The Search for the Best Burger in Denver

I was born and raised in the land of In and Out, so that might make the competition that much harder in Denver, which has no In and Out Burger. But, I put myself on a quest to find the best hamburger in Denver anyway. I have been joined on many occasions by my burger buddy, Russell. So far, I'm not all that impressed with the burgers in Denver. Here are my observations. I asked several Denver-ites for recommendations for the best burger in Denver. The one's that get mentioned often are Cherry Cricket, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, My Brothers Bar, and SmashBurger.

Cherry Cricket is a small hamburger/bar near the Cherry Creek mall. I took Russell there for his birthday. The Cherry Cricket burger is 1/2 pound and starts at $6.50. That's just a burger on a bun. If you want toppings, you can choose whatever you like, but it will cost you. Cheese is an extra $1. BBQ sauce is $.75. You get the idea. For a normal burger with usual topping....you can already close to $10. Certainly not an In and Out price. The burger was greasy. The bun disintegrated in my hands due to being saturated in grease. It was messy and a little heavy on the stomach. Maybe some people like the grease, but not me. Russell and I each had a burger, we shared an order of fries (which was huge), and each had a drink. The total cost was nearly $40 after tip. Way too much for an okay burger that was too greasy. On to the next challenger.

My Brothers Bar gets mentioned often as the "best" burger in Denver. My wife and kids tried to find it one day when we were in downtown Denver and we never could find it (even armed with the address and a GPS). The reason? There is no sign. You can pass right by it and never know that there was a bar/hamburger place there. Later on, Russell and I actually found it and had a mid-week lunch there. We sat on the patio, which was pleasant and relaxing. Classical music is piped through the entire restaurant. The history is that this is the oldest still-operating bar in Denver. It did look historical and interesting. It was fairly crowded despite the fact that it has no signs or advertisements. Also, they have no website. I had a Johnny Burger, which has three cheeses and grilled onions. One of those cheeses is a homemade mix of Cream Cheese and Jalapeno. It wasn't too spicy and was actually quite good. The burger wasn't too greasy and wasn't bad. But, it wasn't great either. It was the kind of place that I could go every once in a while and be okay. But, it wasn't a burger that I would crave fort-nightly. Also, if I remember correctly, I spent about $10 for fries, a burger, and a drink. Not too bad...but not a great price.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries was my favorite hamburger place in Colorado Springs and it comes the closest to being in the awesomeness category of In and Out. I actually really like their burgers...perhaps even better than In and Out. But, Russell, who is an In and Out die hard would disagree. Their burgers are hand pressed, never frozen, and comes with any topping you want (for free). Their fries are fried in pure peanut oil, which gives them a nutty flavor. Also, they give you way too many fries. But, they are so good, it's hard to stop eating them even after you are full. Another bonus is that while you are waiting for your food, you can grab a basket of free peanuts in the shell and eat them to your hearts content, which is a favorite of my boys. This is NOT a place you would go to if you had peanut allergies. I really like Five Guys' burgers. They are tasty, not too greasy, and are addicting. For me, this is the best burger in Denver. The only problem is there isn't one located in Denver proper. They do have them in Aurora, Highlands Ranch, and Lone Tree...but it's not a place I can walk to from work, which is a bummer. We usually go to the Highlands Ranch location, which is nearest our home, but is still a 20 minute drive. This burger is worth traveling for, but it's not a place we'd stop in after church for convenience. Just too far away. If they get a Lakewood location, I'll be a happy camper. This is a burger that I crave and have withdrawals over. It's definitely pricier than In and Out, but not too bad. My whole family can eat there for about $30. So far, the hands down winner for me.

SmashBurger is a burger joint that that a friend of mine from California who now lives in Ft. Collins recommended as an alternative to In and Out. They finally put one on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, so I tried it a few weeks ago during lunch. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan. The burger was okay. A little too greasy as the bottom bun started to fall apart toward the end of my meal. Their "Smash Sauce" was a little weird. The guy described it as a Thousand Island made with Mustard, Ketchup, and Relish (instead of Mayo). The burger was overly peppered, which gave it a weird taste. The fries were interesting. Crispy and tossed with rosemary, olive oil, and garlic. It was like Italian style fries. Interesting, but not awesome.  A regular lunch there was a little over $10. Not my favorite. I probably won't go back.

BrownCow is a place I never heard of before until one opened near the Light-Rail station in Englewood. So, my wife and I stopped in a couple of weeks ago to try it. It seemed like a Five Guys knock off. It pretty much was. It was okay...but not great. It was a somewhere near $20 for the two of us. Joi felt a little "weighed down" afterward. My face felt greasy after eating there. Certainly not a place that we will frequent (or ever go again). Oh well...

Unfortunately for us, the closet In and Out Burger is in Utah, but you have to cross the Rocky Mountains to get to them. Not somewhere you'd pop in after church or for a quick lunch. I'm hoping that In and Out will get wise and will bring themselves to Colorado. With so many California transplants here, it just makes good business sense. Besides, we are still considered a Western State...and I know In and Out likes to stay West. Oh well...here's hoping.