It’s time to vote in the latest category of The Oregonian’s Readers Choice Awards: best burger in the Portland area.
We took the seven burgers spots that received the most reader nominations and added three more from our dining critic, Michael Russell, to complete the list of 10 finalists.
You can vote once a day at the bottom of this post or at this link until the poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. We’ll reveal the results Friday, Oct. 11 at oregonlive.com/readers-choice.
Burgerville
I must admit, I had to wonder if you all were just messing with me on this one. Burgerville is one of our favorite fast food restaurants, and there is plenty to love about it. But best burger in the entire Portland area? That seems like a stretch. The readers have spoken, however, and a finalist it is!
22 locations in the Portland metro area; burgerville.com
Deschutes Brewery
This brewpub offers 26 beers on tap and boasts, “Our culinary team has taken classic pub dishes to the next level with the best local ingredients.” Our readers are all about the elk burger here. One person said it’s the “best elk burger in the city. Always cooked perfectly and goes perfectly with their Black Butte Porter.”
210 N.W. 11th Ave.; 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; deschutesbrewery.com/pages/portland-public-house
Farmer & The Beast
Jeff Larson and Schuyler Wallace opened Farmer & The Beast after meeting at David Machado’s Tanner Creek Tavern, where they learned the menu-anchoring value of a good burger. This food cart’s Beast Burger has two beautifully seared patties, melted American cheese, shaved onion, plenty of pickle slices and a special sauce with more pickle, all propped up on a chapbook’s worth of iceberg leaves and trapped in a sesame seed Franz bun.
1845 N.W. 23rd Place and 12675 S.W. 1st St., Beaverton; 11:30 a.m.-7:45 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; instagram.com/farmerandthebeast
Helvatia Tavern
A longtime favorite for the best classic burger in the area, we called Helvatia’s cheeseburger “as close to burger perfection as you can find” more than a decade ago. It offers up a soft sesame-seed bun, a thin burger patty with light char and a hint of pink inside, melted American cheese, thinly sliced tomato, onions, shredded iceberg, tangy mayo and plenty of sliced pickles on the side.
10275 N.W. Helvetia Rd., Hillsboro; 11 a.m.-9:15 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; therealhelvetiatavern.com
The Mr. Onion burger at Jojo in Northwest Portland aims for onion overload.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
Jojo
With a Pearl District brand-and-mortar location and a Southeast Portland food cart, Jojo’s offerings include a smash burger with a golden-griddled bun collapsed pleasantly around iceberg lettuce and crispy-edged double patties. We’re fans of their Mr. Onion burger, which aims for onion overload with alliums raw, caramelized and fried along with tangy Alabama white sauce and melted Tillamook cheddar.
902 NW 13th Ave. and 3582 S.E. Powell Blvd., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; jojopdx.com
Killer Burger
This 14-year-old Portland chain is expanding into the South Puget Sound. When you think about Killer Burger, you probably think about out-there sandwiches topped with peanut butter and bacon, and less about the patty itself. But it’s a tasty smash burger. Readers who nominated it cited the great combinations of flavors at an affordable price.
12 Portland area locations; killerburger.com
The beauty of MidCity SmashBurger is all about the details.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
MidCity SmashBurger
Michael picked this as the best smash burger in town earlier this year. It’s a deceptively simple cheeseburger with American cheese and buns from nearby Franz. But the skill shows in the details. The fully melted cheese. The nicely griddled bun. The superior smash given to each ball of nicely seasoned St. Helens beef by an oversized cast-iron weight. But the magic is in the burger sauce, a mustard-mayo blend with a dozen secret ingredients.
1447 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 12-9 p.m. Saturday, 12-8 p.m. Sunday; 6620 S.W. Scholls Ferry Rd. 12-8 p.m. daily; 12345 S.W. Broadway St., Beaverton, 12-8 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday, 12-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; midcitysmashburger.com
PDX Sliders
This mini-chain started as food cart a decade ago. Now it has three locations serving up sliders and full size burgers. All the burgers are named after bridges, and we like the Sellwood with bacon, Beechers aged cheddar, caramelized onions, butter lettuce and aioli on a brioche bun.
4232 N. Williams Ave., 1605 S.E. Bybee Blvd. and 3111 S.E. Division St.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; pdxsliders.com
Sure Shot
One of Michael’s picks for the best smash burgers in in town, Sure Shot chefs Nick Jarvis and Aaron Wilcenski take Portland’s nostalgic burger obsession to its logical conclusion, with its two skinny patties hanging over a soft Franz bun, the meat edges as lacey-crisp as a Detroit-style pizza
5013 N.E. 42nd Ave.; 12-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; sureshotburger.com
Tulip Shop Tavern
The Tavern Burger at Tulip Shop Tavern offers a juicy quarter pound patty, American cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced pickles and special sauce on a fluffy milk bun. Tulip Shop, which made our guide to Portland’s best restaurants this year, has the look and appeal of a great dive bar, only one where every detail — from the hand-cut onion rings to the quality of the beers on tap — has been carefully considered.
825 N. Killingsworth St.; 12 p.m.-12 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, 12 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday; tulipshoptavern.com
Cast your vote here
You can vote once a day until the poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. Check OregonLive.com/readers-choice on Friday, Oct. 11 to see the results.
Mims Copeland is a social media producer and covers trending topics for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at [email protected]
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