The smashed miso-y majesty at this Guamanian spot is coming for all of the burger trophies. Its frizzled edges are so beefy-rich that the patties taste like brown gravy—and meat juice amplifies the effect. The caramelized crust, american cheese, and sauce-seeped bun together become one singular essence of burger that all others should look up to. Slow down, however, and you'll catch the hit of black pepper, salty swipe of kewpie, or bun bit soaked in drippings.

We can feel you wondering, “Wait, Asadero has a burger?” Yes—hidden among the tacos, A5 Japanese wagyu, and ball-out filets at this Mexican steakhouse is a thick bacon cheeseburger that eats dinky smashpatties for breakfast. Each chomp into this charred patty with two slices of american cheese reveals perfect pink drippings that soak through the bun like a french dip. The crown jewel here is the aioli, which tastes a little spicy and sweeter than a Girl Scout’s people skills.

Lettuce, tomato, and onion have their rightful spot in the burger topping Hall of Fame. But Taurus Ox, a Lao restaurant on Capitol Hill, proves that things like taro stem, spicy lemongrass-y pork skin mayo, jowl bacon, and cilantro deserve a place as well. In addition to all those Lao ingredients, this double cheeseburger also has a bunch of provolone and gets served on a soft pub bun. The result is a f*cking amazing burger that gives you fresh herbs, nuttiness, and just enough pork fat.

This smokehouse knows its way around wood like Steve Martin knows his way around a banjo. And while you would have a great meal here any night of the week, Lady Jaye’s Thursday-only smoked wagyu cheeseburger is something to plan around. With smoky singed edges and a perfectly pink middle, the patty by itself has us seriously contemplating buying a Traeger. The thick slice of american cheese slapped over the top along with pickles and rocket sauce complement the beef without overpowering it.

These fabulous little guys taste like someone took the squishy bun and simplistic nostalgia of White Castle and combined it with the mustardy meat magic of In-N-Out. They’re ridiculously great, come stacked with just the right amount of gooey American cheese (a lot) and have candy-like caramelized onions that add sweetness, all smushed into a plush Hawaiian roll. Absolutely take advantage of the 6-for-$28 deal, because no one in their right mind is stopping at one.

If drippy and topping-heavy burgers are your thing, go for the beacon burger at Perihelion. The cheddar, thick pork belly, and chile aioli work better together than Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor in the tap dance sequence in Singing In The Rain. It’s a masterpiece.

The Oklahoma-style smashburgers coming from this mustard-yellow set of wheels possess serious pleasure-to-have-in-class energy. Each perfectly seasoned patty has a snappy crust that drapes over the bun, singed onions, melted cheese that gets gooey without making a total mess. There's also a tangy spice-flecked special sauce and chunky pickle slices to cut through the heft, helping to satisfy any burger itch without leaving your hands full of drips.

The tavern burger at Loretta’s is like a backyard dad burger, but better. This charred thing with special sauce, pickles, plain American cheese, and onions lives up to the hype, and tastes just as good with a beer at the bar as it does wrapped in wax paper to go.

Normally, we praise the maillard reaction on a burger—the more smashed, the better, right? In the case of Dreamland’s McDreamy, that couldn’t be more wrong. Between the juicy beef with a lighter sear, american cheese, and charred onion mayo, all of the gooey, sticky, and salty elements melt seamlessly, and yet it still has a great crunch from the pickles and toasted potato bun halves.

Joe’z specializes in Oklahoma-style smashburgers, and while the patties aren’t completely pancaked, this is simply a great burger to begin with. Thorough grilled beef notes are backed by stringy charred onions, pickles, and american cheese binding everything together. But the two wildcards are what make this stack stand out—a sesame-topped homemade bun that’s just as brioche-forward as it is light, and garlicky lemon aioli that is somehow more satisfying than standard special sauce.

Joule’s kalbi-marinated burger is a prime example of “less is more.” Here you have an incredibly juicy patty, horseradish mayo, lettuce, and raw red onion with some giardiniera on the side. Add in some of the accompanying pickled carrots between the buns if you want to amp up the acidity.

The burger at a seafood joint often ends up being an afterthought. Local Tide's burger, however, is the best dish on the menu—which is saying something, since their stuff involving fish is so damn good. The smashed and juicy beef and pork patty works perfectly with jammy caramelized onions, a bit of mayo, and yellow american. Sorry for making your decision between salmon and a burger even harder.

The bacon being ground into the burgers at Big Max is just one of the reasons why they belong on this list. This smoky and fatty beef mixes with sharp cheddar, tangy bread and butter pickle chunks, and special sauce in a way that pairs very well with fancy homemade chicken nuggets and herbed shoestring fries. Plus, the combination of caramelized and fresh onion gives you both sweetness and a raw bite.

This smashburger is excellent enough for us to show up after 11am (when it's served) and totally ignore the pastries at this hectic morning bake shop. With a circumference made of lacy crisped meat, tangy special sauce, pickles, and melted yellow american on a squishy Hawaiian bun, it’s officially the best burger that you can get at a bakery.

To get your hands on a butcher’s burger at FlintCreek, you have to be strategic. Get there when they open, sit at the bar, and secure one of the 12 burgers available per service during the restaurant's Happy Hour. This thick patty topped with caramelized onions, blue cheese, worcestershire aoili, and arugula on a resilient potato bun has a ton of depth—and it's a pretty good deal at $10.

Our first taste of the burger at Frank’s immediately made us drop our utensils and say, “Oh yeah.” That’s how good it is. While the seafood is tasty here, skip the oysters and move directly toward the burger for dinner. The well-salted patty, tangy pickled onions, white cheddar, and louie sauce all in one bite is way better than an evening of slurping down mollusks.

This Pioneer Square bar has a constantly changing menu from different chefs that host pop-ups in their kitchen, but thankfully, the smashburger is a mainstay. Kind of like a Dick’s deluxe but a hundred times better, it comes with lots of shredded iceberg, a garlicky pepper-specked burger sauce, and a blanket of melted american so thick that you almost lose the patty, complete with a crusty outer lace and pink center. Just be sure to order a double to maximize on the meat-to-topping ratio.

At first, you might think that Ken's Market is a normal supermarket. And it is. But every Thursday at 11am, the deli counter at this Phinney Ridge grocery store transforms into a burger joint. And the smashburgers are a tour de force. Even after warming under a heat lamp, the lacy patty keeps its Butterfinger-like snap, shredded lettuce stays crisp, and yellow american fuses to the thousand island-y special sauce.

In a faraway land called the Eastside, there’s a little Bellevue burger joint that smells like fryer oil, looks like it hasn’t been updated since they opened in 1989, and serves the best charbroiled cheeseburger in the Seattle metro area. These are juicy and taste terrific with bacon and fry sauce on one of those huge sesame seed hubcap buns. Also, this isn’t an onion ring guide, but we can officially advise you to pop a ring on your burger for a good time.

Normally, you’d hit up Bait Shop for fish sandwiches and the best fries in the city, but don’t you dare ignore the double cheeseburger, which is exactly what you want while drinking your weight in frozen cocktails. If you’re splitting the burger with someone, they’ll even cut it in half for you, which is super thoughtful considering you’d likely cause an avalanche of lettuce and special sauce if you tried to do it yourself.

Ask a Seattleite from the South End whether this iconic red- and yellow-painted drive-thru is called Zest or Zesto’s, and get ready for an inductive argument worthy of winning first prize at a debate team competition. No matter what you call it, come here for the hotlink burger. Things start out normal enough with a charred patty on a sesame seed bun alongside fixings like american cheese, pickles, and lettuce—but then they go and add a red hot link.