The Best Burgers in Phoenix, Arizona
Where to find burgers worth your bucks
The burger, despite its purportedly German influence, is more American than apple pie. Here in Phoenix — land of cattle and cowboys back in the day — burgers are an essential part of the Arizonan diet, and the following burger joints deliciously prove the point, turning out stacked cheeseburgers, caramelized smash burgers, patty melts, and more to fit every appetite and mood. Some are simple and classic, others are elaborate and messy, but all are intensely satisfying in the way that only juicy beef between buns can be. New additions to the burger map include Main Burgers, Capital Patty, and Lucky’s Burgers and Shakes. Burger spots leaving the map: Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse, Persepshen, and Hamburguesas y Cervesas.
Capital Patty
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed Sunday
Price range: $$
Capital Farms has long been supplying some of the highest-quality beef in the state. Now it has a burger shop to show it off: Capital Patty is open just for lunch and offers a straight-from-the-source approach that makes the trip to Wickenburg worth it. Set in a red-and-white midcentury building with checkerboard diner graphics, the space also houses a full butcher counter stocked with steaks, ground beef, and any other cuts. The burger menu is simple but thoughtful, anchored by smash patties served on soft Noble Bread buns toasted in beef tallow from their own farm. Its menu is built around the beef, as it should be. The lineup includes a classic cheeseburger with homemade pickles and Capital sauce (a tangy, spicy Kewpie-based spread with a little heat), the OK Burger with crispy onion smash, and a pastrami-loaded burger that stacks the beef. There’s also a green chile chopped cheese, a New York–via–Arizona mashup made with an 8-ounce patty, melty cheese, green chiles, lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoncini, and green chile aioli on a hoagie. Clean execution, direct sourcing, and outskirts-of-town charm make this one of Arizona’s most compelling burger stops.
Worth the drive: It’s a trek to Wickenburg, but the burger might just top them all.
