Ballard Sandwich Shop Named One Of America's Best Burger Joints

SEATTLE — If you, weary traveler, are seeking the best burgers in all the lands, then hark! You do not have to venture far. One excruciatingly chompable meal is within your grasp — if you can weather the perilous journey north of the Fremont cut, you can rest your tired bones on a sumptuous pillow of hamburger buns.

What we mean to say is: Ballard's Mean Sandwich has been listed as the sixth-best burger in the entire United States by Big 7 Travel.

Mean Sandwich opened in 2017 to near-universal acclaim, and can be found in a humble abode along Leary Way NW not far from the Ballard Bridge.

In particular, Big 7's listing lauds Mean Sandwich's signature DAMburger, which the restaurant describes as a traditional burger with "smashed 1/4lb Dry Aged Meat patty, melted American cheese, white onion, mayo, shop-made pickles and our own shop-made yellow mustard."

And as some Patch staffers can personally attest to, it is among the wildest meals this side of the equator.

If the Patch-promise isn't enough, previously Mean Sandwich was named one of the 38 essential Seattle restaurants by Eater in 2019, and listed as one of Seattle's 100 best restaurants by SeattleMet.

Mean Sandwich was the only Washington eatery to make Big 7's "Best Burgers in United States 2021" ranking. The top slot went to Burgers Never Say Die, a pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles.

Interestingly, Big 7 Travel did not rank Mean Sandwich on its list of the 25 best burgers in Washington state. In that ranking, a nearby neighbor instead took the top slot: Fremont's Uneeda Burger, which we at Patch can also attest is a delectable meal. Their milkshakes are also very good, or so we've heard.

>> Read Big 7 Travel's full Best Burgers in United States 2021 rankings.