The Grand Rapids Food Guide: The best burgers of 2025

To the folks of Grand Rapids, burgers are a point of pride, which isn’t a surprise in a town filled with Dutch and German immigrants who love their meat (and beer). No matter which part of town you’re located in, there’s definitely a burger joint serving up the beloved classic—in all of its innovative and inventive variations. 

READ MORE: The best new Grand Rapids restaurants of 2025

How did we find the best, you might ask? We turned to the experts: the Grand Rapids locals themselves. After the success of our first annual Grand Rapids Food Guide, we returned in 2025 to ask the same question: who has the best burger in town? The votes were collected and tallied and four burger joints stood as clear favorites. Let’s count down to number one!

4. The Score

Known as Grand Rapids’ premier sports bar is The Score. This spot is widely known as the #1 sports bar in Western Michigan, and they’re the self-proclaimed spot for best burgers. Although they came in fourth place on our list, that’s nothing to scoff at. Fourth place is still a feat!

With over 110 beers on tap and 70+ TVs, The Score is a place to sit back, chow down, and root for your favorite team. If the feel of the beach is important to you, they also boast an outdoor patio with palm trees. *shrug* Lake Michigan is basically the beach, right?

Nonetheless, The Score offers great burgers and great drinks, and it’s a fan favorite of many Grand Rapids patrons. And if you’re visiting The Score, you’ll want to try the Score Burger, which has provolone cheese, peppered bacon, and horsey sauce all served on 100& Michigan ground sirloin. 

You can also build your own burger if you’re feeling creative and need to master your own fate.

3. Blue Dog Tavern

Blue Dog opened in 2014, and since its debut, the burger joint has prided itself on celebrating the history of the West Side. The restaurant invokes generations of hard working people and decades of good times. The location of Blue Dog originally started as a grocery store prior to the Great Depression. It weathered the depression, and then eventually morphed into Frank’s Tavern and Beer Garden. The building has had a number of iterations, all serving up food and spirits in some capacity. 

In 2014, the Blue Dog Tavern aimed to celebrate the building’s history by building something modern, yet humble. Their smash burger is a fan favorite, and surprisingly enough, they’re best known for their hot dogs. However, the votes insist that The Blue Dog Tavern is where you go if you want a great burger, hence why it’s number three on our list.

2. HopCat

Located in historic downtown Grand Rapids sits Hop Cat with its gorgeous oversized wooden bar. The restaurant also boasts a dog-friendly outdoor patio, which makes this place even better. HopCat first opened in 2008, but it’s descended upon a variety of other Michigan cities, from West to East. 

The burgers come with a crafted beef blend, and they strive for innovation. Currently, one of their offerings is a Dirty Martini Burger which includes martini-style bleu cheese spread, green olives, and smoked gouda all served up on a pretzel bun. Of course, if you need to be the master of your own fate, there’s always the build your own option.

1. Black Napkin

Black Napkin is a mom & pop takeout joint specializing in smash burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. They also make house-made sodas which is pretty impressive. According to our votes, Black Napkin has the best burgers in Grand Rapids. However, if you didn’t trust us or our readers, maybe the folks of Reddit will sway you? Black Napkin gets a 10/10, according to this Reddit thread.

Black Napkin is our #1 spot for Best Burgers in Grand Rapids, but we’ll let you be the judge. Head out to this spot and start with the Classic. Get a feel for it and then maybe get a bit more adventurous. Maybe the Fussy Hussy or the College Dropout will woo you over.

Of course, burgers must be served with a side of fries. You can get their beer-battered fries just salted—or you can take it to the next level with a “Custy Dust” of Kimchi and White Cheddar or Salt N Red Wine Vinegar (amongst other offerings). 

The house-made sodas are pretty impressive too. Pistachio orange blossom? Ruby Red Fresca? Delicious. 

It’s official: Black Napkin has the best burgers in Grand Rapids, hands down. 

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