5 Must-Try Spots To Experience Seattle's Burger Culture

If you're visiting Seattle and find yourself craving a hamburger, you're in the right place. Yes, Seattle — the city better known for rain and coffee — has a strong burger culture. Aside from a small handful of McDonald's locations, a Burger King or two, and a few Shake Shacks, national fast food burger joints are a rare sight within city limits. But burgers themselves are not. As someone who moved here in 2018 after living in Colorado and the East Coast, I had no idea "burger culture" was even a thing until I experienced it first-hand. A lot of restaurants (even fancy ones) proudly have burgers on the menu, but Seattle's core burger culture revolves around smaller, locally based chains and mom-and-pop burger joints. And, while their menus all look similar on the surface, the burgers themselves vary so much in flavor and presentation.

Now having spent years on a slow but steady burger crawl around the city, I've compiled this list of can't-miss places. I do have a separate lineup of go-to restaurants I take visitors to in Seattle, but I still try to loop in at least one of these burger joints. This list was admittedly pretty tough to narrow down because there are so many good places to choose from in every neighborhood (seriously, no matter where you are in Sea-Town, there's a good chance you've got hamburgers nearby). But I'm standing by these as Seattle's must-try burger joints for tasting what the local burger scene is all about.

I raised an eyebrow hard when someone asked me back during my first month of living here if I'd had Dick's yet. But, as I soon learned, this is the burger chain in Seattle and has been since the 1950s. I've heard multiple people note Dick's and the Space Needle in the same breath when talking about the city's must-see attractions, and I get it. The locations even look like they're straight out of the mid-20^th century, with outdoor walk-up counters and old timey milkshake machines. Everyone I know agrees that these burgers aren't actually the best in quality, but they are easily among the most affordable in the area and are pretty satisfying, especially if you eat them quickly after purchase (ideally on-premise, which is part of the whole Dick's experience). 

People also just love it for its simplicity. The menu here is pretty small and straightforward. Plus, it's a "drive-in," not a "drive-thru," which tends to foster a sense of community while you're standing there waiting for your order. The last time I dropped by one, I met a nice elderly man who said he used to work at Dick's in his youth and that it hasn't changed much.

There are 10 Dick's Drive-In locations across the Seattle metro area. Visit the original Dick's Drive-In location at 111 NE 45th St, Seattle, WA 98105.

The first place I lived in Seattle was just a block away from Red Mill Burgers in Phinney Ridge. It always looked busy, so it took me a while to actually try it, but once I did, it was hard to not instantly go back for lunch the following day. These burgers are tasty with a capital T. They're juicy as can be, and I don't know what's in the "Mill Sauce," but it's a kind of heaven I've yet to taste elsewhere. 

There are several types of burgers and some chicken sandwiches here to choose from, but I recommend just keeping it simple the first time and going with the Red Mill Deluxe with Cheese to see how this crew nails the basics. There is one other location in Interbay that's just as tasty, but the Phinney Ridge spot has better scenery (sit out front on a clear day, and you'll get to enjoy views of two mountain ranges!). Either way, I love that Red Mill has kept its operations small all these years.

Visit Red Mill Burgers at 312 North 67th Street, Seattle, WA 98103.

There's only one Rain City Burgers, and it's on a sunny corner in the neighborhood of Roosevelt inside a colorful house, which I found appealing from the get-go. But what's really cool is that the menu here is more expansive than those of most other burger joints. My personal favorite is the Mariners Burger with avocado, cheddar, and bacon, though I have a couple vegetarian friends who are in love with the Mushroom Swiss Burger with a portobello instead of a patty (one of the best vegetarian-friendly burger meat alternatives, by the way). 

Be sure to check the website for discount codes first if you're heading there for pick-up — these burgers aren't the cheapest in the city, but the codes certainly help! I know one person who says Rain City is the only place in Seattle that they go to for burgers these days, and while I do think that's a bit silly given the numerous options around here, I get it.

Visit Rain City Burgers at 6501 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.

Contrasting Seattle's overall very casual burger scene, Uneeda Burger in Fremont takes its fare to true gourmet levels. I was admittedly skeptical at first because the place is advertised as "chef-driven," and hey, that just sounded a bit fancy for a place slinging burgers. Nevertheless, I first came here with a friend who is celiac and wanted a gluten-free burger, and I was amazed to find that it actually tasted amazing (I did accept a bite of hers when she offered). 

The rest of the menu is arguably even more impressive, though, with different kinds of meats used for burgers (bison, lamb, and elk are three of the most notable) as well as assorted custom sauces, rarer-seen cheeses and peppers, and of course the perfectly golden-brown buns. If you take your burgers seriously and/or feel you've progressed beyond the usual casual stuff, you need Uneeda Burger (sorry, couldn't resist).

Visit Uneeda Burger at 4302 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103.

The last time I had a Kidd Valley burger, it was at a Mariners baseball game. Sure, the Moto Pizza place here is better known as the stadium's must-try signature food, but Kidd Valley still stands out as an example of Seattle's burger culture making its way into pro sports. Besides, this is just one of several locations for this local chain, four of which are in stadiums. So, if anything, it's made a name for itself as the burger to grab during sporting events. 

Nevertheless, my first experience with Kidd Valley was at its standalone location in the neighborhood of Green Lake, where its classic cheeseburger proved to be just the thing to help cheer me up after a tough day. And while the burgers are classic in nature and not trying to be anything super fancy, I think it's pretty cool that you can swap in a whole wheat bun at no extra cost.

Visit Kidd Valley at 4910 Green Lake Way N, Seattle, WA 98103 (or at the local stadiums).