11 Restaurant Chains With the Most Over-the-Top Burgers
If you're anything like me, you might find yourself hankering for a different kind of burger each time the cravings hit. There are days when just the simple combination of beef, cheese, bun, and condiments tastes like absolute perfection. But there are also days when only the most over-the-top burgers can truly satisfy. We're talking big portion sizes, tons of toppings, bold flavors, and unique ingredients you may not expect to see adorning your beef patty.
Several fast-food chains throughout the United States offer these types of extravagant burgers to on-the-go customers. But when you want to really sit back, relax, and enjoy your meal, there are also plenty of sit-down restaurant chains serving burgers that are just as inventive as they are wild.
From national brands to smaller names, here 11 restaurant chains serving the most over-the-top burgers in the country right now.
Applebee's
Most of the burgers at Applebee's are pretty standard. But there is one extremely notable exception to that rule: the Quesadilla Burger.
This menu item is a massive, messy, and undeniably over-the-top mashup between a cheeseburger and a quesadilla. It comes with two slices of pepper jack cheese, Applebee's signature Mexi-ranch sauce, applewood-smoked bacon, pico de gallo, a beef patty, and shredded lettuce, all encased inside a warm cheddar quesadilla.
So even though it lacks a traditional "bun," Applebee's certainly doesn't skimp on the indulgence factor with this option.
Cheesecake Factory
Cheesecake Factory's burger menu boasts not just one, but several over-the-top creations. The chain sells a Smokehouse B.B.Q. Burger piled high with smoked bacon and crispy onion strings, as well as an extra long French Dip Cheeseburger that comes with a side of au jus for dipping.
However, there's arguably no Cheesecake Factory burger that's more over-the-top than its Macaroni and Cheese Burger. This savory sandwich features a charbroiled burger topped with balls of fried macaroni and cheese, a cheddar cheese sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion. While it may not be the healthiest choice available to customers at the chain, fans on X swear that the ultra cheese concoction is "delicious."
BJ's Restaurants & Brewhouse
BJ's Restaurants & Brewhouse reaches for all sorts of uncommon ingredients when crafting its flashy burgers.
The Hickory Brisket and Bacon Burger, for example, absolutely screams "carnivore." It features a fire-grilled beef patty topped with shredded smoked brisket, slices of applewood-smoked bacon, BJ's Peppered BBQ sauce, cheese, red onions, and mayonnaise. And don't forget the Crispy Jalapeño Burger, topped with fried pieces of the spicy pepper, or the Bacon-Guacamole Deluxe Burger piled high with housemade guacamole, bacon, pepper jack cheese, veggies, and chipotle aioli.
The restaurant chain does offer a couple of more basic burgers for customers who want to keep it simple. But, if you're hoping to get a little adventurous with your burger order, BJ's evidently has options for you.
Denny's
Practically every burger on the Denny's menu is loaded with an extravagant assortment of toppings and sauces.
Just the name of the chain's Flamin' 5-Pepper Burger, for example, should tip you off that it's far from your typical sandwich. It's stacked with aged white cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapeños, 5-pepper sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and pickles on a brioche bun.
The Bourbon Bacon Burger features an even more plentiful array of toppings: bacon, sautéed mushrooms, fire-roasted bell peppers and onions, bourbon sauce, aged white cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and pickles. Denny's even serves a special burger inspired by another key segment of its menu: breakfast. The Slamburger features beef, hash browns, an egg, bacon, and American cheese all sandwiched inside a brioche bun.
Red Robin
No list of restaurants that serve the most over-the-top burgers would be incomplete without Red Robin. The chain's menu is absolutely packed with burgers that are piled high with all sorts of extravagant sauces, toppings, and meats.
Look no further than the BBQ Burnt Ends 'n Bacon Burger packed with smoked burnt ends, onion straws, black-peppered bacon, and barbecue sauce, or the Royal Red Robin that gives fans a taste of breakfast with a fried egg and bacon.
But, out of all the complex burgers offered at this sit-down chain, none are quite as outrageous as the Burnin' Love. Red Robin tops this spicy option with fried jalapeño coins, salsa, and pepper jack, then adorns the sandwich with a whole blistered jalapeño.
Bubba's 33
The burgers at Bubba's 33, a sports bar chain created by the mastermind behind Texas Roadhouse, are a far cry from the simple combinations of beef, cheese, and buns customers may be used to.
With the Spicy Habañero Burger, for example, the chain takes the cheeseburger concept to a whole new level by frying a puck of jalapeño cream cheese and using it to top an Angus beef patty. Also adorning this wild burger is a Habañero Heat sauce, a charred jalapeño and onion blend, Bubba sauce, lettuce, and tomato.
If you aren't big on spice but still want to order something a little over-the-top, Bubba's has several other extravagant options available to customers. The chain sells a Sunshine Burger topped with American cheese, a fried egg, and smoked bacon, as well as a Bacon Guacamole Burger that comes with a whopping half pound of beef.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Midwestern fast-food chain Culver's tends to generate a lot of fanfare when it brings back its outrageous cheese curd-topped burger for a limited time each year. But, at Buffalo Wild Wings, customers can score an equally decadent burger year round.
The sports bar chain's Cheese Curd Bacon Burger comes topped with fried Wisconsin white cheddar cheese curds, bacon, a chipotle BBQ dry rub, and plenty of veggies.
This cheesy option isn't the only over-the-top burger you can score at Buffalo Wild Wings right now, though. The chain also serves a Bacon Smashed Hatch Chile Burger with beef patties that are seared with bacon, plus a Smoked Brisket Burger piled high with smoked brisket, barbecue sauce, grilled onions, pickles, and bacon aioli.
Chili's
Chili's is extremely well known for its fan-favorite fajitas and margaritas, but the Tex-Mex chain also has you covered whenever you're craving an extravagant burger.
Just consider the extra meaty Bacon Rancher Burger, which comes with two beef patties, ranch, American cheese, sautéed onions, pickles, and a whopping six slices of bacon. Among the rest of the chain's burger menu, you'll find other notable options topped with piles of sautéed mushrooms, jalapeños, and even pulled brisket.
Chili's customers can certainly opt for one of the more scaled-back burgers when they're craving simplicity. But, if you have a hankering for something a little more exciting, the burger menu boasts several worthy contenders.
IHOP
Pancakes aren't the only menu category where IHOP takes an over-the-top approach. Several of the chain's burgers are absolutely loaded with unique and plentiful toppings.
IHOP currently offers a Big Brunch burger topped with hickory-smoked bacon and a fried egg, as well as a Bourbon Bacon Jam burger topped with both slices of bacon and a bourbon bacon jam.
But, the most unique and wildest burger of all at IHOP right now has gotta be the Jalapeño Kick. This option features hickory-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, a four-cheese crisp, and a blend of sautéed jalapeños, serrano peppers, and onions.
Dave & Buster's
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While the menu at Dave & Buster's doesn't boast quite as many burgers as some of the other chains, those that are available pack quite a punch.
A shining example is the Mushroom Stout Burger, a key element of which is a layer of mozzarella cheese that's soaked in Guinness ale and seared. Other toppings on that intricate burger include truffle zest, bacon jam, roasted tomatoes, baby arugula, and a layer of sautéed mushrooms and onions.
Dave & Buster's extravagant Bacon Burger is also a far cry from your typical bacon cheeseburger. It features not just one, but three kinds of bacon elements: applewood-smoked bacon, bacon jam, and a housemade bacon garlic aioli.
Slutty Vegan
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Just because the Slutty Vegan specializes in plant-based food doesn't mean it takes a restrained approach to crafting burgers. In fact, the restaurant chain's menu features some of the most outrageous sandwiches on this entire list.
Look no further than the aptly named Ménage à Trois that features not just one, but three different types of plant-based proteins: vegan bacon, vegan shrimp, and a vegan patty. Slutty Vegan also opts for an exceedingly unique ingredient when crafting its Dancehall Queen burger: plantains. The sandwich features sweet jerk plantains, vegan cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and the chain's signature "Slut Sauce" on a plant-based patty.
Thankfully, the over-the-top nature isn't the only thing that the Slutty Vegan has going for it. Customers also swear that the taste is "amazing." The chain currently operates 11 locations across Georgia, Alabama, New York, and Texas.
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