The Top 3 Fast Food Hamburgers

By John Gulick

Fast Food Hamburgers

Some say that I'm an aficionado when it comes to hamburgers, and they would be right. My quest to find the best hamburger wherever my travels take me is legendary and I never forget a great hamburger. But this is about Fast Food Hamburgers, so consistency along with flavor will be key to making this Top 3 List. I will be testing all the national fast-food burger chains that you can find in any town across America. I'll make another list of specialty burger joints soon. 

And to be clear, a good hamburger holds up on its own and is best served plain - no sauces, no produce, no cheeses. This will allow you to taste the hamburger and not the other junk. So if you don't agree with the Top 3, order your burger without all the junk and change your world as you know it. You're welcome. 

1. Carl's Jr. - Super Star®  

The Super Star takes the honors o the top burger of the national fast food hamburger showdown. It has the perfect meat-to-bun ratio which is essential for actually tasting the hamburger. The seasoning combined with the flame-broiled flavor makes for a really good hamburger. Remember that we're talking about a fast-food chain, so consistency is also just as important and you can expect the same tasting burger each time you find yourself at "Carl's Jr.". The only downside to a hamburger purist is that the item is called Super Star w/Cheese. So they charge you for the cheese even when you don't want it.

2. Burger King - Double Whopper

"Burger King's" Double Whopper is a close second to the top burger. The Whopper has a slightly smaller bun, which I prefer, but the flamed broiled taste doesn't quite match up. It's still a really good burger and unlike the fries at "BK", the Double Whopper is consistently good. An odd tidbit is that the Double Whopper is the only burger of all these that I don't mind getting everything on it, except cheese, and then scraping all the junk off which gives it just a little residue of flavor.     

3. Wendy's - Dave's Double

"Wendy's" would usually take the top spot, but there's something about the meat that is just a little different than it was in previous years. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good, just not quite the same. They also get you with the pay for cheese when you don't want it scam. The bun at Wendy's is also a little different these days and is a little on the heavy side making he hamburger almost disappear. With all that, it's still a really good burger and earns a Top 3 spot on America's best fast food hamburger list.    

Honorable Mention: McDonald's - Double Quarter Pounder

Something is also different about "McDonald's" Quarter Pounder. A few years ago "McDonald's" experimented with the Quarter Pounder and changed it, there was a huge uproar and they quickly reversed their decision and claimed to go back to the original Quarter Pounder. Nope, it's not the same and that is why they're not in the Top 3. 

Honorable Mention: Jack in the Box - Double Jack

"Jack in the Box" has an identity crisis with too many sub-par burgers. But I'm here to talk about the good ol' double version of the Jumbo Jack, the Double Jack. To start, there's way too much bun which makes tasting the burger almost impossible so you have to remove most of the bun. The hamburger is decent when you finally get to taste it, but on its own, it's not up to par with the others which is probably why they try to add so many bells and whistles to their burgers. 

Conclusion: The Fast Food Burger List

Again if this list makes you angry, then you've probably never tasted a hamburger by itself and you're basing your skewed judgment only on the toppings and not on the burger. I could blindly taste any of these hamburger patties or buns on their own and tell you which Fast Food Chain it belongs to. Can you?