If you've ever wondered where to get a truly great smashburger without paying steakhouse prices, join the line at Boo’s Burgers. Order the $12 Boo’s OG, stake out one of the picnic tables, and wait to be impressed. Where so many riffs on the smashburger-and-fries combo fail, Boo’s gets everything right.

Aside from the rum-laden drinks that come with plastic mermaids and get set on fire, the double-patty cheeseburger is one of the best reasons to go to this Montrose tiki bar. The smokiness of the two asymmetric patties is impressive, especially since it's one of the smaller burgers on this guide. The patty-cheese-bread trifecta stands out enough to plan your lunch around it. But throw in some sweet bacon jam and pickled jalapeños to make you feel like you're eating a whole new burger.

Eating at Nancy’s Hustle in EaDo feels like being in a cozy bubble. This dreamy American bistro-y spot is not only on the short list of everyone with a big date coming up, but it’s also where you can get the Nancy burger, a double-patty cheeseburger encapsulated by a crispy-yet-soft english muffin, with crisp house-made pickles skewered on top like a briney crown. We like to order this burger when we need a reminder that sometimes it’s okay to mess with the classics.

Squable might not be a “burger place,” but that didn’t stop the folks at this small plates American restaurant from making one of the most decadent beef and cheese creations this side of I-10. The French cheeseburger is tiny, probably because adding any more melted raclette would likely be some kind of FDA violation. Resembling a cheese version of the Nickelodeon slime prank, everything from the thick patty to the buttery bun and even the plate is smothered in gooey, funky cheese.

Stanton’s City Bites in First Ward may be filled with walls of memorabilia, a diner-style stool counter, and other architectural items that say, “this building is old,” but the burgers are anything but. Each half-pound burger arrives in a pillowy soft and buttery bun and absolutely crammed to the gills with thematic toppings. Like the Miss Piggie Burger: a bacon and beef patty paired with a large hash brown and candied bacon.

Eating at Bubba’s, a literal wooden shack near the Galleria area, feels more like dining inside of a decades-old postcard than anything resembling modernity, which is probably why the burgers are so incredible. Bubba’s specializes in bison burgers, but you can get beef, too, if you’re some kind of burger purist. Dress up the burger with jalapeños, grilled onions, or even an entire frito pie, which is a very Texan thing to do.

Drive past this little white and yellow corner building near Rice Military any night of the week, and a line will inevitably be wrapped around the corner. Burger Bodega resembles a Houston-themed millennial-smashburger fever dream, with “713” plastered across faux corner store products lining every wall. The edges of each patty are wafer thin and crispy with a hint of griddle smoke, and the mayo-like bodega sauce melds together with cheese and grilled onions.

Lankford’s Grocery & Market has been pumping out burgers from a little red and white corner shack in Midtown since 1936. While a lot had changed in the neighborhood, Lankford’s has remained pretty much exactly the same. Join the rest of the downtown lunch crowd for burgers loaded with macaroni and cheese, a thick onion ring, cayenne butter, slices of tender brisket, and even Frito pie.

For those days when you’re craving a burger topped with spam, kimchi relish, chili, pickled habaneros, sauteed onions, and pepper jack cheese, head to Burger-Chan. The counter-service spot in the Galleria area embraces the fully customizable burger experience, so grab a clipboard, check off whatever toppings will bring you joy, and hand your selection sheet to the cashier who clips the paper to a mini zipline and whizzes it off to the kitchen where whatever burger you desire will soon appear.

Sparkle’s, a modest counter service joint in the Third Ward, is the sort of place you could pop into any time for a burger, which ranges from a simple, dressed down hamburger to a double mushroom cheeseburger piled high with toppings. The space is pretty small, so unless you eat at one of three tables inside, you’ll probably be parked on the picnic benches just outside of the doors, unhinging your jaw for another bite of the meaty double cheeseburger topped with a slab of hickory bacon.

The Almighty Moon Tower Inn in the East End is known for three things: hot dogs made from wild game meats, a lot of beer, and a f*ck you attitude most people admire, even if they don’t want to admit it. We also love the ridiculously excessive burgers on the menu. Like the Cheech Burger smeared with nutty chevre and slightly spicy roasted poblanos. Or the Diner Style Harvey Burger done Reznor style that comes with a smushed boudin patty.

Hillstone in Upper Kirby falls somewhere on the restaurant spectrum between an upper crust steakhouse and a fast-casual American mega chain. The menu almost never changes, the food always arrives fast, and everything tastes exactly the same every single time. One of Hillstone’s best old reliables is the cheeseburger. The thick, cheese-encased patty arrives loaded so high with toppings you might need to make a few calculations before attempting the first bite.

The only thing that’s changed about Champ Burger in the last 60 years is that the place accepts credit cards now. Champ Burger, an old-school hamburger shack in the East End right off the Metro greenline, usually has a small line of people clustered near the order window waiting for a cheeseburger or steak sandwich. The classic-style burgers are juicy, but not greasy, and will keep you feeling full most of the day. You should also order an orange milkshake and chili cheese fries.

There’s no membership fee or dress code at this country club, which is more of a hamburger-dive-pool-hall. But Harrisburg Country Club in the East End also serves ice cold beer—an essential item, since there is no air conditioning. Everything about the quick-griddled burger here is fairly standard—sesame seed bun, iceberg, tomato, pickles, and raw white onion—but when it arrives, neatly wrapped in white parchment, it feels special and nostalgic.

The cheeseburger here is a great example of such delicious simplicity. It’s just the basics: melted American cheese, diced white onions, pickles, and mustard. However, altogether on a white bread bun, it tastes rich, buttery, and kind of high end despite being only $8. So if you had one too many pours of cask-strength bourbon or have a first date that’s going well enough to share a meal together, consider grabbing one of these humble yet extremely satisfying cheeseburgers.

Monkey’s Tail, a cocktail bar in Lindale Park has an incredible smashburger for under $10. Available as either a single or double-patty, the Chango burger comes with a schmear of spicy mayo, melted American cheese, and a little bit of relish and chopped onions all squished between puffy, soft bread. It’s a great bar snack between margaritas or to get through a nail-biting seventh-inning stretch.

The Burger Joint is as close to a grilled backyard burger as you can get in the middle of Montrose. The counter-service patio restaurant makes basic griddled burgers, heavy on the salt and pepper seasoning, with everything from basic lettuce, tomato, and thick wavy pickles to double patties smashed with kimchi or lamb with tangy tzatziki. None of the burgers here will turn you into a Burger Joint convert, but each one is solid.