12 Most Outrageous Burgers You Can Order Across America

A beef patty and melty cheese slice doused in ketchup and placed inside a bun are all you need to make the most iconic American food of all time. It’s also what legendary chef Anthony Bourdain believed was necessary for the perfect burger. His “less is more” approach even claimed that while tomatoes and lettuce were acceptable additions, they made the burger “structurally more difficult to eat,” he told Insider Tech. Some restaurant chefs around the country, however, vehemently oppose Bourdain’s simplistic view, unabashedly adding unorthodox ingredients to the tangy, umami meal or piling on every meat imaginable for an Instagrammable yet challenging dining experience.

The burger has existed as far back as ancient Rome; however, it didn’t become the handheld meal in a bun that we know and love today until the late 19th century when it began popping up in various roadside restaurants and fair carts. After the burger’s official debut at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, it was game over for the hearts and taste buds of Americans. Most people have kept up their love affair with burgers, which remain among the most popular foods in the U.S.

These days, you can find every type of burger under the sun, from classic favorites to diet-friendly lettuce buns or gourmet variations with caramelized onions and Wagyu beef. It’s safe to say there’s a burger in America for every diet, taste, and budget. The most adventurous eaters and hungriest foodies among us will appreciate this list of some of the wildest burgers the country has to offer.

As the biggest of the restaurant’s four super-stack burger challenges, this mammoth meal isn’t for the weak. It’s less of a cheeseburger and more of a mountainous creation, consisting of four sirloin patties at 4 ounces each and another two that are 8 ounces each, eight Texas toast slices, 28 American cheese slices, 27 pieces of bacon, and four fried eggs, all topped with house-made relish, mayo, and grilled onions. Oh, and also a 20-ounce “side” of tater tots and fries slathered in an original restaurant cheese sauce along with bacon bits. How many calories will that set you back for the day? A whopping 9,606, according to the restaurant’s website.

You can order the Single Coronary Bypass burger anytime, but the three larger super-stack burgers have a limited availability from 2-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays. Be prepared to finish the entire plate and two 32-ounce drinks within a half hour to win the challenge or walk (or roll?) away with an $80 bill that the house would have covered for you were you able to gorge down every last bite. As it stands, only three people have ever successfully finished the feat.

These coronary concoctions were created in an Atlanta eatery aptly named The Vortex for the massive hole you’ll need in your stomach to devour all its abundant and deep-fried menu items. The Vortex is ironically decorated with skulls and bones, possibly alluding to your near future should you attempt its challenge. But hey, it will be a delicious death, at least.

The Vortex

Multiple locations

Slater’s 50/50 is known for its refreshing craft beers and juicy burgers served with a welcoming vibe in a modern atmosphere. The “rebel gastropub” chain originated in Anaheim Hills, California, in 2009 and is now available in four states thanks to its combination of quality and creativity. While you can find your classic favorites on the menu, some of its entrees have gone rogue, from a gastronomical standpoint, that is.

One of the establishment’s most unorthodox meals has to be its Peanut Butter and Jellousy burger. It consists of Black Canyon Angus beef, thick strips of bacon, all-natural peanut butter, and strawberry jelly sandwiched between honey wheat buns with a scoop of vanilla ice cream thrown into the mix because, at this point, why not? Like the restaurant’s 50/50 name, it’s likely half the crowd will love the idea while the other half will steer clear. If you grew up on PB&J, you might be delightfully surprised that the combination of sweet and salty flavors along with the indulgent mix of creamy textures and temperatures would tantalize your palate, giving the burger a unique dessert-like finish. On the other hand, some of you adamantly hated peanut butter and jelly your whole life, in which case you should give it a hard pass and settle for a safer, more satisfying option.

Slater’s 50/50

Multiple locations

A place like Crazee Burger begs the question: Just how crazy can the burgers be? But one glance at the menu, which includes a list of exotic fare like alligator, camel, and ostrich, to name a few, and you can quickly paint a picture of what awaits between the buns of this eatery’s menu.

Ultimately, Crazee Burger’s wildest burger starts with regular Angus beef. But it’s the toppings for the Muddy Pig burger, composed of Nutella, smoked bacon, and caramelized plantains along with your traditional burger elements, that steal the show. Mixing a beef patty with plantains already seems off, but adding (gasp) Nutella is unprecedented. Still, customers seem to love the balance of sweet and savory notes that this creation pulls off immaculately.

When you break it down, it makes sense. Plantains derive from bananas, which pair well with chocolate. Alternately, the crispy and salty bacon complements the sweet, rich Nutella. When done right (and trust that Crazee Burger does), throwing in an umami beef patty to the mix adds a unique depth of flavor and texture that merits a bite.

Crazee Burger

3993 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 282-6044

In Bostonite slang, wicked means very. But in the case of Boston Burger Company’s Wicked Hot burger, you can safely use the term both in the Urban Dictionary style and the original sense. That’s because it doubles down on two types of jalapeños (sliced and fried) and two different hot sauces (spicy barbecue and the house-made Hot Mess sauce. To throw fuel onto the fire, it comes with a horseradish sauce that adds an extra sharp kick. At least the cheeseburger’s lettuce and bun might tone down the heat a little.

This burger’s spiciness earned it a spot on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and ignited the blood, sweat, and tears of its victims (er, customers). If you can’t handle the heat but still want to chow down on something interesting, the decadent burger chain offers a handful of other unique burgers you won’t find anywhere else. For example, The Vermonster is drenched in maple mayo, and The Pilgrim is essentially Thanksgiving in burger form. These peculiar burgers will pique the interest of your taste buds without stirring your stomach.

Boston Burger Company

Multiple locations

While you’re thinking about the most iconic dessert in every state, head to Thee Burger Spot in Florida where you can guiltlessly satisfy your sweet tooth with a burger. Sweet and salty food combinations like the classic fries dipped in milkshake duo are nothing new, but this Tampa burger joint pushes the limit with its innovative glazed donut burger. It expertly blends a smoky bacon cheeseburger with a gooey Krispy Kreme bun for a sinfully satisfying experience. And while haters will say donuts and cheese shouldn’t go together, anyone who’s given the culinary concept a chance knows that the fluffy and decadent pastry pairs perfectly with the savory burger.

What’s even better than the eclectic explosion of flavor is that it costs under $10. It’s only served on Fridays and Saturdays, but that coincides conveniently with most people’s cheat days. Though its basic ingredients sound easy enough to prepare at home, burgers always taste better at a restaurant for a variety of reasons. Sorry, we don’t make the rules.

Thee Burger Spot

3917 N. Tampa St., Tampa, FL 33603

(813) 993-3926

It’s not surprising that a pizza chain in snowy Boston designed the ultimate comfort food to get through its long winter days. The Pizzaburger comes exactly how it sounds, featuring pizza toppings blended together with a traditional hamburger. If you think about it, the basic ingredients already go hand in hand with each other. You have mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar, tomato sauce as a replacement for ketchup, and both pepperoni and bacon to add smoky layers of crunch. The most absurd but appetizing twist is that it’s wrapped in a pizza pie rather than a boring bun.

The 1,540-calorie food concept might give Italians a heart attack, while the meal itself may give you one if you indulge in it often enough. But there’s no denying or escaping the American obsession with pizza. According to Innova Market Insights, nearly 25% of U.S. consumers eat pizza at least twice a week, sometimes more. It was inevitable that it would end up on a burger sooner or later.

Boston’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar 

Multiple locations

Plenty of restaurants use the words “gourmet” and “hamburger” in the same sentence. But DBG Philly takes that concept to the extreme. You’ll find a burger there that costs as much as your monthly car payment. The restaurant’s Gold Standard burger stands out with its jaw-dropping $700 price tag. That’s justified with upscale ingredients that include 8 ounces of A5 Wagyu (the highest grade of Japanese beef), Wexford aged Irish Cheddar cheese, fresh black truffle, Italian caviar, lobster meat flambéed with Louis XIII Cognac, and a Wildflour Bakery brioche bun topped with gold leaf. The fries come drizzled with 1500+ Manuka honey, and you’ll get a 1-ounce pour of the cognac, too. If you want to treat yourself without taking out a small loan, you can instead order DBG Philly’s Wagyu cheeseburger for $85.

When it comes to bougie burgers, the Gold Standard is in the top tier. However, you’ll find the world’s most expensive burger in a corner of the Netherlands covered in gold and caviar. If you are what you eat, the meal that costs 5,000 euros will mean you’re pure money.

DBG Philly 

1311 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 545-0170

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and you shouldn’t judge a burger by its name either. McGuire’s Irish Pub’s Terrible Garbage Burger is neither terrible nor trash. It is, however, highly satiating and flavorfully confusing, as if you gave a toddler the freedom to make their dinner using everything available in the fridge and pantry.

The menu describes this one-of-a-kind burger simply as “some of everything.” Okay, even the house admits it’s disgusting, and just looking at the abominable tower that represents nearly every food group and is so heavy it requires a stick to hold it together might send you into a food coma. Some of those who’ve tried swear it’s delicious, but it undoubtedly takes a certain risqué personality type to attempt to do so.

So, what’s in this mystery garbage burger? It starts off with five types of meat — Angus and corned beef, liverwurst, pepperoni, and bacon. Next, five cheeses are accompanied by sauteed onions and mushrooms, olives, jalapeño and banana peppers, pineapple, tomato, and red onion. Sauces and spreads include remoulade, wasabi, guacamole, chili, sour cream, peanut butter, and marinara. The ice cream and hot fudge placed on top drizzle down the rest of the burger’s contents as you dig in, and of course, it all comes with a cherry on top.

McGuire’s Irish Pub

Multiple locations

Everyone knows to head to the best Las Vegas buffets to satiate a ravenous appetite, but there’s an equal representative of gluttony in Sin City. Dine if you dare at Las Vegas’ kitschy establishment, Heart Attack Grill, where the restaurant’s claim to fame is its Octuple Bypass Burger that’s served to you by wait staff dressed as nurses and doctors (to prepare you for your upcoming fate, perhaps?).

The exaggerated burger that clocks in at 20,000 calories is composed of 8.5 patties and 40 bacon slices along with heaps of cheese, onions, tomatoes, and chili. That’s the equivalent of about 40 quarter pounders from McDonald’s. Those who weigh over 350 pounds get to dine for free, as made clear by the neon sign at the restaurant’s entrance. Just don’t overestimate your eating skills — the servers will punish you if you if you don’t finish your meal. Not to mention, the restaurant has made news over the years after a handful of patrons suffered cardiac arrest on the premises.

Heart Attack Grill

450 Fremont St., No. 130, Las Vegas, NV 89101

(702) 706-7568

Stuffed peppers are a popular dish — even Princess Diana included a version of stuffed peppers among her favorite meals. Still, it’s not every day you see a pepper stuffed with sausage topped on a burger, let alone with mozzarella and marinara sauce in the mix. But you can find this Italian-inspired meal at an all-American Pennsylvania pub. Despite some peculiar ingredients on the menu, the restaurant boasts the No. 1 spot in Clearfield on Tripadvisor, so it’s safe to assume the creative chefs know what they’re doing.

If pizza-like ingredients on your burger are not your cup of tea, you can choose from the other equally unusual options, including one with brown sugar bacon and maple bourbon seasoning as well as another with mac ‘n cheese. And if you have a big appetite, Denny’s has your back, too. The pub’s claim to fame is its two-pound burger challenge, which has expanded to include even larger burgers and has been featured everywhere from “Good Morning America” to the Travel Channel. With the freedom to alter your toppings and a specific time limit to clean your plate, the feat can be attained for those with empty stomachs and strong willpower.

Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub

1452 Woodland Road, Clearfield, PA 16830

(814) 765-7190 

The burger joint Grill ‘Em All offers a fun experience to match its mouthwatering cuisine. Once an award-winning food cart, it has since expanded into a full restaurant that serves burgers with unique heavy metal-themed names. While its entire menu is exceptional, one wild burger stands out from the rest. 

The Dee Snider burger gives an ode to the lead singer of the metal band, Twisted Sister. The meal is just as quirky as the man it’s named after, with the strange combination of not just peanut butter and strawberry jelly on bacon and a beef patty but also sriracha. It somehow works because the burger has a cult following just like Snider himself, even boasting a page on Snider’s website. Internet reviewers attest to its goodness, too, admitting the combination sounds gross but somehow works. It’s safe to say it takes an acquired taste to appreciate the burger, much like heavy metal music itself. 

Grill ‘Em All

5411 East Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90803

(562) 343-1284

Halfway across the country, another heavy metal-themed burger restaurant concocts its own zany dishes dedicated to iconic rock bands. Kuma’s Corner is also known as the “Metal Burger Mecca,” and fans of metal and meat alike make the trip to one of its three Midwest locations to indulge in its flavorful fare. The restaurant has a reputation for innovative creations. To start, its controversial Ghost Burger included a communion wafer and earned 16th place in Time Magazine’s “Most Influential Burger of All Time” list more than a decade ago. Though the Ghost Burger is no longer offered, the Sourvein Burger does a decent job of filling its place in terms of uniqueness.

The Sourvein does what most burgers can’t, which is blend breakfast with lunch and dinner seamlessly. It features your standard 10-ounce beef patty, sharp cheddar, and smoked bacon but introduces strips of Belgian waffle drizzled with maple syrup and raspberry aioli. Crispy blackened chicken tenders add to the texture, pairing excellently with the fluffy waffles, which are all placed inside a salty pretzel bun. In all, it’s a balanced combination of sweet and savory piled together that’s easy to love but hard to bite into. 

Kuma’s Corner

Multiple locations