The Best Burgers In St. Louis, Just In Time For Memorial Day

ST. LOUIS, MO — Memorial Day is the perfect day for family cookouts with burgers sizzling on the grill, and it just so happens that May 28 is also National Burger Day. (Weird coincidence. It's almost like they planned it or something.) But, maybe you don't have time to cook out this weekend. Maybe your visiting from out of town or you don't have space for a grill. In that case, check out these great local burger joints, and kick off summer the way the advertising executives intended.

Bailey's Range
Alongside Bailey's Chocolate Bar, Small Batch, Rooster, Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar, The Fifth Wheel, Shift and Hugo's Pizzeria, Bailey's Range is one of a small family of excellent restaurants in St. Louis. The chefs do almost everything from scratch, including butchering and smoking whole hogs. Bailey's uses only 100 percent grass fed Missouri beef for their burgers. Try the Whiskey BBQ burger, with gouda and onion straws, The Grizzly, with a bison patty, brie, chipotle mayo and buffalo peppers, or the Ballpark Pretzel burger, which is just as delicious as it sounds.

Dressel's Public House
Jon Dressel, who also owned Llywelyn's, opened his second neighborhood pub in 1980. His namesake has grown over the years, but remains a local favorite. The menu is sourced from local farms. Try the Missouri Lamb Burger, with apricot chutney, chevre, house bread and butter pickles, served on a brioche bun. Or try the classic Dressel's Burger, with beef from Ridgley Farm, aged cheddar cheese and onion jam.

Layla
The only gourmet burger and shawarma joint in St. Louis, Layla is located in the heart of The Grove, just a few blocks from Tower Grove Park and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Their fresh ground beef and pork are locally sourced, as is their bread, ice cream and beer. Try The Reaper, a beef burger with smoked leg of lamb, Monterrey jack cheese, apricot ketchup, sumac onions, lemon-garlic mayo and flash-fried kale. The Clarice features a seasoned lamb burger with Mediterranean pico, tzatziki and feta. Or Perhaps the Wilford Brimley might interest you: A ground beef and bacon patty, pepperjack cheese, hickory-smoked bacon, Bourbon bacon jam and beer-battered onion rings, served on a pretzel bun with a side of pepperjack bacon sauce. Did we mention there's bacon?

Stacked Burger Bar
Get stacked with Stacked Burger Bar's buy one, get one half off deal every Monday. Hey, Memorial Day is on Monday, so that works out. The burger of the money is a ground chuck patty topped with pork al pastor, house-made salsa verde and pineapple pico de gallo on a brioche bun. Or try one of the everyday staples like The Wet Nap, a ground chuck patty smothered with barbecue sauce, house-made three cheese sauce and crispy onions; the Bella Bleus, with blue cheese crumbles, a mushroom medley and spring mix with honey-thyme balsamic glaze; or The Dictator, a ground chuck burger with spicy beer mustard, sauerkraut and a bratwurst on a pretzel bun.

Sub Zero Vodka Bar
Sub Zero has one of the longest drink lists in St. Louis, but they also have a fantastic menu. Opened by two brothers, Derek and Lucas Gamlin, in 2004, Sub Zero is one of the only places in the city where you can get a burger with a side of sushi while enjoying one of the largest (they say THE largest) selection of vodka in the country. Try the Sub Zero Melt, with certified Hereford beef, American Cheese, creamy cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, pickles and caramelized onions on toasted sourdough. The Bacon Bourbon BBQ Burger is a good standby, with Hereford beef, bacon, cheddar, Bourbon BBQ sauce and spicy tempura-battered poblano peppers. But, the best burger on the menu is probably the World's Fair Burger, with two griddle-style Hereford beef patties, bacon, jalapeno cheese sauce, roasted bell peppers and onions on a pretzel bun. They even donate $1 from each World's Fair Burger sold to Forest Park Forever, a private nonprofit conservancy that partners with the City of St. Louis to maintain Forest Park.

Did we forget your favorite burger joint? Let us know in the comments.

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