder Deluxe.
- PRICE: $7.25
- Address: 5009 SE Powell Blvd.
- Official website: Click Here
19. The Old Schoolers
Let us take a moment to honor The Legends—the old-school establishments that are still dripping with ambiance, history, and uncomplicated burgers. Jim Dandy, who was born in 1937, introduced this amazing burger.
Skyline’s burger was reportedly known as “one of the greatest in the country” by James Beard, the food king (OK, it was years ago). Customers of all generations love them, and they are strong defenders of their turf. To be honest, the distinctions in their burger geology were difficult to spot, as if they’d been cloned from the same machine.
- PRICE: $5-$7.50
- Address: Roake’s, 18109 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Milwaukie
- Official website: Click Here
20. Tulip Shop Tavern
Tulip Shop Tavern seems to recognize the importance of a pickle in a burger’s ingredients: it supplies the acidic properties that balance out the burger’s overwhelming richness from ground beef and American cheese.
Tulip Shop adds entire chips and plenty of “special sauce,” which gives it that tangy touch, instead of just a pinch of sliced pickle and calling it good. Tulip Shop also knows how to sear a burger, that adds a bit of carbonic harshness that’s beautifully balanced by the cheese. The double-double, a half-pounder on a fluffy, not-too-sweet milk bun, is the way to go here.
- Address: n825 N Killingsworth St Portland, OR 97217
- Contact: (503) 206-8483
- Official website: Visit Website
Best Burger in Portland - FAQs
Conclusion
The burger industry is getting more important day by day. People especially teens love to eat burgers. Portland Maine burgers are known worldwide because of their exceptional taste and ingredients. There are a variety of burgers available in the market and each has its own specifications that people like. We have also made a list of the 20 best burgers in Portland, Maine that you will surely regret if you miss any of them.
I hope these burger restaurant options will help you a lot in finding the divine taste that you are urging for.
