There are many reasons Nebraska is a great state. Despite the team’s recent struggles, Nebraskans continue to support the football team like crazy, selling out every game since 1962. We have one of the nation’s best zoos, host the College World Series, invented Kool-Aid and the Reuben sandwich, and have sneakily become one of the best states to host a start-up business, especially when it comes to tech.
But one of the greatest things about Nebraska is its No. 1 industry–beef. Our fine state churns out crazy amounts of beef each year, and we’ve learned what to do with it–make amazing burgers.
This state is a bastion for awesome burgers. Ask any Nebraskan which is their favorite and you could get a dozen different answers, which just speaks to how many great options we have.
But some simply stand out more than the others. In this post I wanted to rank my favorite burgers in the state–not just the restaurants they come from, but the actual meals themselves. I must admit that most of my eating experiences have been in Lincoln and Omaha, so while I’ve been told that joints in Crete, Kearney and Gering have solid options, I haven’t tried those. Also, I’m limiting my choices to one burger per restaurant, lest this list be riddled with Honest Abe’s burgers.
1. Croque Garcon
Block 16 (Omaha)
Food Network star Alton Brown is a culinary genius, and in 2015 he called this burger his favorite in America. Who am I to argue with that? I’ve had this burger multiple times and it’s honestly one of the best items I’ve eaten in my life. A 1/3-pound burger is topped with cheese, ham, mustard, truffle mayo on a brilliant sunny-side-up egg.
The patty itself is phenomenal, but the other ingredients help to boost this delicacy. The ham brings a nice salty balance, and the mustard adds a bit of bite. The truffle mayo provides a cooling factor, but the hero is the egg. The yolk oozes onto every inch of the burger, and the flavor permeates every bite. Holding everything together is a solid ciabatta roll. All combined, these ingredients come together to make Nebraska’s best burger.
2. The Fuzz
Honest Abe’s (Lincoln)
There are so many Abe’s burgers I could choose from to fill this spot. The Fireside (jalapeño-bacon crumble, Sriracha ketchup, cumin lime mayo, pepperjack cheese), the 1809 (pickled apples, smoky honey mayo, Gouda cheese, chopped bacon) and the Nero (honey bbq sauce, Sriracha, peanut butter, bacon, cheddar cheese) are among my favorites, and you can’t go wrong with the classic Greatest Burger Ever (basically a bacon cheeseburger with “Awesome sauce”).
But the best of the bunch is one on Abe’s rotating menu, so it’s only available at certain times of the year. This beauty is worth waiting for, though. The bun is slathered with a sweet onion jam that brings a luscious flavor. It’s complemented by the gouda cheese, which adds a touch of sweetness with a sharp tang. The patty is topped with incredible crispy pork belly. The fatty, salty deliciousness of the meat finds its way into every bite.
But what makes every Abe’s burger awesome is the patty. This six-ounce patty is perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. It takes the richness of the delicious pork belly and marries it perfectly with the sweet jam, and everything is held together by the classic, pillowy Abe’s bun. This burger is close to perfection.
3. The Dirty Bird
Lippy’s BBQ (Lincoln)
I don’t recommend often eating a burger the size of one’s head. But every once in a while, you just have to treat yourself, and this meal isn’t a bad way to do it.
The Dirty Bird doesn’t often grace Lippy’s menu–it’s a specialty item that is only available on certain days, so you have to monitor the restaurant’s Facebook and Twitter pages to find it. But if you’re lucky enough to come in on a day when it’s available, you’re in for a real treat.
Here’s the rundown: a perfectly cooked half-pound burger is topped with pulled pork, brisket, bacon and a fried egg, all drizzled with Cajun aioli. It’s truly a sight to behold. If you’re able to unhinge your jaw and get a full bite of the burger, every meat stands out in its own way.
The burger itself is the dominant flavor, and the pork and brisket add the barbecue element. The bacon supplies some saltiness, and the yolk from the egg oozes into every bite. The Cajun aioli provides a smoothing element that breaks up the dominant nature of the meat. And somehow, against all odds, the Kaiser bun holds everything together without letting the meal disintegrate into a sloppy mess. This burger is barbecue brilliance.
4. Wagyu Beef Burger
J Coco (Omaha)
Wagyu beef burger with bacon and avocado
This one admittedly caught me by surprise. J Coco is well-known as a great restaurant, but not specifically for its burger. But when one of my most-trusted food minds put his reputation on the line and called it his favorite burger in Nebraska, I had to check it out.
I was not disappointed.
The burger is near perfection. The patty is crafted with Wagyu beef, a highly-marbled cut taken from a Japanese cattle breed. It’s well-known as being a higher standard, as it retains the delicious, fatty flavor of beef without descending into a greasy mess. This monster of a patty is at least eight ounces, probably closer to 10 or 11.
I chose bacon because… well, duh. BACON. I also opted for avocados because I’m an absolute sucker for anything involving this creamy fruit. The burger came loaded with three enormous strips of crispy, curled-up bacon so fresh off the pan that grease bubbles were popping onto the plate. It was some of the best bacon I’ve ever had on a burger, adding a salty, fatty, crunchy bunch to the glorious patty.
I can’t be 100 percent certain what goes into J Coco’s “special sauce”, but I suspect this orange condiment smeared over every inch of the bun is some form of chipotle mayo, and it hits all the right notes. The secret hero is the bun. This pillowly, slightly sweet bun had an unfair task: containing this massive patty and its toppings without becoming soggy under the amount of sauce. Somehow, it accomplished its mission. Don’t get me wrong, this is a messy burger. But the bun didn’t dissolve into a wet-napkin mess like so many do.
5. Western Style Burger
Schillingbridge Cork and Tap House (Lincoln)
Located in the Fallbrook area of Lincoln, Schillingbridge Cork and Tap House isn’t known as a local hotspot–yet. It should be, and soon.
Unlike the rest of the burgers on this list, this patty was crafted with pork instead of beef. Schillingbridge prides itself on its Groundshire pork patties, and I can see why. Pork tends to be a bit less fatty and can dry out if not cooked properly, but that’s not the case here. This patty is tender and delicious. It’s a bit sweeter than the traditional beef patty, but not enough to notice a tremendous difference.
It’s the toppings that make the Western Style (Scottish Ale barbecue brisket, house-cured bacon, Extra Pale Ale cheese sauce, Scottish Ale caramelized onions) a home run. Brisket is a tremendously tough meat to cook–when handled correctly, it’s brilliant. But it’s often overcooked and rendered into a chewy, tasteless mess.
But Schillingbridge does brisket very well, and this offering would have been tremendous on its own. But when combined with the brilliant patty, the sweet caramelized onions, the salty bacon and the gooey, rich cheese sauce, it’s just perfect. The brioche buns holds everything together nicely. This is just a tremendous symphony of flavors and one of the most pleasantly surprisingly meals I’ve had in my life.
6. California Dreamin’
LeadBelly (Omaha & Lincoln)
Do you ever have one of those meals where you start raving about every bite to the point where you start worrying you’ve become annoying to your fellow diners? That was me with this burger. I couldn’t stop singing its praises.
LeadBelly has a line of amazing burgers–choosing just one is a real challenge. I’d had a couple others previously (including one that just about stopped my heart), but the California Dreamin’ takes the cake. Topped with fresh jalapenos, guacamole, candied bacon and red onion jam, this burger is a true winner.
Every piece of this burger earns its place, and they all add together into a brilliant concoction. The guac adds a cool, creamy element and brings a bit of salt, which balances brilliantly with the sweet, slightly salty candied bacon. The red onion jam adds both sweetness and tang, while the fresh jalapenos contribute freshness and a nice pop of spice. The flavor of the tomatoes is kind of washed out by everything else, but they too provide nice texture and a touch of acidity and sweetness.
The patty itself is delicious as well, but its the confluence of all the different flavors the toppings bring that make this burger a masterpiece.
7. Bärchen burger
Bärchen Beer Garden (Omaha)
Bärchen burger (double wagyu beef patties, sauce, pickles, lettuce, onions)
You might not expect to get an awesome burger at a bar, and I wouldn’t blame you for that belief. I certainly didn’t think I would.
But Bärchen surprises in the best way. The wagyu beef is delicious on its own, and the burgers are packed well and don’t fall apart. I appreciate that Bärchen uses two smaller patties as opposed to one thick one. It distributes the cooking better and increases the surface area, giving the patties better grill flavor.
The real hero is the HMS (house made sauce). It’s tangy with just enough sweetness to bring balance to the burger. The pickles and pickled onions added just enough acidity. A more interesting bun really could push this burger up the list.
8. Ultimate Triple Decker Dinker Burger
Dinker’s Bar and Grill (Omaha)
Same rules apply here as with the Dirty Bird–eating this meal often is testing fate with your arteries. But as a treat every once in a while, it’s absolutely worth it.
Every burger on this list has an excellent patty, but are also complemented with an array of creative, delicious toppings. The Triple Decker relies on its patties to really carry the flavor, and do they ever. These massive seven-once patties are juicy and moist on the inside, and each bite brings on a small pop of grease and flavor. They’re enough to make this burger a standout.
The rest of the ingredients play their supporting roles well. The bacon is salty, fatty and delicious, while the mayo brings a cooling tang. The cheese is creamy, the raw onion, lettuce and tomato add bite and freshness, and a hearty Rotella bun holds it all together. A food coma immediately follows, but if you have a monster appetite, this behemoth will happily satisfy it.
9. Carolina BBQ Burger
Toast (Lincoln)
Pig and cow are such a wonderful combination when done right, and the Carolina BBQ is a great example of this. Toast takes its already excellent ground chuck patty and tops it with a heap of tasty, smoked pulled pork. An espresso BBQ sauce adds a rich flavor with just a touch of bitterness to balance out the significant helping of meat.
I’m not a huge fan of coleslaw, but it’s very helpful on this burger. Something needs to complement all the protein, and the sweet, creamy slaw does just the trick. Some Fresno chiles add just the right amount of heat to round out a completely messy but absolutely delicious burger.
10. Local Burger
Local Beer, Patio and Kitchen (Omaha and Gretna)
Breakfast burgers are absolutely delicious and Local serves up a brilliant rendition. The restaurant offers to add a fried egg and bacon jam to its signature burger, a move that results in a home run.
The patty is seasoned well and cooked to order (I prefer medium rare). The freshness of the vegetables is welcome, as is the creamy texture of the egg, which spills its yolk into every bite. The brioche bun sops up the yolk, maintaining the flavor without becoming a soggy mess.
What keeps this burger from being higher on the list is the bacon jam. On its own, it’s a great balance of sweet and salty that should be the finishing touch on a great burger. But somehow it just get lost among all the other ingredients and you don’t realize it’s even there. A stronger smearing of the jam could have elevated this already delicious burger even more.
11. Fried Onion Burger
Smitty’s Garage (Omaha)
Rounding out the list is an Oklahoma staple that more Nebraska spots should adopt. This classic tosses a mound of onion slices onto a hot griddle, then smashes a beef patty on top, basically combining the two into a beautiful masterpiece. Smitty’s Garage tops their version with mustard, pickles and American cheese.
The onions caramelize and form a perfect crust for the patty, a third-pound masterpiece that is smashed on the grill. The onions are slightly sweet, which pairs well with the salty burger. The mustard and pickles add a bite of bite, but the onions and burger really sing here.
So there you have it–I’ve had a lot of burgers in Nebraska, but these are the best. I still have many great places to try, and I look forward to expanding my burger horizons. But it’s going to be tough to top the brilliant selections on this list.
And I want to hear from you. Hit me up on Twitter @danhoppen and let me know which are your favorite burgers in Nebraska.
Just a Guy 