PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two Portland-area businesses can now say they serve some of the best burgers in the country after making Yelp’s Top 100 list.
Yelp, a platform where customers rate the businesses they visit, released a list of America’s 100 Best Burgers on Tuesday, just in time for National Burger Day on May 28.
To create the list, Yelp identified businesses in restaurants and food categories that had a high concentration of reviews mentioning “burgers.” It then ranked these companies using factors such as total volume and review scores.
While no Oregon restaurant or food cart broke into the top 20 of the list, the Deschutes Brewery Public House in Portland ranked 29th and Mr. Bento Burger in Hillsboro ranked 42nd. .
“We are so thrilled to have our fans help us make this list. We love what we do and hope it shows,” said Jill Ramseier, Executive Chef of Deschutes Brewery Portland.
Ramseier said Deschutes had an unofficial slogan for years that said beer gets people in, but food keeps them coming back.
Prior to becoming executive chef, Ramseier worked as a pastry chef for the Deschutes Brewery Public House in Portland. To this day, she said the restaurant still bakes its burger buns, which she says helps differentiate its burgers from others.
The restaurant is always looking for ways to improve its recipes and focuses on using the freshest ingredients possible. The buns are made daily, all the beef is from Oregon, and the toppings are always sliced fresh.
The pub burger is topped with beer-brined pickles, and Ramseier said customers also love the restaurant’s elk burger.
“You have to make great food and you have to have great customer service and those are things we really try to focus on,” Ramseier said.
Mr. Bento Burger did not respond to KOIN 6 News’ request for comment, but in reviews of the company on his Yelp page, customers said the burgers were unique and tasty.
Some said they liked the aioli sauce on the burger and others said the seasoning on the burger was what they enjoyed the most. One person said the burgers could be ordered on a bed of rice instead of a bun.
Kim R. left a review on Yelp on May 8 and said, “It’s really very different from anywhere I’ve been…and very delicious. I’m usually fond of smashing burgers, but I really enjoyed these non-smashers.
According to Yelp’s list, the three best burgers in America are at Fox Bros. Bar-BQ in Atlanta, Minetta Tavern in New York and Slutty Vegan in Atlanta.
Yelp spotted some trends among the top burger restaurants this year. They say Yelpers love barbecue sauce on their burgers and are fans of plant-based patties. When it comes to size, customers love big burgers.
Asian fusion-style burgers are also growing in popularity, including the sushi burger, a Chinese pork-filled burger, and Korean-Japanese “burger” sandwiches.