My favorite 10 burgers in the 405 diningscape

Here are the shiniest spots on the burger belt's buckle

Since The Burger Show arrived to proclaim Oklahoma as the buckle of the burger belt, it inspired me to focus on the best the 405 diningscape has to offer.

It was no small task. A number of marginal factors that throw obstacles in the way, but nothing complicates it more than the relativity of a burger itself.

The burgers Wimpy once gladly paid for on Tuesday were barely more than a sausage-biscuit in size. Classic burgers started at four ounces before being fried down to two. Now we’ve got burgermeisters who drop eight-ounce patties on diners. Then there is Oklahoma’s native iteration, the fried-onion burger. It’s a mood unto itself.

To prepare I visited classic haunts like Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner for a classic fried-onion burger, Big Ed’s Hamburgers for a 405 OG, The Charcoal Oven for a drive-in burger, Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler where never grow tired of a Theta, Snibbles for exemplary no-frills dining, and Ron’s Hamburgers proved it is still the best place to lose your self-esteem in a sausage-burger patty before smothering it in chili. 405 Burger Bistro in Norman is among the new burger I tried, and it showed some promise. Among food hall haunts, I prefer the burgers and standard-setting hand-cut fries of Mob Grill at Parlor OKC to the variety of Rockin’ J’s Grill at Edmond Railyard.

I also had a few burgers at non-burger joints like Beverly’s Pancake House for a Big Bev. My favorite was at Ned’s Starlight Lounge. Chef Bruce Rinehart insisted I try his Brunch Burger at Rococo. I did and enjoyed it very much, but not as much as Michel Buthion enjoyed photographing me eating it. I didn’t consider those burgers for my list.

Only visited four chains, Wayback Burgers, The Garage, Sonic, and Braum’s. Wayback is a chain born in New Jersey with a location in Edmond, and all things considered does a nice job. The Garage is from our very own Hal Smith Restaurants, and for me remains a fine place to order a salad. There’s a bunch of them, and they’re usually crowded so what do I know? The Supersonic double cheeseburger is perfectly good if you substitute ketchup and mayo for mustard and jalapenos. For final deliberations, I noshed on a bag of Junior burgers from Braum’s, which never fail to tickle my inner starving Kindergartner riding home from school.

The whole exercise did remind me how much I miss HiFi Burgershop. Here’s hoping chef/founder Bryan Neel fires up the truck this summer. It also inspired a trip to Ada to experience burger royalty at Folger’s Drive-In.

Once I got the list down pared down and the junior burgers were down to two, I divided burgers into three categories: thick, thin and specialty. Thick and thin speak to the patty, specialty the toppings.

That gave me a top 3 of Bar Arbolada (and Flycatcher Club), Nic’s Grill and Sid’s Diner. I then imagined a burger paradise where founders Riley Marshall, Justin Nicholas, and Marty Hall were willing me on a day when I had an empty belly, sunny disposition and nothing but naptime ahead. With that in mind, I chose them in this order.

1. Nic’s Grill: When Nic is behind the grill and the 17-seat counter is full there is no better culinary arts installation in the city, and that includes Nonesuch and Grey Sweater. Alas, Nic’s health doesn’t allow it as often as used to. But when Oklahoma City’s burger royalty is over the stove, there is no better burger than the beastly hunk Nic heaps fried onions (and jalapenos) upon under a blanket of cheese.

2. Bar Arbolada/Flycatcher Club: Alton Brown called this the best double-cheeseburger in America a couple years ago, and who am I to argue? Riley Marshall’s two spots both serve the old-timey smash burger of yesteryear to perfection. I prefer the style of burger Riley makes more regularly than I do an onion burger so I have to give Bar Arbolada the edge over Sid’s, though the margin is as thin as the customized brick trowel Marty turns into a musical instrument playing the flat-top.

3. Sid’s Diner: When it comes to specialty burgers, the fried-onion burger is king in Oklahoma. And when it comes to fried-onion burgers in Oklahoma, Sid’s Diner is king. Sure, Robert’s has been around the longest, and Johnnie’s has more space but Marty’s king-sized onion burger is a hand-crafted work of gustatory art.

For the remaining rankings, I stuck to burger preferences over restaurants preferences. For instance, while I prefer sitting down to a meal at the original S&B Burger joint over a Tucker’s Onion Burgers location, I prefer the onion burgers at Tucker’s over S&B’s Fatty. That’s why you’ll see me dining at S&B more often than you will find me with a mouthful of Mother Tucker. Fries were not considered for the rankings but forgive me for gushing when appropriate.

4. New State Burgers: The Hot Hamburger is my favorite item at New State, but it’s only available on Saturday and Sunday now. But the house Cheeseburger photographs much more beautifully and the diced pickles give it distinctive mouthfeel.

5. Spark: The Social Order Dining Collective partnered with the Scissortail Park Foundation to create Spark in the heart of the park. Chef Kevin Lee, now of Birdie’s Fried Chicken, wrote the opening menu and kept it simple and the results are sublime.

6. Geronimo’s Bakery and Burgers: Whether you’re stopping by for a dozen doughnuts or a burger, you’ll get proper good food. The dining room is closed, and the patio has a couple spots to sit, but call-in orders are the best way to order.

7. Burger Punk: 84 Hospitality’s burger concept makes this list on the strength of The Clash alone. Sure, The Clash is one of my favorite bands of all time but the genius of adding Doritos to a burger in a state with medical marijuana laws as loose as a politician’s lips is ingenious.

8. Tucker’s Onion Burgers: When A Good Egg Dining group decided to get into quick-service dining owners Keith and Heather Paul went straight to the top with Tucker’s, which follows the tried-and-true method and hand-cuts its own fries.

9. S&B Burger Joint (original): You’re not supposed to know there is a difference between the S&B Burger Joint on May Avenue and the nine others across the state. I’m here to tell you there is. The difference is the original remains on my top 10 places to eat a burger while the others are not. Mostly because the last one of those I visited served a vegetarian in the party a beef patty, and a beef patty with a temperature-marker stuffed into the bun so far it wasn’t visible. The solution? Free queso for our next visit that never happened. Meanwhile, the Fatty at the original on NW 59th is a great burger, the sliders are fun and the jukebox still rules.

10. Sun Cattle Co.: This was super difficult and came down to chef Russ Johnson’s new concept with Chip Fudge or The Patty Wagon. Unfortunately for The Patty Wagon, my most recent visit there wasn’t its finest hour. Nothing in particular was wrong, but Sun Cattle Company has brought to the 405 diningscape a fusion of Oklahoma City classic burgers with its fried-onion Theta that gave it the edge. Using the original Split-T Theta Sauce and the sacred onion-burger smashing technique, the new kids on the burger block earn a spot on the top 10.

Among new kids on the block, Biglow’s Burgers made me sorry (not sorry) that it’s closer to my old neighborhood than the new one.

If there was a disappointment among the burgers I tried, it had to be at Beverly’s Pancake House. Long the “Home of the Big Bev Burger,” I had to include a trip to the counter. Not only did I learn Beverly’s no longer serves its signature salad dressing, but the Big Bev Burger that arrived looked a whole lot smaller than it used to. The amount of beef was fine, but it was thinner and wider before. The way mustard and chopped onions spread over it, gave the Big Bev a distinctive look and mouthfeel. This came with sliced onions.

If you don’t believe this list is subjective, wait till you see the anger it inspires. I’m here for it. Clearly, there will be burgers I missed, and I want to know about them. Don’t hesitate to tell me how wrong I am. Show me the truth! Point to the burgers you love, and the hope they inspire so they can make their way on the list for the next update.