This Ultimate Burger Bucket List In Delaware Will Make Your Mouth Water
I’ve been on a quest to find the best burger in Delaware, and it’s been my favorite mission all year. To me, there is nothing better than a greasy burger piled high with onion strings, caramelized onions, crispy bacon, pickles and a spicy BBQ sauce… I digress. Luckily, with so many gastropub style places popping up lately, there is no shortage of great burger joints in Delaware! It almost seems like you can’t walk down the street in Trolley Square without catching a whiff of a bar grilling up their signature cheeseburger – and trust me, I’m not complaining about that! So, if you’re also looking for the best burger in Delaware, let me guide you along a little. Start out with our Burger Bucket List and hit all of the best (and most creative!) burgers in Delaware.
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
When you walk past Drip Cafe, you'll probably just assume it's a coffee house, where you can grab a good breakfast sandwich or a great latte. Of course, you can do both of those things here. But you can also order the best Brunch Burger in Delaware, when they're featuring it. Right now, Drip Cafe is undergoing some renovations, so to get their legendary food, you'll have to track down their Brunch Box Food Truck.
Nearly every single time I write a "Best of Delaware" restaurant list, I include the Backyard. The place is amazing - in a great location, with the coolest dining set up in the state, and some amazing food. If I don't include it on a list for whatever reason, I can bet that someone in the comments will ask "What about the Backyard?" So, this place gets the "Most Requested" honor on our Best Burger in Delaware list.
211 Broadkill Rd, Milton, DE
211 Broadkill Rd, Milton, DE
Only Restaurant 55 in Dover was even considered for the Most Creative Burger in Delaware award. Walk in on any given night and check out their daily specials, and try to disagree with me here. My favorite recently was their unbelievable "Philadelphia Experiment" - topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato served on Fried Jalapeño Bacon Mac n Cheese Buns. Mac and Cheese Buns! OMG!
2461 S State St, Dover, DE
2461 S State St, Dover, DE
Aptly named "2 Fat Guys" is our pick for the greasiest, worst-for-you, hate-yourself-after burger in Delaware. Top it with onion rings, top it with cheese, top it with bacon - whatever you top it with, you'll be so happy chowing down on a burger from any of their locations.
701 Ace Memorial Dr. Hockessin, DE
3801 Kennett Pike, Suite E120 Greenville, DE
3205 Concord Pike Wilmington, DE (take out only)
701 Ace Memorial Dr. Hockessin, DE
3801 Kennett Pike, Suite E120 Greenville, DE
3205 Concord Pike Wilmington, DE (take out only)
RedFire is a trendy steakhouse that serves killer burgers. When their own website boasts "dry-aged beef seared to perfection in our 1200 degree chophouse broiler," you might wonder what this is doing on a burger-joint list. Just look up - do you see that photo? That's the BLUEfire Burger. Order it and enjoy american, lettuce, red onion, pickle, maple pepper bacon, and an incredible gorgonzola dressing. Stay Classy, Delaware.
Or, I mean, you can go to the Charcoal Pit. Trust me when I say I'm not knocking it - sometimes you just want a greasy burger and a huge black and white milkshake to dip your fries into, and there's nowhere better in the entire state than the legendary Charcoal Pit for exactly that. Just don't expect fancy napkins.
714 Greenbank Rd, Wilmington, DE
2600 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803
714 Greenbank Rd, Wilmington, DE
2600 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803
I'm a meat eater. A full fledged carnivore. The letter opener on my desk is an old promo item I saved from a farm I worked with once, and above their logo it states "THE WEST WASN'T WON ON SALAD." However, not everyone enjoys red meat, or meat at all - and lucky for them, places like Tonic Bar & Grill exist. They take the whole "veggie burger" thing up a notch, with a chick pea and lentil burger, topped with roasted tomato, cucumber, and a basil-pesto dressing. It has to be the best vegetarian burger in Delaware. I'll admit it - sometimes, it's just as good as their bacon-y, barbecue Texas Burger.
111 W 11th St, Wilmington, DE
111 W 11th St, Wilmington, DE
Chelsea Tavern's hand-cut trio fries are served on the side of their burgers, usually with their chili horseradish ravioli. When you combine that with the fact that their burgers are delicious, fresh, creative and on brioche (soggy buns no more!), it's easy to see why the combination made our Best Burger in Delaware list.
821 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE
821 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE
I'll admit that hearing about amazing burgers at Piccolina Toscana took me by surprise. After all, it's an Italian tapas restaurant, which is a little unconventional to begin with. Guests rave about their "PLT" burger, topped with mozzarella, butter lettuce, oven-dried tomatoes and crisp pancetta. It sounds and looks absolutely delicious.
1412 North Dupont St, Wilmington, DE
1412 North Dupont St, Wilmington, DE
The Durango Burger takes the typical Western/Texas Burger up to a new level. The beef is chile spiced and it's topped with pepper jack cheese, pickles, loads of fried onions, dressed with delicious roasted garlic ranch dressing, and of course, served on a brioche bun. It. Is. Perfect.
1225 Churchmans Rd, Newark, DE
1225 Churchmans Rd, Newark, DE
Head to Ulysses Gastropub on a Wednesday night for the best Burger Night in Delaware. Each burger is half price and they break out a menu of specialty burgers just for that night. If you're lucky, you might end up getting to try their incredible, mouthwatering duck fat Angus specialty burger. Don't pass that up!
1716 Marsh Road, Wilmington DE
1716 Marsh Road, Wilmington DE
Sometimes, you just want a cheeseburger. Nothing fancy, no mac and cheese buns, not piled high with anything in particular. In those moments, head to your local gastropub or burger bar, order it simple, and chow down. The aged cheddar burger, topped with Caramelized Onion and their signature aioli, at 8th and Union has never disappointed me. Now, lots of places have great "simple" burgers, but 8th and Union gets this top spot because of their hand cut fries and specialty dipping sauces that take a traditional burger meal and kick it up just enough to make it really memorable. Drop in on a Monday and enjoy half-priced burgers all day, or try them for lunch on Thursday, when their half-priced burger specials run until 3 PM.
801 N. Union Street, Wilmington, DE
801 N. Union Street, Wilmington, DE
I know, I know – there’s a lot of New Castle County on this list, because that’s where the big Gastropub trend has really caught on. If you’re not looking to head north, you can check out our list of small towns with amazing restaurants in Delaware, which features delicious restaurants from many of the smaller towns in Slower Lower.
