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Every year, CityBeat publishes the Best Of Cincinnati®, wherein readers and staffers alike decide which bars are the booziest, which people are the coolest and which shops are your best bet for dropping a pretty penny.
There are plenty of burger joints around the Queen City and our readers have some opinions on which are the best. Here are the winners for best non-chain burgers and best veggie burgers in the city, as selected by CityBeat readers. See full Best Of Cincinnati® results at citybeat.com/best-of.
No. 1 Overall Best Burger (Non-Chain): Zip’s Cafe
1036 Delta Ave., Mt. Lookout Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 2 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): Nation Kitchen & Bar
1200 Broadway St., Pendleton Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 3 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): Tickle Pickle
4176 Hamilton Ave., Northside Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 4 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): Quatman Cafe
2434 Quatman Ave., Norwood Photo: Savana WillhoiteNo. 5 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): Roney’s
314 Chamber Dr., Milford Photo: Maija ZummoNo. 6 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): The Turf Club
4618 Eastern Ave., Linwood Photo: Hailey BollingerOverall Burger (Non-Chain)2. Photo:8. Stellar Street Eats
No. 8 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): Stellar Street Eats
Food Truck Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 8 Overall Burger: Bard’s Burgers & Chili
3620 Decoursey Ave., Latonia
So, you like burgers but do you really love burgers? Located in a former chili parlor in Latonia, Bard’s specializes in both burgers and Cincinnati-style chili (hence the name). Burgers are made with fresh, never-frozen ground chuck, infused with spices, seared on a flattop and served on a toasted bun. Their Chili Cheese Burger is made with their own Cincinnati-style chili and topped with American cheese, lettuce, pickle and mayo; the Purist strips it down to just beef and the bun; and the Donut Burger comes topped with American cheese, lettuce, pickle and mayo on a donut bun from neighboring Moonrise Doughnuts (add bacon and make it a 5.0 Burger). But if you want to go big, like really big — and we’re not just talking deep-fried Twinkie big (also on the menu) — Bard’s offers the Bardzilla Challenge. For this food feat, diners must eat an 11-patty Bardzilla burger (each topped with cheese and weighing in at one-third of a pound), plus two pounds of fries in 60 minutes or less. Also voted one of the Top 3 Best Neighborhood Burger Spots (NKY).
Bardzilla Challenge | Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 10 Overall Best Burger (Non Chain): Sammy’s Craft Burgers & Beer
4767 Creek Road, Blue Ash Photo: provided by Sammy's Craft Burgers & BeersNo. 1 Best Veggie Burger: Tickle Pickle
4176 Hamilton Ave., Northside Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 2 Best Veggie Burger: Krueger’s Tavern
1313 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 3 Best Veggie Burger: Arthur’s
3516 Edwards Road, Hyde Park; 8221 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Photo: Brittany ThorntonNo. 4 Best Veggie Burger: Nation Kitchen & Bar
1200 Broadway St., Pendleton Photo: Hailey BollingerVeggie Burger: 8. (TIE) Maplewood Kitchen & Bar
5065 Deerfield Blvd., Mason; 525 Race St., Downtown
Maplewood serves up dishes and ingredients that would be right at home on the West Coast: cold-pressed juices, superfood salads, egg-white omelets and somewhat nutritious cocktails. Helmed by Thunderdome, the same team behind the No. 4 veggie burger at Krueger’s, the Maplewood veggie burger offers a different, non-fried take on a meatless sandwich. A housemade black-bean patty is topped with Havarti cheese, avocado, lemon- caper Dijonnaise and mixed greens on a Sixteen Bricks sesame bun. Note: Maplewood is keeping the doors closed at its downtown location for the time being, but has reopened its Deerfield Township restaurant for dine-in and carry-out.
Photo via Facebook.com/MaplewoodKitchen Photo: facebook.com/MaplewoodKitchenNo. 6 Best Veggie Burger: Taste of Belgium
Multiple locations including 1135 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Photo: Hailey BollingerNo. 7 Best Veggie Burger: Nine Giant Brewing
6095 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge Photo: facebook.com/ninegiantNo. 8 Best Veggie Burger: Essen Kitchen
1 Findlay St., Over-the-Rhine Photo: provided by Essen KitchenNo. 9 Best Veggie Burger: BrewRiver at Sonder Brewing
8584 Duke Blvd., Mason Photo: provided by Joby BowmanNo. 5 Outdoor/Patio Dining: Dead Low Brewing
5959 Kellogg Ave., California Photo: facebook.com/DeadLowBrewing