Michigan Is Home To One Of The Most Underrated Burgers In The US

The jury is still out on the original progenitor of the traditional American burger, but one thing's for sure: Michigan is the undisputed home of the olive burger. The highly underrated regional version of the classic dish is unique to the Midwest, and it just might be worth a trip to the Great Lake State.

Make no mistake — an olive burger is not a vegetarian patty made of crushed olives. It features a regular beef patty, but instead of just ketchup, mustard, or pickles, it's topped with chopped green olives and a sauce that usually includes olive brine (some places even mix a splash of brine right into the ground beef). Depending on where you order it, your olive burger might also include a slice of melted cheese and other recognizable fixings.

Unlike its traditional predecessor, the origins of the olive burger be traced back to a definitive location: Halo Burger, originally known as Kewpie Hotel Hamburgers. The Midwestern chain, which started in Flint, has served the dish at its outposts across the region since the 1920s. The Halo Burger version comes with tomato, white onion, lettuce, pickles, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and a generous heap of green olives. "It's a symbol of our brand and a staple of our heritage," says the restaurant on Facebook.

If Halo Burger's olive burger sounds too loaded for your tastes, you might head over to Beef-A-Roo. The Midwestern chain specializes in a simpler version of the dish, which features a quarter-pound beef patty topped with Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, and green olives on a sesame seed bun.

According to The Takeout's Dennis Lee, who tried the burger on his first trip to a Beef-A-Roo in Illinois, the olives pack quite the punch. He claims that they "cut straight through the richness of the cheese, adding a briny, slightly bitter, and tart note" to the beef. Meanwhile, the mayo "added a silky creamy buffer that kept the olives from being too overwhelming."

If you're so inclined, you could try adding sliced olives and brine-spiked mayo to your next homemade burger. But if you find yourself in Michigan, you might as well seek out an olive burger from the professionals.

If you ask a dozen Midwesterners where to find the best olive burger in the Michigan area, you'll probably get a dozen different answers. Some might say Halo Burger, some might say Beef-a-Roo, and some might point you to some lesser-known gems. A Reddit board posted by someone keen on "[trying] some of the best olive burgers that Michiganders have to offer" yields some helpful results. 

One commenter mentioned Hot 'n Now, a former fast-food chain whose sole remaining restaurant is located in Sturgis. Someone else recommended the Grand Rapids outpost of Mr. Burger, a chain with seven locations throughout Michigan. Its no-frills version of the olive burger, which it boasts is a "West Michigan classic," comes topped with chopped green olives and mayo. Others suggested Choo Choo Grill in Grand Rapids, Soggy Bottom Bar in Flint, Dagwoods Tavern & Grill in Lansing, and the Side Door Saloon in Petoskey.

Would you rather sample several olive burger variations all at once? Head to Lansing for the Olive Burger Festival and immerse yourself in this unique regional specialty.