Acadia (Chicago, Illinois)
Acadia's double-patty "BK" burger is basically the fine-dining version of Burger King's Whopper.
The burger, one of several award-winning creations by Michelin-starred chef Ryan McCaskey, is stacked with double cream gouda, bread and butter pickles, and house bacon served between toasted brioche buns slathered in special sauce.
Price: $16
Ai Fiori (New York, New York)
Michael White, Ai Fiori's chef and owner, serves the White Label Burger at lunchtime.
Slices of white American cheese blanket the squared-shape, eight-ounce La Frieda prime burger, which is topped with bacon marmalade and McClure's pickles.
It's served with "pommes dauphines," made by frying mashed potatoes and choux pastry dough.
Price: $45 for a two-course lunch, $18 for each additional course
Andre's Restaurant & Lounge (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Happy hour and sliders are meant for each other, especially when they're whipped up by celebrity chef André Rochat.
Rochat's beef sliders are crowned with caramelized onions and Roquefort cheese between a set of brioche buns. For an extra dollar, you can add a side of fries.
Price: $12
To learn more about Andre's Restaurant and Lounge, click here »
Aureole (Las Vegas, Nevada)
While you're in Vegas, head over to Mandalay Bay and order new Executive Chef Arnaud Masset's sirloin sliders, available during happy hour.
Crispy bacon, guacamole, and a chipotle sauce complete the miniature delights.
Price: $10
Blackbird (Chicago, Illinois)
Blackbird's executive chef Paul Kahan was the 2013 winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef and was named Best Chef of the Midwest in 2004.
Served during lunch, his grilled short rib burger rests on a potato bun with Blackbird American cheese, dill, bread and butter onions, and a slather of mustard. The toppings and overall menu are subject to change based on seasonal availability.
Price: $15
Longman & Eagle (Chicago, Illinois)
Longman & Eagle serves its juicy burger with a side of beef fat fries during brunch and dinner.
The burger is made with a Slagel Family Farm patty — allegedly the best burger Donald Trump has ever tasted — layered under melted aged Widmer's cheddar and North Country bacon on a sesame seed bun that's made in-house. During brunch, choose to add an egg for an extra $2.
Price: $16 at dinner, $14 at brunch without the egg
Minetta Tavern (New York, New York)
Executive Chef Bill Brasile serves two burgers: the Minetta burger and the Black Label burger. We're interested in the latter.
The patty is made of prime dry-aged beef, which is topped with caramelized onions that smother the burger with flavor. It's served with bibb lettuce, tomato, a pickle, and crispy pommes frites on the side.
Price: $27
NAHA (Chicago, Illinois)
At Chicago's NAHA, it's all about the toppings.
The half pound, wood-grilled Angus beef burger is served with potato fries, crispy onions and a side of lettuce and tomato. Diners can choose to dress the burger with artisan cheeses for $3, "Berskhire" pork belly (as seen in the photo), mushrooms, or slab bacon for $8, or foie gras for $18.
All of those combinations make for one versatile burger.
Price: $18
PUBLIC (New York, New York)
As noted by New York Magazine, Executive Chef Brad Farmerie describes the restaurant's cuisine as "Australasian" — American farm-fresh ingredients with predominately Southeast Asian spices and tastes.
The grilled venison burger is just one example of that fusion.
Featured on its weekend brunch menu, the burger is presented on a miso bun with tomato chili jam. Cassava chips are served on the side.
Price: $18
Sepia (Chicago, Illinois)
Executive Chef Andrew Zimmerman makes a beef burger that's ground in-house and topped with Camembert, onion jam, and a peppercorn aioli on a house-made brioche bun.
The plate is finished off with a side of fried potatoes.
Price: $15
Solbar (Calistoga, California)
Situated in Napa Valley, Solbar uses fresh ingredients from local farmers.
Its lunch menu boasts a double cheeseburger, which is served on a griddled bun with sharp cheddar cheese, chicken-fried pickles, and fries.
Price: $18
Spruce (San Francisco, California)
Spruce's burger, featured on its bar and lounge menu, earned a spot on 7x7's list of the top 10 burgers in San Francisco.
The ground chuck burger sits on a house-made English muffin and is topped with tomato, romaine, pickled zucchini, pickled red onion, and remoulade. Cheese lovers can up the flavor profile by adding white cheddar, gruyère, or blue cheese.
Price: $18
The Breslin (New York, New York)
The Breslin, located in the Ace Hotel, is a British gastropub where noted former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni goes for a burger.
Served during lunch and dinner, chef April Bloomfield's chargrilled lamb burger is topped with feta and cumin mayo with a side of thrice cooked "chips," or fries, as we call them stateside.
Price: $23
The Gage (Chicago, Illinois)
Loacted in a group of buildings that date back to the 1800s, The Gage is an iconic Chicago restaurant, and its venison burger comes with all the fixings.
It's dressed with mustard aioli and lies under a layer of smoked gouda, fried jalapeños, woodland mushrooms, and pickled onions.
Price: $18
The NoMad (New York, New York)
If you want a break from red meat, head over to The NoMad Hotel's restaurant during lunch to indulge in its sophisticated chicken burger.
Served on a brioche bun, the four-ounce ground chicken thigh patty is smothered in a decadent black truffle mayonnaise and foie gras with pickles and a side of fries.
Price: $17
The Spotted Pig (New York, New York)
Over at the Spotted Pig, chef and co-owner April Bloomfield makes a chargrilled burger that was named one of the best in America by Food & Wine magazine.
The half-pound patty — composed of brisket, rump, and chuck — is topped with Roquefort cheese and served with shoestring fries.
Price: $22