Juicy, mouthwatering beef patties topped with crispy bacon and melted cheddar cheese, the burger is the ultimate in American comfort food. Add inventive toppings and house-made sauces and you have the perfect elevated comfort food to sink your teeth into. From takeout joints to five-star dining, the burger is a menu staple in the North Shore restaurant scene. Here are some of our favorites.
1606 Restaurant & Bar
Gloucester
A burger with an ocean view can’t be beat. 1606’s prime burger with pecan-smoked bacon, red onion, aged cheddar, and house-made sauce is divine with or without the brioche bun. Or try the Shishito prime burger—the sweet and slightly smoky peppers are the perfect complement to the beef. Grab a window seat, a glass of cabernet, and enjoy your burger while watching the tide come in. 1606restaurant.com
A&B Burgers
Beverly
Head to A&B Burgers for their regular grass-fed, seven-ounce patties—the Sweet & Salty with burrata, fig jam, bacon, and arugula is a fan favorite. But the wagyu beef (which costs $5 extra) is out of this world—juicy, tender, flavorful—it doesn’t even need a dash of salt or A&B’s special sauce. Takeout and delivery are available and A&B plans to open April 7 for indoor dining. anbburgers.com
Elm Square Oyster Co.
Andover
Chef Michael Sherman has mastered the gourmet burger. With sophisticated toppings of watercress, charred onion, grain mustard aioli, and cloth-bound farmhouse cheddar, it’s the beef that makes the burger—an eight-ounce all-natural certified angus beef chuck patty ground in house. Served on a toasted brioche bun, this luscious burger has become a favorite among the editorial department. During the summer months Sherman offers a variation of this burger topped with crispy Ipswich clams! Yum! elmsquareoysterco.com
Ellis Square Social
Beverly
Chef Jay Murray transformed Ellis Square Social into a Smokehouse—and, as he says, meatery—and his cheeseburger is divine: two smashed wagyu patties, house-made bacon, aged Cabot cheddar, lettuce, tomato, smoked pickles, and Otis Street Steak Sauce on a Big Marty’s potato bun—a must-try along with all the other smoked-meat goodness on the menu. ellissquaresocial.com
FRANK
Beverly
Chef and co-owner Frank McClelland and chef Jason Hanelt take localvore to a new level at this stellar dining spot in Beverly. Grass-fed organic beef is sourced from Maine Family Farms for FRANK’s eight-ounce flame-broiled patty. Topped with pepper jack cheese, hot sauce mayo (made from fresh, fermented, and smoked habanero peppers), house-made bacon and onion jam, and crispy onions dredged lightly in Hanelt’s Northern take on BBQ spices. All of this is placed between a house-made milk bun—taking the burger to a heavenly status. farmtofrank.com
La Fina
Andover
This modern steakhouse has an outrageously good burger on its menu—a prime grade beef patty topped with red onion jam, aged cheddar, and truffle aioli served on a house-made sesame bun with a side of fries. lafinarestaurant.com
Ledger
Salem
Owner/chef Matt O’Neil and executive chef Daniel Gursha of Ledger take the concept of the burger to the ultimate level with Ledger’s double burger cooked over a wood fire and topped with lettuce, special sauce, charred onion, pickles, and cheddar on a brioche roll—their gourmet take on the ubiquitous “Big Mac.” For brunch add eggs, bacon, and breakfast potatoes for the ultimate mid-morning meal. ledgersalem.com
Lexie’s
Newburyport
With the symbols of peace, love, and a burger as their logo, Lexie’s brings its customers to a state of nirvana with daily specials and specialty burgers, such as the Burning Down the House (jalapenos, pepper jack, spicy aioli), Green Muenster (cheese, bacon avocado), and Urban Cowboy (cheddar, bacon, avocado, crispy onions, BBQ sauce, and chimichurri). Or, create your own juicy masterpiece with a clean slate. Order a 4-ounce patty and let your imagination and palate guide you to your ultimate personalized burger. peaceloveburgers.com
Sauce
Andover
Don’t let this non-descript burger joint fool you. Their burgers are as juicy and flavorful as they are inventive. Try the Chicago Burger with all the toppings of a classic Chicago hotdog or the How Rueben Got His Groove Back with house-made coleslaw and 1,000 Island Dressing or the Fat Kid Burger with all the toppings on offer. Order the hand-cut fries as a side—you won’t be sorry! saucewings.com
The Blue Ox
Lynn
Anthony Caturano (owner of award-winning Tonno) took ownership of The Blue Ox in 2019, and he liked original owner Matt O’Neil’s menu so much he left it much the same. Sin Burger is a hand-packed patty with Applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, truffle aioli, and Swiss cheese—and is so good it won Boston magazine’s Battle of the Burger three years in a row. We are happy to note The Blue Ox is open once again for in-house dining and also offers takeout. theblueoxlynn.com
Do you have a favorite spot to get a burger on the North Shore? Let us know down below!