This Restaurant Makes The Best Burger In NJ, Popular Food Website Says

NEW JERSEY — Steve’s Burgers in Garfield serves the best burger in New Jersey, according to a report from Chowhound, a website for food aficionados or, alternatively, food nerds.

The list, titled “The Hands Down Best Burger in Every Single U.S. State,” features a variety of preparation methods. It was released just in time for National Hamburger Day, which is Wednesday, May 28.

There’s no one way to prepare a burger. Even those claiming to be “classic” burgers have major differences, especially in the toppings.

To find the best burgers among what the research firm IBS World estimates are more than 80,000 burger joints and restaurants across the country, Chowhound looked first at restaurants that excel in both classic and creative burger preparations.

The process also included taste testing, online research, and outreach on local social media communities and to trusted contacts in the restaurant and food media industries.

Here’s what Chowhound liked about the burgers at Steve’s Burgers:

“You’ll have to head to Garfield, New Jersey to try some of Steve’s monstrous burger creations,” Chowhound said in their review. “Including ultra-thick patties with toppings like the absolute best onion rings, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and homemade pulled pork.”

Customers also had rave reviews:

“Steve’s is legendary here in NJ,” one reviewer said of the restaurant. “On many Best Burger of NJ lists. Great little shack of a road-stand.”

“What an amazing find!” another reviewer wrote.

“Worth the trip to try the burger and a hot dog,” said another. One review captured the restaurant’s legacy in just a few words: “Yes, it lives up to its reputation.”

Chowhound isn’t the only publication to recognize Steve’s Burgers. In the spring, the burger spot was named as one of three NJ restaurants to be included in USA Today’s 2025 Restaurants of the Year List.

Menu options at Steve’s Burgers range from staples like the classic hamburger or cheeseburger to more involved creations, such as Steve’s Burger (cheese, bacon, onion ring, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce) or the “Y-D-K-J” Burger (“You don’t know Jersey?” Cheeseburger with Taylor Ham).

The restaurant also offers chicken, hot dogs, sliders, sandwiches, and more. For dessert, you can even try their shakes, floats, or deep-fried oreos.

The full 50-state list offers some intriguing takes on what is widely regarded as America’s favorite sandwich. Some are made with grass-fed wagyu beef, others with ground turkey, and still more with salmon and other critters. Some may not contain meat at all. Cheeses vary from classic American to blue cheese to goat cheese.

In Hawaii, the Honolulu Burger Co. presents the “Alpha Elvis,” which has bacon, banana and peanut butter, or the “Loco-Moco,” made with Spam, bacon, an egg, and mushroom gravy.

And then there’s Mike Duffy’s in St. Louis, Missouri, whose offerings include the award-winning Cajun burger with hot jalapeños and Cajun aioli or the fully customizable and vegetarian black bean and quinoa burger. The restaurant also allows substitutions of bison or salmon.

“Whether you’re a burger traditionalist or an avant-garde burger consumer, the restaurants on this lineup will have a solid option for both schools of thought,” Chowhound’s Jane Godiner wrote.

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