Seven outstanding burgers in the Boston area to sink your teeth into

Boston Globe

11-07-2025

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The Capital Burger
The Capital Burger
When a fancy steakhouse (in this case the
Address:
159 Newbury Street, Back Bay
Phone:
617-262-1333
Find online:
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Highland Kitchen
Highland Kitchen
Adam DeTour for The Boston Globe. Food styling by Sheila Jarnes.
This neighborhood restaurant in Somerville is a favorite for so many reasons — the wonderful staff, the impeccable jukebox selection, the goat stew. The double cheeseburger is right up there: two 4-ounce patties, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce, and cheese, with or without bacon. It is a glorious tower of comfort food, engineered with finesse, each element in perfect proportion. Once you start eating, it's messy, beautiful chaos. You definitely want fries with that, and maybe a margarita from the bar.
Address:
150 Highland Avenue, Somerville
Phone:
617-625-1131
Find online:
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Hojoko
Hojoko
There it is, amid the sushi, ramen, and other Japanese dishes at this Fenway hangout from Tim and Nancy Cushman of O Ya. What's a cheeseburger doing on a menu like this? Making diners very happy, which would seem to be a big part of the goal of a place that calls itself a 'rock 'n' roll tavern.' There's wagyu beef in the patty, which gets topped with American cheese and Japanese-style dashi pickles for perfect melty-gooey cultural synthesis.
Address:
1271 Boylston Street, Fenway
Phone:
617-670-0507
Find online:
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Little Donkey
Little Donkey
Brooke Elmore
At Little Donkey, the burger is treated with every bit as much respect as dishes like grilled Mediterranean sea bass and wagyu tartare. The results are burger brilliance. Griddled dry-aged beef is topped with American cheese, buffalo pickles, and fried jalapeno chips, served on a potato roll slathered with onion-y mayo. It's a symphony of flavors and textures, high-low restaurant cooking at its best.
Address:
505 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Phone:
617-945-1008
Find online:
Related
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Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage
Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage
Silvia Domanoski
Tables are squeezed in tight, and every inch of space is covered with memorabilia, old signs, even a long list of famous diners (Jackie O, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Shaq, Joan Baez – the list goes on). After 60 years, the Bartley family sold their burger joint to Josh Huggard in 2021, and the burgers and onion rings remain first-class. Do yourself a favor and try the thick and luscious Oreo milkshake.
Address:
1246 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Phone:
617-354-6559
Find online:
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Veggie Galaxy
Veggie Galaxy
Christina Orso
This iconic all-vegetarian diner in Central Square has five veggie burgers (all can be made vegan) on its menu, from a portobello patty melt to a towering seitan 'chicken' sandwich between two mac and cheese waffles. But the Galaxy Smashburger, made with beets and lentils, is a standout: hearty and delicious, served on plush, slightly sweet buns slathered with a vegan mayo sauce.
Address:
450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Phone:
617-497-1513
Find online:
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