If I had to pick my favorite food of all time, something that I could eat all day, everyday for the rest of my life, It would have to be hamburgers. I am always searching high and low for a thick, juicy burger, I’m talking the kind of burger that drips juice when you bite into it and makes a huge mess. The burger pictured in this article cannot be found at any restaurant, it’s my own personal specialty. Don’t despair though, I’ve ran across a few good burger joints in Arizona, but there were never that many of them in the Phoenix area. An old favorite of mine was a little place called Lenny’s that was scattered across the valley, but they shut down a few years back. Since then I have stumbled into two places that serve some of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted.
First off is a little place called Giant Hamburgers, that’s right, no fancy name or frills just right to the point. I think they have two locations now, but I always go to the one at Lindsey and Broadway in Mesa. The easiest way to get there is to take US-60 to the Gilbert Road exit and go North to Broadway, Hang a left (East) and go a mile to Lindsey. Right on the Southwest corner of Lindsey and Broadway is a Fry’s Shopping center, and Giant Hamburgers is nestled on the east side of the complex. Even if you manage to find the other location, it’s well worth the extra drive to hit this store because the cooks and other employees are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. I used to live in the apartments across the street from Giant Hamburgers and I could give them a call, tell them it was me and they’d have my burger ready when I walked over there. Over a year after I had moved when I went back they still remembered my name and were genuinely happy to see me, a rare occurrence in any place these days. The burgers here are phenomenal, but they are definitely “dinner” burgers, meaning they are slapped onto a flat iron griddle, lightly seasoned and you get to choose everyday toppings onto them. The prices are cheap, you can get a 3/4 burger for about $3.50 and a side of fries for about $1.50 more. If you’re craving a cheaply priced burger that still tastes amazing, visit Giant Hamburgers.
Second we come to CheeBurger CheeBurger, home of the very best burgers on the entire planet. Over 10 years ago while I was on vacation on Sanibel Island with my family, we stumbled upon a beat up old burger shack that was buried in the mangrove swamps of the island. We hopped in and at the time I was at the age where sometimes I would eat a ton and other times I hardly ate anything, so I was forced to get a tiny little kids burger. Long story short, the burger was amazing, I didn’t get nearly enough to eat (they had a 1 pound burger) and ever since that day I always wanted to go back to tackle their biggest burger. A few months ago I was in for a treat, that little burger shack had expanded into the Phoenix, Arizona area (Chandler to be exact) and was still owned by the same company, serving the exact same beef. CheeBurger CheeBurger is located on the Southwest corner of Arizona Ave and Ocotillo in one of the many little buildings scattered throughout the strip mall. The easiest way to get here is to just take the I-10 East to the 202 and then go South once you get to Arizona Ave.
CheeBurger CheeBurger is a little more expensive that Giant Hamburgers, but about the same price you’d pay in a sit-down restaurant. The great thing about their hamburgers is the price you see on the menu is the only price you pay, and the burger is exactly how big they say it is. If you order the 1 pound burger, you get a 1 pound burger delivered to your table, all of their weights are how much the burger weighs after it’s been cooked. The beef used in these burgers is the best burger meat I have ever tasted, the owners of the chain have their own private ranch that they get all of their ground beef from. When you purchase the burger, the price includes your choice of 7 cheeses as well as over 40 toppings. You can literally pay $10.99 for the one pounder burger and put all 40 toppings on it for that price. Personally, as great as these burgers taste, get your first one with cheese and maybe 1-2 other toppings on it, you are going to want to be able to savor every last bite.
