Is This Atlanta's Best Burger?
The Daily Meal recently published our 101 Best Burgers in America for 2014, and in order to compile our ranking, we assembled a list of nearly 200 burgers from all across the country, from Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Hillsboro, Oregon. We then divided these burgers by region, and compiled a survey that was taken by a panel of 50 noted food writers, journalists, bloggers, and culinary authorities from across the country, asking them to vote for their favorites; limited, of course, to the ones that they'd tried. We tallied the results, and published the 101 stellar American burgers with the most votes.
Every night at 10 p.m., 24 burgers emerge from the kitchen at Holeman & Finch Public House, and that's it. Even though they're not listed on the menu, these burgers are often spoken for well in advance as they can be reserved at any point during service, and for good reason. Each double-patty burger of fresh-ground grass-fed chuck and brisket is topped with American cheese, pickles, onions, and housemade ketchup, and is served on a toasted house-baked bun alongside fresh-cut fries. Chef Linton Hopkins (who developed this burger while he was battling cancer; it's the only food he didn't lose his taste for) chose to offer this burger on such a limited basis in order to let the other items on his menu get their due, but if you'd prefer not to take your chances you can also try it on Sundays, when it's featured on their brunch menu.
Hopkins' burger is so good, it snagged the #7 spot on our list of 101, beating out local Atlanta competitors The Vortex's Hell's Fury burger (#30), the Ghetto burger at Ann's Snack Bar (#45), the double chili cheeseburger at The Varsity (#64), and Flip Burger Boutique's Butcher's Cut burger (#78). This double cheeseburger actually scored the very top spot in our 2013 list of The 40 Best Burgers in America, so it's safe to say that it will be considered a gastronomic superstar for some time to come.
Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant/City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.