Highest-rated restaurants for burgers in the Detroit area by diners

There's just something about a hamburger—from the way the juices from the freshly grilled meat gently dribble down your chin as you take that first bite of the succulent patty to the way the cheese curves along the sides, melting slowly over the ground-beef goodness placed gently between two buns.

While a burger's je ne sais quoi may defy definition, one thing is certain: Americans love hamburgers. According to a 2024 YouGov survey, burgers are among the top three most popular foods in the U.S., tied with fried chicken and bested only by French fries. As further proof of hamburgers' dominance in America, chains where burgers are the star of the menu generated $110 billion in sales in 2024, according to the annual Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. Based on a Restaurant Business analysis of the Technomic report, that accounts for more than a quarter of the total sales among all Top 500 chains and more than double sales from chains where chicken is the main attraction.

The burger's origins stretch far beyond America, however. Named after Hamburg, a region in Germany known for its cattle, the Hamburg steak was the first step toward what would become the sandwich we know and love today. Served on a plate (sans buns, if you can believe it), the steak was said to have become popular during the Industrial Revolution after an influx of German immigrants into New York. To make the food easier for the workers to eat on their breaks, a now unknown cook sandwiched the steak between two pieces of bread, and the rest, as they say, is history.

While it may never be proven when and where the hamburger was first invented, the deliciously simple sandwich is here to stay. But who serves the best burger today? You'll find many restaurants around the U.S. that claim they do, from Au Cheval in Chicago and New York to The Habit Burger Grill, a California-based chain that USA Today named the #1 fast-food burger in America.

Of course, those restaurants may not be in your neck of the woods. To find the best of the best in your area, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants for burgers in the Detroit area based on diners' reviews on Yelp as of March 2025. Restaurants with at least 20 reviews tagged as "burgers" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Detroit were included. As a result, many restaurants featured may primarily serve other food items besides burgers. Also, to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with at least five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Keep reading to see if your favorite burger spot made the cut—or maybe you'll find your new favorite on this list!

1 / 26

#26. The Old Shillelagh

- Rating: 3.1/5 (224 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 349 Monroe St. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Cocktail Bars, Vegan
- Read more on Yelp

2 / 26

#25. The Emory

- Rating: 3.2/5 (451 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 22700 Woodward Ave. Ferndale, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, American, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

3 / 26

#24. Shake Shack First National Building - Downtown Detroit

- Rating: 3.5/5 (385 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 660 Woodward Ave. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 26

#23. Checker Bar

- Rating: 3.5/5 (216 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 124 Cadillac Sq Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Bars, American, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 26

#22. Brayz Hamburgers

- Rating: 3.6/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 22941 Dequindre Road Hazel Park, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Diners
- Read more on Yelp

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6 / 26

#21. HopCat

- Rating: 3.7/5 (903 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4265 Woodward Ave. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Beer Bar, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

7 / 26

#20. Sam's Ferndale Grill

- Rating: 3.7/5 (116 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 21468 Woodward Ave. Ferndale, Michigan
- Categories: Diners, Desserts, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 26

#19. Honest John's Bar & Grill

- Rating: 3.8/5 (640 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 488 Selden St. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Pubs, Burgers, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

9 / 26

#18. Gus & Us Grill

- Rating: 3.8/5 (139 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 17445 Hamilton Ave. Allen Park, Michigan
- Categories: Greek, Burgers, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

10 / 26

#17. Mercury Burger Bar

- Rating: 3.8/5 (872 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2163 Michigan Ave. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

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11 / 26

#16. Comet Burgers

- Rating: 3.9/5 (205 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 207 South Main St. Royal Oak, Michigan
- Categories: New American, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

12 / 26

#15. Mister Dips

- Rating: 3.9/5 (124 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 19 East Grand River Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

13 / 26

#14. Public House

- Rating: 3.9/5 (909 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 241 West Nine Mile Ferndale, Michigan
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, American, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

14 / 26

#13. Bronx Bar - Detroit

- Rating: 3.9/5 (292 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4476 2nd Ave. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Dive Bars, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

15 / 26

#12. The Telway

- Rating: 4.1/5 (254 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 27000 John R Road Madison Heights, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

16 / 26

#11. Basement Burger Bar

- Rating: 4.1/5 (342 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1326 Brush St. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: American, Burgers, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

17 / 26

#10. California Burgerz

- Rating: 4.1/5 (144 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 12045 Conant Ave. Hamtramck, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

18 / 26

#9. Little Brothers Burgers

- Rating: 4.1/5 (249 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 201 West 4th St. Royal Oak, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, American, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

19 / 26

#8. Telway Hamburgers

- Rating: 4.2/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6820 Michigan Ave. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

20 / 26

#7. Royale with Cheese

- Rating: 4.2/5 (687 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4163 Cass Ave. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

21 / 26

#6. Amar Pizza

- Rating: 4.3/5 (149 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 12195 Joseph Campau Hamtramck, Michigan
- Categories: Pizza, Burgers, Bangladeshi
- Read more on Yelp

22 / 26

#5. Taystee's Burgers

- Rating: 4.3/5 (494 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10419 Ford Road Dearborn, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

23 / 26

#4. Motz's Burgers

- Rating: 4.4/5 (112 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7208 West Fort St. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

24 / 26

#3. Frita Batidos

- Rating: 4.4/5 (192 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 66 West Columbia St. Detroit, Michigan
- Categories: Burgers, Cuban
- Read more on Yelp

25 / 26

#2. Zo's Good Burger - East Dearborn

- Rating: 4.4/5 (235 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 14311 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, Michigan
- Categories: Halal, fast food, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

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26 / 26

#1. Oak Parker

- Rating: 4.6/5 (137 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 13621 West Eleven Mile Road Oak Park, Michigan
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 304 metros.