A fast-food-style burger from local burger pros Nick and Joe Spitale hits the spot at this Metairie hub. The classic is as advertised, with high-quality produce and ingredients making the $7 price tag even sweeter. Or try the green chile, mushroom, and swiss or bacon onion jam topping. Order with a liquid-nitrogen chilled milkshake and fries, or a healthier side of edamame.

Chef Michael Gulotta’s Rum and the Lash pop-up is happily in residence at Mick’s Irish Pub, with an exceptional menu of better than you expect bar food. Alongside MoPho-style wings (it’s the nuoc mam caramel ginger garlic goodness that is mind-blowing) Rum and the Lash griddles up a tasty burger, served dressed and offered with a slew of $1 add-ons, from caramelized onions and bacon marmalade to pimento cheese and Swiss. This burger gets it right.

Isaac Toups is known for his amazing charcuterie, cracklins, and basically all things pork at his Mid City Toup’s Meatery go-to. His lunchtime burger is all about the beef — the chef uses wagyu beef and tops it with pickled squash, cheddar, bacon, and herbed aioli on a sesame seed bun. Worth every bit of that hard-earned $16.

Love this no-frills neighborhood bar, perfect for watching the game with good grub and beer. The list of toppings is impressive at Beachcorner, from homemade barbecue sauce to blue cheese and mushrooms — there’s even a burger of the month. The restaurant serves late and there’s a bunch of other good belly-busting eats too.

Mid City’s Brown Butter restaurant has three burgers on its menu, but the back-to-basics Brown Butter burger is divine, thanks to a blend of short rib and brisket in the patty. It comes on a brioche bun and gets topped with pimento cheese. Classic fries and garlic aioli come on the side — or sub out for outstanding truffle fries or Brussels, worth an extra $3. Brown Butter is well worth a visit for much of its extensive menu.

Railroad-themed Junction serves plenty of grass-fed burgers named for rail lines. For example, the New York & Atlantic is a classic steakhouse burger with garlic and black pepper butter, pepper jack cheese, and fried onion strips. But all those specialty burgers start with the classic “boxcar burger,” a six-ounce patty of grass-fed, hormone-free ground beef from St. Amant, Louisiana, cooked medium and served on a brioche roll from Dong Phuong bakery. Lettuce, tomato, and onion come on the side. There are plenty of tasty toppings to dress it up, though it’s hardly necessary, and 40 beers on tap, which are very necessary.

This sidewalk breakfast and lunch cafe across from the Hotel Peter and Paul boutique hotel stays busy and with good reason. Head over to Who Dat Coffee and order Da Who Dat burger, a juicy, half-pound patty cooked to order — love the jalapeno cheddar bun — and dressed, with fries, salad, or potato salad on the side. Open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, with a full bar and super bloody Marys.

This dog (and human) friendly Marigny pub on Franklin doesn’t have a kitchen, but that doesn’t stop Pepp’s from making sure customers don’t get hangry. The owners partnered creatively with The Franklin down the block for a short menu of sandwiches and fries that get delivered by kitchen staff — a win-win for all concerned. All priced under $10 and served Tuesday through Saturday evenings, the burger is a juicy two-fister.

Harahan won big time when New Orleans’ revered Desi Vega’s Steakhouse opened a burger spot there. The menu at Desi Vega’s Prime Burgers and Shakes dishes more than the traditional burger and shake theme. There are lots of options to build your own burger or go with one of the specialty burgers, but the classic, served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, and American cheese, for $11 is a steal. The toppings list is absurdly big and the milkshakes keep that classic thing going. Adult shakes with booze take things to the next level.

Chefs Nhat and Bobby Nguyen imbue their menu with Southern-meets-Southeast-Asian pluck, bold flavors that mine a global culinary lexicon. But they don’t fuss, as Fharmacy’s classic cheeseburger will attest. Eight ounces of house-blended beef get topped with American cheese and pickles, served on a brioche bun with fries on the side. Off-topic, but the lemongrass chicken tacos are worth an exclamation point.

The “Locally World Famous” burger at Cowbell has more to tout than its clever name; and it's in this classic burger that Cowbell’s longtime commitment to high-quality, locally sourced meat and produce shines through. At its heart is the meat — a house blend of grass-fed, natural angus chuck, short rib, and brisket that adds up to perfect. Topped simply with crisp lettuce, tomato, white onion, and house versions of ketchup and mustard, it’s old school at its best, but you can also choose to add bacon, cheeses, and other burger upgrades. Like most on this list, it’s not cheap — but happily, you are paying for some of the best ingredients in town at this lively corner eatery in the Riverbend.

Attached to Madigan’s in the Riverbend, GB’s is known for giant burgers made to order served with crinkle fries and onion rings and is great for family-friendly patio dining.

A truly classic, no-frills diner burger, Camellia Grill’s highly salted six-ounce patty topped with plenty of crisp, cold iceberg lettuce and mayo can hit the spot. Priced at $8.99 for a basic beef burger, add-ons include lettuce, tomato, mayo, and bacon, or make it a double for another three bucks.

Justin Devillier's signature LPG burger is a hot commodity when it comes to New Orleans burgers. Topped with onion marmalade and gruyere, the burger is then set off with mustard, mayo, arugula, and housemade pickles. It preceded the burger boom and was one of the first truly local elevated burgers.