Virtually every restaurant has a burger on its menu, but only some build them with creativity and passion. When a diner has a choice of three or four on the menu, the restaurant may have a reputation for good burgers. If there’s more than four or so burgers to choose from, it’s officially a burger joint.
The Seacoast is blessed with many good burgers and burger joints. For the next time you get that craving, here are some of the best:
Wild Willy’s Burgers | York, Maine and Rochester, NH
Details: 765 U.S. Route 1, York, 207-363-9924; 724 Columbus Ave., Rochester, 603-332-1193; wildwillysburgers.com
Often mentioned and drooled over on social media, Wild Willy’s Burgers come strongly recommended by Seacoast burger aficionados. Wild Willy’s, with two locations in York and Rochester, says its trademark is “made-to-order craft burgers, hand-cut fries and hand-spun frappes,” and that simple formula has built a loyal following since Jim Williams opened the restaurant in 2001, making this Wild Willy’s 25th anniversary.
Wild Willy’s has no less than 23 burgers on its Classic Burgers and Deluxe Burgers menus. You can even choose the source of your beef – certified Angus beef, Maine Family Farms Natural Beef or Tender Bison – and they will cook your burger to order from rare to well done. It’s the Wild Willy’s Way (they even trademarked this phrase).
From the Wild Willy Burger, done up in classic American style, to the Buffalo Bill made with horseradish sauce, cheddar cheese and mushrooms, to the Outlaw Burger, an 8-ounce blend of chuck, round and sirloin, there’s something for every burger lover at Wild Willy’s, which has been repeatedly named the Seacoast’s Best Burger and the No. 1 Burger in Maine.
Lexie’s | Portsmouth, Newington, Dover, Exeter, Epping
Details: 212 Islington St., Portsmouth, 603-815-4181; 421 Central Ave., Dover, 603-815-4181; 61 Beane Lane, Newington, at Great Bay Marina, 603-815-4181 ext. 5; 82 Lincoln St., Exeter, 603-815-4181; 175 Main St., Epping, 603-815-4181; 88 State St., Newburyport, Massachusetts, 603-815-4181, peaceloveburgers.com
When someone asks on Facebook where to get the Best Burger on the Seacoast, Lexie’s recommendations consistently outnumber all others. Lexie’s is a burger joint that twists and smashes the classic American hamburger with the freshest ingredients into tasty, inventive bites you’ll crave once more, almost as soon as you wipe the juice off your mouth with your napkin. Founded on Islington Street in Portsmouth, it’s taken its mantra of “Peace. Love. Burgers.” to five additional locations and all over in the mobile Burger Bus. From the Instant Classic to its specialty burgers such as the Green Lantern, Burning Down The House, Put A Ring On it and Lexie’s Big Mouth, you can find a mouth-watering, perfect-for-your-palate choice at an affordable price. And don’t forget the fan-favorite Truffle Fries (or Plain Fries, Hot Fries or Bistro Fries) to go with it.
Hop and Grind | Durham and
Tuckaway Tavern and Butchery | Raymond
Details: 17 Madbury Road, Durham, 603-397-5564, hopandgrind.com; 58 Route 27, Raymond, 603-244-2431, tuckaway.com
Wearing its NH Magazine’s 2026 Best Burger in the state honors, Hop and Grind continues to please palates with celebrity chef Bobby Marcotte’s creativity and passion for burgers. Featuring a quarter pound of freshly ground Black Angus beef, it offers the Beast Mode, a double cheeseburger with double bacon; the Morning Glory with cheddar and American cheese, smoked bacon, hashbrowns, fried egg, mac sauce and truffle syrup; and the Mozza Bella, a meatball seasoned beef patty with house tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and house giardeneira (a spicy, crunchy Italian condiment of pickled veggies). The Piggy Back features a beef patty, fried chicken, cheddar and American cheese, smoked bacon, sweet heat pickles, crispy onion and Hop sauce.
Chef Marcotte made the Hop and Grind’s sister restaurant, Tuckaway Tavern and Butchery in Raymond, famous first. There’s six burgers on Tuckaway’s award-winning menu, including The Classic Tavern. This 10 oz. burger with house rub and a choice of cheese has been on the menu from the time the restaurant opened and has won all the awards, according to its website. Tuckaway’s famous burgers have been featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” Yankee Magazine, Phantom Gourmet, and have been voted NH’s best for 12 years running, according to its website.
Stoneface Brewing Co. | Newington
Details: 436 Shattuck Way, Newington, 603-427-9801, stonefacebrewing.com
When you ask about a smash burger locally, many reply Stoneface Brewing. Then there’s that quizzical look that asks “A craft brewery with great burgers, can it be?” There’s no question at Stoneface. From The O.G. Smash Burger, which features Kittery’s Maine Meat ground beef, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion on a potato roll; to the Return of the Mac Smash Burger, with all the goodness of the O.G. plus dill pickle and special sauce, they keep it simple and delicious. The biggest question to be debated at Stoneface is which is better – the beer they brew or the burgers they flip.
Lee Frank’s | Exeter, South Berwick
Details: 75 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, 603-418-7281; 12 Portland St., South Berwick, 207-704-0099; leefranks.com
Lee Frank, renowned owner and executive chef at the soon-to-close Otis Restaurant in Exeter, and “Yes, Chef!” competitor on TV, grew up in California and began his culinary career flipping burgers at a roadside shack in Los Angeles at age 15. Throughout his amazing career, he always wanted to open a burger and hot dog joint. That dream is a reality today with his Lee Frank’s restaurants in South Berwick and Exeter. He serves an In-N-Out-style burger, drawing on his childhood memories. He keeps his burger menu simple, and filled with flavor, and you can build in degrees of goodness by upping the quantities or the toppings. He offers hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chili burgers, chili cheeseburgers, and doubles and triples of them. He keeps to the standards of mustard, ketchup, tomato, onions and pickles for all, or you can order an item “dirty,” which swaps the raw onions for grilled and adds the house sauce.
BRGR Bar | Portsmouth
Details: 34 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, 603-294-0902, brgr-bar.com
Owners Jason and Carolyn Dagostino pride themselves on locally sourced, fresh ingredients. The beef in BRGR Bar’s finest is 100% grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free, according to the restaurant’s website. They use a beef blend custom-made for the BRGR Bar by Maine Family Farms in Portland and their bison comes from Hackmatack Farm in Berwick. The range of their burger menu is wide, from classic to creative. There’s The Boomer, with American and gruyere cheese, shallot mustard jam, garlic aioli, marinated mushrooms and arugula on a brioche bun. The OO-Mommy is a patty topped with gorgonzola, onion rings, lettuce, bacon and onion jam on a brioche bun. The Philly Smash is double smashed patties, sauteed onion, peppers and mushrooms, garlic aioli and Velveeta cheese on a sesame seed bun. Then there’s The Four Smash-Men with poblano salsa, gorgonzola, fried jalapeno, lettuce and tomato with Philbur’s No. 21 Scorpion Pepper Aioli on a brioche bun. You can make many of their burgers a Triple Smash or even a Quad Smash, and if you’re not tempted by all their choices, you can always build your own and have it your way.
Harbor Burger Shack | Kittery
Details: 355 U.S. Route 1, Kittery, Maine, 207-703-2141, harborburgershack.com
The Harbor Burger Shack makes its hand-crafted burgers with its signature Angus beef blend of fresh chuck, brisket and short rib, and you can make any of the ten burgers on their menu a Double Decker or even a Triple Decker. There’s the Starboard Cheeseburger with charred jalapeno mayo, cheese, lettuce and tomato; or the Back From The Beach, a Sloppy Joe-style ground beef with onion, tomato sauce and cheese sauce; the Pastrami Burger with pastrami, American cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato and Wicked Harbor Sauce; and the Crunching On The Dock with onion jam, crispy cheddar, lettuce, tomato and Wicked Harbor Sauce, among others.
The Goat | Portsmouth, Hampton
Details: 142 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-590-4628; 20 L St., Hampton, 603-601-6928; 64 Merrimac St., Newburyport, Massachusetts, 978-358-8328; 50 Old Granite St., Manchester, 603-222-1677; goatbarnation.com
The Goat is known for its build-your-own burgers, but it has a vast menu of burger varieties that they’ve put all the effort into developing, so you don’t have to. Among its 17 offerings, there’s the Big Pig with cheddar, grilled ham, bacon, pulled pork and BBQ sauce; the Fatty Melt with housemade mac & cheese and bacon; the Goat Thunder, with goat cheese, sauteed mushrooms, prosciutto and Goat Sauce; the Surfing Cowboy with cheddar, grilled pineapple and BBQ sauce; the TB12 Burger with American cheese and Goat Sauce; The Cheese Head with cheddar, bacon, fried garlic cheese curds and Bistro Sauce; and The Foughettaboutit with a breaded and deep fried burger topped with pesto, fried garlic cheese curds and marina on garlic Texas Toast. Oh my!
Tailgate Tavern | Stratham
Details: 28 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, 603-580-2294, tailgatetavernnh.com
The Tailgate Tavern’s Grilled Backyard Burgers menu will make your mouth water just by reading it. There’s the Big Jam Brie Burger, an 8 oz. grilled Angus burger with bacon, brie, fig jam and lettuce on a toasted roll. Or maybe you’d choose the Candied Maple Bacon Burger, with bacon, swiss cheese, caramelized onions and maple bacon glaze served on a brioche. There’s the French Onion Soup Burger with both provolone and Swiss cheese, caramelized onions on a toasted onion roll and served with a ½ cup of the Tailgate’s famous onion soup for dipping. The menu is rounded out with the Mushroom Swiss Burger, Housemade Black Bean Burger and the Make Your Own Dang Burger, where you can choose from all the toppings and condiments.
The Corner Door | Portsmouth
Details: 78 Bridge St., Portsmouth, 603-502-4258, instagram.com/thecornerdoornh
A newcomer to the Portsmouth scene, The Corner Door was opened last year by Nathaniel Wilson, the owner of the Local Lunchbox food truck, which most recently was in residence at the Tideline Public House food truck park in Durham. The Corner Door, which sources all its meat from Tendercrop Farm in Dover, features six beauties on its Grass-fed Smash Burger menu. There’s the Bacon Bleu topped with caramelized onions, bleu cheese and bacon jam, and the Rodeo, which is stacked with onion rings, BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese, in addition to the classic Cheeseburger, Cheddar Bacon, Mushroom Swiss and Black Bean with a bean patty instead of beef. Built for casual, affordable dining, one fun thing they do is give out a free hot dog with the purchase of an alcoholic beverage every Wednesday to celebrate Wiener Wednesday.
401 Tavern | Hampton
Details: 401 Lafayette Road, Hampton, 603-926-8800, 401tavern.com
This restaurant and tavern was originally built in the 1600s, according to its website, but there’s nothing old-fashioned about its burgers. Its New England Burger features Maine Family Farms beef, Vermont cheddar, New Hampshire cured bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion on a Massachusetts-baked brioche bun. Its Smash Burger features a house-made beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon and House Animal Sauce. The 401 also prides itself on a wide selection of beers on tap, and an always-changing variety of cocktails, according to its website.
The Farm Bar and Grille | Dover
Details: 25A Portland Ave., Dover, 603-516-3276; 1181 Elm St., Manchester, 603-641-3276; 233 Western Ave., Essex, Massachusetts, 978-768-0000, farmbargrille.com
The star of The Farm’s social media reviews is the Walking In Memphis Burger. It’s an all-beef patty, slow-smoked pulled pork, coleslaw, sliced pickles, lettuce, tomato and BBQ sauce on a brioche buns, according to its website. Also popular is The Smash Burger, a griddled smash burger and melty American cheese slathered in its signature house-made animal sauce topped with caramelized onions,” according to the restaurant’s website.
Carriage Towne Bar and Grille | Kingston
Details: 53 Church St., Kingston, 603-642-4481, carriagetownebarandgrille.com
The Exeter Chamber of Commerce crowned Carriage Towne Bar and Grille the winner of its fourth annual Burger Bowl competition in 2026. Its CT Smokehouse Burger came out on top in a field of 17 competitors. The brainchild of Carriage Towne’s kitchen manager, Josh Thibeault, and his back-of-house staff, according to a Seacoasonline.com article, the CT Smokehouse Burger is a grilled, 8 oz. angus patty, smoked brisket, brown sugar bourbon BBQ sauce, fried pickled red onion strings, melted smoked gouda on a grilled, seeded brioche bun. Creators said it was very popular with diners, but that it’s not a regular menu item and may disappear once the restaurant refreshes its menu for spring. But never fear, they have three or four other burgers for you to sink your teeth into.
Street | Portsmouth, Exeter
Details: 801 Islington St., Portsmouth, 603-436-0860; 8 Clifford St., Exeter, 603-580-4148; 76 N. Main St., Concord, 603-333-2125; streetfood360.com.
Known for its international street food, Street has both a classic and an innovative burger option on its menu. Its Burger is a house-ground beef patty cooked to perfection with a choice of American, cheddar, swiss, provolone or a slab of queso blanc, and bacon add-on if you’d like. Its Cemita has a choice of fried chicken thigh, burger or veggie burger, with avocado, Mexican fried cheese, cilantro, chipotle mayo and pickled red onion on a sesame seed bun. You don’t find that international flair on just any burger menu.
Gilley’s Diner | Portsmouth
Details: 175 Fleet St., Portsmouth, 603-431-6343, gilleysdiner.com
Some claim the burgers at Gilley’s are as good or maybe better than the hotdogs. It offers six burgers to choose from and four hot dogs, not to mention the six types of fries you can nosh, including Poutine. You can argue that point between bites at the legendary diner, which is famous for its reasonable prices and for reopening at 9 p.m. and serving until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights for late-night dining. Its website has posted a New Burger Alert that introduces the Lex Luger – “Two pressed handmade patties layered with cheese and two bacon strips between a split glazed donut.” Oh, boy, that might win some debates greasy hands-down.
Untruck’d Street Food Kitchen | Berwick
Details: 6 Sullivan St., Second Floor, Berwick, Maine, 207-719-4480, untruckd.com
Untruck’d Street Food Kitchen serves six separate menus every day it’s open – it’s like having six food trucks all rolled into one restaurant. It serves a variety of Epic Wave Poke Bowls, all build- your-own bowls; Rollin’ Ritos burritos, Melt’d Grilled Cheeses, Kids’ Club selections and Street Sweets desserts. But, hey, we’re here for the burgers so it’s the Big’s Burger menu you’ll want to check out. From the Classic American to the Italian Bruschetta, French Dip, Mexican Cemita, the Bacon Deluxe and the Sloppy Texan Burger, you can travel the world without leaving Untruck’d. They all begin with a double Angus beef burger.
BAD BRGR | Rochester
Details: 195 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-948-1404; 1015 Elm St., Manchester, 603-606-8806; Mall of New Hampshire, Manchester, 603-854-8767; badbrgr.com
BAD BRGR received a tidal wave of support and celebration when it opened its third location in Rochester on April 18. Justin Spencer, a founder of the New Hampshire-based “junk rock” band Recycled Percussion, is one of the owners of the BAD BRGR restaurants, which specialize in smash burgers and positive vibes. Though waits were long, all the reviews from opening weekend rave about how delicious the burgers are and how great the staff is. They’re working to get everyone up to speed and to get the kinks out, and listening to their early customers’ feedback. Check out the eponymous BAD BRGR, the Beach BRGR, the Black BRGR, their Sliders and BAD Sliders or BUILD-A-BRGR.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Jane Murphy.
