Get to know the four best burgers in Raleigh — then vote for your favorite
The News & Observer’s Raleigh Burger Bracket is down to the city’s top four burgers.
After thousands of votes, Cowbar, Fine Folk, Neuse River Brewing and The Station serve up Raleigh’s favorite burgers, each one crafted to be ooey, gooey and the best kind of greasy.
There were so many votes, in fact, that the burger bracket had to pause after a glitch. Now with the bracket restored, voting for the Final Four can resume and continue through Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m.
Since these four burgers knocked off some of Raleigh’s most iconic patties, including Char-Grill and the Players’ Retreat, burger fans are craving more details behind these beloved newcomers.
Get to know Raleigh’s Final Four favorite burgers — then go here to vote!
Cowbar
411 W. Morgan St., Raleigh. 919-514-0996 or cowbarburger.com
Co-owner and executive chef Dan Yeager
What’s on it?
Cowbar serves five different burgers, including a truffle burger, a quadruple burger, a Carolina burger and a spicy “nuclear” burger, ranging in price from $8-$12
How did Cowbar’s burger start?
I spent a lot of years in fine dining, traveling the country and at those restaurants I could eat anything I wanted any night. I found myself going home and making burgers. Burgers remind me of grilling out with friends and family--it’s the American sandwich. When I moved back to Raleigh it hit me, burgers are the food that I crave.
What’s the inspiration behind the burger?
Our burgers are created by different techniques I learned through my years in fine dining. There’s a special grind and different sauces and flavor profiles. The idea was to incorporate fine dining into a normal everyday burger at a normal everyday price.
Why do you think it’s beloved?
It’s all about the way we grind the meat, but I can’t tell you how it’s done, it’s proprietary.
What does it mean to be in the Final Four?
It’s exciting, there are so many great burger places in Raleigh. I used to eat at MoJoe’s all the time, I love their burger. With the pandemic going on, we can’t do enough to thank our customer base who got us into the top four.
What’s your favorite burger that’s not made at your restaurant?
It’s MoJoe’s. It’s that iconic burger, I get that nostalgic feeling of when I used to come back to Raleigh after traveling.
If Hollywood made a biopic of your burger, who would play the burger?
Ryan Reynolds. He’s funny, he’s goofy, just has that charismatic aspect. But he’s a little different than what you’d see in a normal Hollywood actor. People still love him and he puts out good content. It’s like the way we do things at Cowbar, a little different than what you’d get at other places, but it’s still the iconic cheeseburger.
Fine Folk
2409 Crabtree Blvd., Suite 100, Raleigh. finefolkraleigh.com
Chris Lopez, co-owner of Fine Folk
What’s on it?
A double smashburger with cheese, shredded lettuce, onion, pickle and fine sauce, for $14.
How did Fine Folk’s burger start?
For those that know, the burger is the one we used to run at Gov’t Cheeseburger, which we created at Postmaster early in the pandemic. But now we’re not making our own government cheese.
What’s the inspiration behind the burger?
The burger is our take on the Big Mac. My partner John Kleinart took the reins on the special sauce and the recipe on the pickles. Those are the two components that make the burger stand out.
Why do you think it’s beloved?
With everything going on, Gov’t Cheeseburger featured our takes on fast food. That helped get us through the beginning of the pandemic. It’s that classic American fast food feeling from when you’re a kid. It’s not clean; it’s messy as hell. It’s not a class act burger, but defintely evokes that feeling of stopping at a fast food place and getting a big ole greasy burg.
What does it mean to be in the final four?
It’s really cool to be featured on this list. We don’t have a brick and mortar finished yet; we’re just getting started. So we think of ourselves as the underdog, so to be included is pretty rad. Our fan base really showed up, we’ve got some real ride-or-dies.
What’s your favorite burger that’s not from your restaurant?
The Longleaf Swine burger, they do a smashburger in their own way.
If Hollywood made a biopic of your burger, who would play the burger?
Gilbert Gottfried, because he’s an insanely ridiculous human being. Just as Fine Folk is an insanely ridiculous concept and brand.
Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie
518 Pershing Rd., Raleigh. 984-232-8479 or neuseriverbrewing.com
Ryan Kolarov, co-owner and president of Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie
What’s on it?
A half-pound beef patty with beer cheese, roasted garlic mustard aioli, pickles, cripsy onion strings, on a brioche bun, for $15.
How did Neuse River’s burger start?
My wife’s family is from England, so whenever we’d go to that side of the earth we went to Paris, Italy and traveled Europe....We do Belgian beers and we love the food over there, so we just wanted to have that Belgian menu. We wanted it to be simple, but approachable. We didn’t want ot get into the ‘build your burger’ experience, but a more elevated experience. We wanted a certain kind of menu and knew we wanted a burger.
What’s the inspiration behind the burger?
You know when you go out to a nice steakhouse, they have one burger, a burger. If we were going to do one thing, we thought let’s do the one thing well.
Why do you think it’s beloved?
We have a brilliant chef in Steve Jankowski, he does everything he can from scratch. He takes all our trimming from our proteins and grinds it to make the burger. He’s very passionate and talented, we described what we ate while were in these places and he ran with it.
What does it mean to be in the final four?
It’s amazing, there are so many great burger places. I was born and raised in Raleigh and grew up on Char-Grill and have been going to the Players’ Retreat since before I was old enough to drink. It’s an honor to make it this far in the burger world, especially when it’s not our main focus.
What’s your favorite burger that’s not from your restaurant?
It’s nostalgia for me, so I’ve got to go with Char-Grill. Whenever I’m driving by home it’s impossible for me to get a whiff and not turn around. I get two cheeseburgers, with chili onions and mustard.
If Hollywood made a biopic of your burger, who would play the burger?
Bill Murray, mainly because I don’t know any European actors. With him, what you see is what you get. He’s got one persona. We’re a simple burger, what you see is what you get, with little substitutions. Like Bill Murray, he can wander a little.
The Station
701 N. Person St., Raleigh. 919-977-1567 or stationraleigh.com
Kai Clarke, GM for The Station
What’s on it?
The Station Burger includes lettuce, tomato, onion, American cheese on a sesame seed bun, for $11. The Texas Burger include pork belly barbecue sauce, caramelized onions, melted cheddar cheese, on a sesame seed bun, for $13.
How did The Station burger start?
The Station was a gas station originally and the building is a little over 100 years old. We wanted to keep the focus as station-esque as possible. Inside you can see the beams, the outside is approachable. It’s something that builds off of nostalgia, but also builds off of what we’re in right now.
What’s the inspiration behind the burger?
The Station burger is our more traditional double burger, two quarter ounce patties. Customizing, that’s how we keep it up to date. People love the pimento cheese on the sloppy Joe. Our burgers are gas station-esque, something you can pick up and take home with you. We rely on walk-in traffic, people passing by and enjoying what they see.
Why do you think it’s beloved?
It’s just a great burger that’s never changed. It’s a staple. And people love the $5 burger on Monday.
What does it mean to be in the final four?
It’s amazing, we’re a small spot right on the corner. We’re not on Glenwood where things are going crazy. We love the people we get, the locals we get. There are so many awesome restaurants in Raleigh, so it’s great to get our name out there.
What’s your favorite burger that’s not from your restaurant?
I mostly cook at home, so if I’m making a burger I cook the Station burger. Traditionally two patties and American cheese.
If Hollywood made a biopic of your burger, who would play the burger?
If I can get Morgan Freeman to play anything that would be amazing. The comfort in the way he does it is like what we’re trying to do at the Station.
