There are many restaurants where you can get great burgers in Durham, NC.
Whether you want to have a classic burger or one with unique ingredients, the restaurants in the city have a lot of great options to choose from. Also, at many of these restaurants, there are vegetarian and vegan options as well, and there are places where you can build your own burger. Besides that, you can get delicious side dishes as well such as French fries, sweet potato fries, salads, and more.
I made this Durham burgers guide to help you find the best place for you!
Best Burgers in Durham
QueenBurger
QueenBurger is a burger restaurant that you can find at the American Tobacco Campus. You can get delicious smash burgers made with local, grass-fed beef and housemade toppings at this restaurant.
This restaurant is great for both lunch and dinner.
One of the best burgers to get is the “Spicy”, which is made with two smash burgers, Ashe County hoop cheese, crispy fire-spiced onions, zesty ranch, and pickled jalapeños.
There’s also a delicious “Veggie & Vegan” burger, which comes with two housemade veggie patties, Ashe County hoop cheese, griddled onions, and a special sauce.
Besides that, you can get delicious fries, ice cream sandwiches, and other food at this place.
In addition to great food, you can also get craft cocktails and beers at QueenBurger. For example, you can get the “Hurricane” cocktail, which is a drink made with rum, grenadine, passionfruit, and lime. Another unique cocktail is one made with thyme-infused vodka, thyme syrup, and lemonade.
Address: 359 Blackwell St Suite 125, Durham, NC 27701
Bull City Burger and Brewery
Bull City Burger and Brewery is a craft brewery and restaurant that’s great if you want to have a burger in Durham. You can find the restaurant at 107 E Parrish Street.
There are many specialty burgers to choose from at this place. These are all made with grass-fed North Carolina beef and are ground in-house daily. Also, these are made on house-baked buns with flour from Lindley Mills.
One of the best ones to get is the Pimento Burger. This one is made with homemade pimento cheese, pickled cucumbers, and thick-cut ginger.
The Bacon & Blue burger, which comes with blue cheese, double-smoked bacon, BBQ sauces, pickled red onion, and fresh lettuce, is a great one to have as well.
There are also vegetarian and vegan options, such as the “Joan Jett Bean Veggie Burger”. This one is made with a three bean house-made veggie patty, aioli sauce, lettuce, and goat cheese.
In addition to these options, you can also build your own burger by choosing all the toppings that you want to add.
There are also other dishes, such as chili, desserts, and fries.
Besides being a great place for its food, this is also one of the best breweries in Durham and you can get freshly brewed beer here.
The beers that are on tap at this restaurant and brewery often rotate. There are seasonal and unique beers. To find out what’s currently on tap at the brewery and restaurant, you can look at the website of Bull City Burger and Brewery.
Going to this place is also one of the most fun date ideas in Durham.
Address: 107 E Parrish St, Durham, NC 27701
Only Burger
Only Burger is a burger restaurant that opened in 2008. The restaurant started with a mobile burger truck, but in 2010 it opened a restaurant on Shannon Road.
You can get a variety of delicious burgers at this restaurant, and each one can be made with beef, turkey, lamb, or chicken breast, as well as with a Garden Veggie or Impossible Burger. They are available on a house bun, a lettuce wrap, or a whole wheat bean.
One of the best to get is “The FGTBurger”. This one is made with fried green tomato, grilled egg, and housemade Pimento cheese.
“The Greek”, which comes with lettuce, tomato, olive spread, feta cheese, and a yogurt sauce, is a delicious option as well.
Another great option is “The Frito Bandito”. This is a burger that comes with guacamole, cheese sauce, Fritos, and beef chili.
There are delicious sides that you can have as well, including sweet potato fries, pickle chips, onion rings, and hand-cut fries. You can also get a sampler and try different sides.
Besides that, there are other food options as well, including ice cream, hot dogs, and sliders.
Address: 3710 Shannon Rd #118, Durham, NC 27707
Dain’s Place
Dain’s Place is a burger restaurant in Durham that is located on Ninth Street. It is a great place to have a burger for lunch or dinner, and there are other food options as well.
You can build your own burger by selecting the meat you want and choosing any toppings. You can choose the marinated chicken breast, the Impossible Burger, or the 8 oz. 100% Black Angus burger on a freshly baked bun.
Instead of making your own burger, you can also choose one of “Dain’s Favorites”. One of these is The Dainer, which is one with lettuce, tomato, 1000 Island, bacon, cheddar, and sautéed onions.
Other food options at Dain’s Place include sandwiches, salads, and desserts.
In addition to great food, you can also get all kinds of drinks at Dain’s Place, including draft beer from local North Carolina breweries and wines.
The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, and sometimes you can attend special events at Dain’s Place.
Address: 754 9th St, Durham, NC 27705
The Blue Note Grill
The Blue Note Grill is a live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bar. You can find this place in the Central Park District of downtown Durham.
Besides going to the venue for great live music events, you can go here for great burgers and other food items.
One of the burgers that you can get here is the Classic Burger, which is made with a 6oz. patty, lettuce, onion, tomato, and mayo. You can also get a double classic burger.
Another great one that you can get here is “The Cow Jumped Over the Moon Burger”. This is a 6oz. patty with housemade bacon onion jam, brie cheese, and roasted garlic aioli.
The restaurant has a great vegetarian option as well. You can get the “Chipotle Black Bean Veggie Burger”, which is served with tomato, onion, lettuce, and mayo.
Other food options include chili, salads, wings, and other items.
Address: 709 Washington St, Durham, NC 27701
Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square
Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square is a restaurant with several locations in North Carolina. It opened its third location in 2016 in Brightleaf Square. You can get great food here, including delicious burgers, and lots of options of beer.
One of the best burgers to get is the French Onion Burger, which is made with a cajun-seasoned ground beef patty, french onions, provolone cheese, and other ingredients.
The Hawaiian Burger is made with pepper jack cheese, grilled pineapple, lettuce, pineapple mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion, and this is a great one to try as well.
If you are looking for a plant-based option, you can try the Vegan Burger. This is made with a plant-based vegan patty, vegan cheddar cheese, lettuce, vegan mayo, and tomato.
You can also get great sides at this restaurant, such as French fries, sweet potato waffle fries, German potato salad, and much more.
Other food options include sandwiches, salads, and desserts.
When you go to Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square, you can also get a beer. There are many seasonal draft beers to choose from as well as a selection of core beers.
Having food and drinks at Clouds Brewing is also one of the most fun things to do at night in Durham.
Address: 905 W Main St #22, Durham, NC 27701
GRUB Durham
GRUB Durham is a full-service restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can find the restaurant at 1200 West Chapel Hill Street inside a renovated 1950s gas station.
The lunch and dinner menu of GRUB Durham features a selection of delicious burgers as well as other items such as salads, sandwiches, milkshakes, soups, and much more.
One of the burgers that you can get at GRUB Durham is the Cubano Burger. This one is made with an 8 oz. Angus beef short rib and chuck burger, Havarti cheese, lettuce, Mama’s bread & butter pickles, and other ingredients.
You can also try the “TREYmendous Burger”, which comes with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, maple pepper bacon, and other ingredients.
This is also one of the best spots for lunch in Durham.
Address: 1200 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
Town Hall Burger & Beer Durham
Town Hall Burger & Beer is a place where you can get delicious burgers in Durham. It has several locations in North Carolina and one location in Durham.
The burgers that you can get at this restaurant are delicious and made with locally sourced ingredients.
There are gourmet burgers and you can also build your own burger at the restaurant.
One of the best is the “Tar Hell Burger”. This one comes with smoked pulled pork, pimento cheese, BBQ sauce, slaw, and other ingredients.
The “California Burger” is also great. This one includes applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, guacamole, lettuce, pico de Gallo, and chipotle mayo.
There are also vegetarian and vegan options. One of these is the “Black Bean Veggie Burger”, which comes with a housemade black bean patty, tomato, chipotle mayo, and lettuce.
Other food items that you can get at this restaurant include tacos, salads, wings, and a variety of desserts.
You can also get great sides with your food, including Idaho French fries, chili cheese fries, truffle parmesan fries, and sweet potato fries.
In addition to delicious food, you can also choose from a rotating selection of local craft beer.
Address: 7830 NC-751 Suite 100, Durham, NC 27713
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Durham Burgers Tips
Many of the places that I mentioned in this Durham burgers article also serve other types of food. For example, there are some restaurants where you can get sandwiches, salads, chili, or other dishes. This is great to know if you want to go for dinner with someone else who doesn’t want to have a burger.
Burgers in Durham Map
This was my list of the best burgers in Durham, NC. Enjoy your meal!