14 of our favorite new burgers in the Twin Cities to close out 2025

It’s good to leave burger expectations at the door.

Think of a burger as a blank canvas, adorned with cheese and maybe bacon for a classic preparation. But the standouts that chefs around the metro area are creating at the moment often lean into their creative side.

That means the ooze of American cheese might mingle with the funk of kimchi, crispy beef skirts might catch a drip of molten mozzarella or nostalgia might become the side we didn’t know we needed.

While the prices are far from our diner and drive-thru days of burger nostalgia — and only some come with fries — there’s plenty to enjoy in our current fancy burger era.

When first we met, this was an outside-only burger. The customized blend from chef-owner Jon Wipfli was served from a food trailer at his previous location outside of a brewery. But now we can enjoy this beauty all year round inside the newly opened restaurant and music venue.

The rich combination of premium wagyu beef ($19.20) and butter yields maximum flavor. Topped with American cheese, Dijonnaise and perfectly tart-crisp pickle slices, it’s a master class in exceptional ingredients. Each one has a place and purpose, including the toasty milk bun that’s the ideal balance of soft and sturdy. The cost might be steep, but as a no-tip restaurant, it’s the price you really pay. (J.S.)

241 Freemont Av., Mpls., animalesbbq.com

107 3rd Av. N., Mpls., bellecourmn.com

No one can accuse the Carnival Bar crew of not having fun. The slim space tucked behind Mr. Paul’s Supper Club offers drinks served in popcorn buckets or flavored like boozy cotton candy. Meanwhile, the food menu is a stack of fancy snacks built to complement the stiff and silly drinks. The burgers, however, get some serious attention.

There is a standard, double-stacked burger that’s a menu regular, and then there’s the rotating Burger of the Moment ($18). Trust us: Buy the ticket and take the ride to beef town with whatever the chefs are serving up. On our last visit, it was a big bacon bite with salty, smoky, porky goodness both in the beef and layered on top along with lettuce, heirloom tomato, pickles and cheese. Other times, it’s been a pizza burger or a rodeo-seasoned double stack. Like everything about this place, it’s best to let go and just enjoy. (J.S.)

3922 W. 50th St., Edina, mrpaulssupperclub.com/carnival-bar

Dario chef-owner Joe Rolle is often credited with starting the local smash burger craze back when he was at Parlour Bar in 2013, and lately he’s been running the occasional ticketed pop-up Dario Punk Rock Burger Club. Served in Dario-branded wax paper, the tiny, exquisite and squishy fast food-style cheeseburgers ($12) sport an optimal meat-to-cheese-to-bun ratio, and are immediately crushable. They come with a bag of chips (Dario doesn’t have a fryer to make fries, alas). It’s a daytime takeover of Dario, with the added bonus of punk rock jams, special brunch cocktails like a Bloody Mary, ice cream sandwiches and fountain phosphate sodas. (R.B.)

The neighborhood restaurant and bar Dark Horse in Lowertown St. Paul closed and reopened earlier this year with chef Shane Oporto at the helm, and with that came a new menu featuring a bunch of different burgers. We’re here for the Dark Horse Burger ($15 single, $18 double) made with thin, caramelized smashed burger patties, a cheddar/Taleggio cheese blend, fried onions, pickles and their secret sauce, all on a soft, glossy, toasted bun. Make no mistake, the double is a serious commitment (unless you’re sharing). But either way, it’s an umami-packed, boisterously cheesy burger you need in your life. And as a bonus, the burger comes with a side of crispy fries (as well as ketchup and Taleggio aioli). (R.B.)

250 E. 7th St., St Paul, darkhorsestp.com

We’ve seen plenty of odes to famous fast-food burgers. One that impressed us most recently can be found at the relocated and reopened Eagle Street in downtown St. Paul. Owners Jim Flaherty and Joe Kasel have added new menu items that include sliders ($17 for three), bringing flavor notes reminiscent of a certain chain with a castle logo, but in their own style. Here, hints of onion get worked into the patty before it all gets topped with pickles and American cheese. And bonus: These sliders are substantially larger than the fast-food version, and an order can serve as a full meal for one or two. There’s even a 10-pack ($50) option (sound familiar?) for a crowd, perfect for pre- or post-gaming when catching a hockey game or concert at Grand Casino Arena across the street. (N.N.)

253 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, theeaglestreet.com

The former 801 Fish still looks the part — nautical lighting, a hint of oceanic art — but the menu has shifted toward land, influenced by its sister restaurant across the street, 801 Chophouse. (Bonus: Unlike the Chophouse, this one serves lunch.) The 801 Nicollet Burger’s two wagyu patties fuse into one indulgent pub-style handheld with caramelized onions, excellent bacon and melty American cheese ($19). The only misstep is the “bistro sauce,“ a heavy-handed horseradish-mustard situation; ask for it on the side. And definitely spring for the $3 upgrade to the thick-cut, battered fries. (S.J.)

The same from-scratch spirit that makes Fork’d’s reverse-engineered mozzarella sticks such a standout carries into the Fork’d Burger ($16.95). It’s a classic double smash, with thin, craggy-edged patties stacked with American cheese, pickles and a tangy “secret sauce” that soaks into the soft bun just enough to tie it all together. And while it comes with kettle chips, upgrading to the waffle fries (an extra $1.50) is the right call. (S.J.)

1641 Plymouth Rd., Minnetonka, forkdmn.com

Now that this ’70s south Minneapolis staple is back open under new ownership, the old-school charm is intact — malts, scoops, dirty sodas — and the pizza burger ($9.50) fits right into that time capsule of comfort. This middle school cafeteria classic starts with a gently spiced beef-Italian-sausage patty, topped with melted mozzarella, a ladle of marinara and a layer of straightforward, no-nonsense pepperoni. Nothing fancy, everything nostalgic. (S.J.)

809 W. 50th St., Mpls., themaltshopmpls.com

The Parlour Burger is the smashie that started the skinny-burger craze in the Twin Cities, and many still hold it up as the one to beat. It stood alone on Parlour’s menu for more than a decade, but now there are four more vying for your attention: The bourbon-bacon burger, Oklahoma burger, mushroom burger and our favorite, the Blue Ribbon Burger ($16). That hallmark burger is topped with white American cheese, shredded lettuce and “blue ribbon” sauce, all between a toasted egg bun. (Pro tip: swipe some of the sauce for your fries.) We paired it with one of Parlour’s signature cocktails and enjoyed the new cozy Excelsior location — without a doubt, a blue-ribbon evening. (N.H.)

Minari’s new Pikok Lounge may lean playful — this is, after all, the bar that serves caviar-topped chicken nuggets — but the kimchi cheeseburger ($16; $12 happy hour) is straight-up craveable. A double-smash wagyu patty gets blanketed in American cheese and hit with a punchy kimchi mayo that brings acidity, heat and richness. It’s a little barroom and a little fine-dining cleverness, all in one gloriously messy package. (Fry lovers, take note: there are none to be found in this establishment.) (S.J.)

Pikok Lounge at Minari, 323 13th Av. NE., Mpls., minarirestaurant.com/pikok-lounge

This South Lyndale Avenue joint may have chicken in the name, but it’s not messing around with the burger. There’s only one on the menu — two perfect smash patties (that meat skirt!) with onions, pickles, house “burger sauce” and the option to add jalapeños — that dropped this fall. It was gloriously messy and gloriously delicious. We happened to stop in during happy hour, when the $17 burger was $12 and the top-tier fries and onion rings were $3 each, making our meals gloriously affordable, too. (N.H.)

2700 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., tenderlovinchix.com

If veal jus came in a mug, we’d drink it. Instead, it’s a sauce soaked into the bun and spilling out onto the plate of “Le Burger” ($21), the single item under the burger section of the menu at Daniel del Prado’s new French restaurant at 50th & France. You’ll want to scrape up every drop of that rich sauce with the accompanying fries, which are thin and craggy edged. If the veal jus wasn’t enough, the thick beef patty is also amped up with a swipe of chicken liver pate, melted Gruyere and ultra-dark caramelized onions for the ultimate French-style umami bomb. (S.J.)

These friends/neighbors-turned-business partners have come a long way since their food truck days, which was followed by a tiny kitchen at B-Dale Club in Roseville. As their reputation for smash burgers and chicken sandwiches under the helm of chef E.J. Williams — along with sweets such as s’mores cookies from chef Sophie Estevez — gained a following, they moved into Graze food hall in the North Loop. Now, fans have a new downtown Minneapolis skyway location to enjoy their offerings, too. The lunch menu includes their classic Just a Burger ($18, includes fries), two nicely charred, juicy smash patties with lettuce, tomato and American cheese that get extra pep from a creamy, zesty, slightly sweet house TMU sauce. Don’t let the name fool you, the Just a Burger is so much more than it sounds. (N.N.)

Deluxe Plaza, skyway, 121 S. 8th St., Mpls.; Graze food hall, 520 N. 4th St., Mpls., twomixedup.com