Best burgers: 11 burgers worth the drive

City dwellers, these burgers are worth the drive.

New or updated entries are marked with an asterisk.

Did I miss your favorite? Let us know at eat@pioneerpress.com.

* Wells Roadside

The former Galaxy Drive-In is serving burgers so good and so cheap that I contemplated putting them in the cult burger category — and they opened just a month ago! Seriously, you get a well-seasoned single wagyu (!) smash burger for just $6. It’s topped with American cheese and served on a super squishy, delicious potato bun. But for the same price, I’d opt for the Oklahoma version, which has thinly sliced onions griddled into the burger. Hand-cut fries are extra, but come in portions big enough to share, and they’re excellent. Get the fry sauce to dip everything in and if you’re drinking, an adorable root beer old-fashioned (yes, they have cocktails as well as beer and wine), garnished with a root-beer barrel.

• Wells Roadside: 3712 Quebec Ave. S., St. Louis Park; 952-277-7777; wellsroadside.com

LoLo American Kitchen

The burgers at this riverside spot are all one good, loosely pattied puck of juicy beef served on a fresh bun and topped with Boston lettuce and an heirloom tomato if you want it. It’s like your neighbor who is a good cook invited you over for burgers. The thin-cut fries are deep golden and salty in the best way, too.

• Lolo American Kitchen: 175 S. Second St., Hudson, Wis., 715-808-8025 or 233 S. Main St., Stillwater, 715-808-8025; loloamericankitchen.com

Churchill St.

We love this bright, airy suburban restaurant for a million reasons, including its killer coffee and cocktails, its simple, well-executed menu, its perfect old-fashioned doughnut and its cute little market, which has tempted us on every visit. And the burger here? It’s great. Two well-seasoned patties, fully cooked for the squeamish among us, but still plenty juicy. There’s caramelized onion for sweetness, an aggressive (but welcome) amount of tasty house-made pickles, melty, high-quality Cooper American cheese, and a malted fry sauce, which is awesome for dipping, though the fries are probably my second choice here, as the simple side salad, with a good vinaigrette and some crystally sea salt, is the perfect foil to all the fatty richness of the burger.

• Churchill St.: 4606 Churchill St., Shoreview; 612-466-2596; churchillst.com

The Better Half

This hip finer diner in downtown Lakeville can get very busy (they don’t take reservations, but you can join the waitlist from their website). Still, it is worth the trouble to score one of their burly, juicy double-smash burgers. We prefer the classic, which is smothered in melty American cheese and topped with house-made pickles for crunch and acid, diced caramelized onions for sweetness and a “fancy sauce,” which is basically spiced mayo, and encased in a squishy bun that somehow holds everything together. The on-tap, house-made old-fashioned here is definitely the move, especially as the temperatures drop.

• The Better Half: 20851 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville; 952-214-7402; thebetterhalfmn.com

Feller

Fall is the best time to visit scenic Stillwater, and if you need a break from browsing one of the town’s many cute boutiques, a burger at Feller is just the thing. Two patties, a baked-in-house brioche bun, house-made American cheese — everything on this plate is cheffed-up in just the right way. We also love the addictive little shoestring fries, served in a cute bag, that come with the burger.

• Feller: 402 S. Main St., Stillwater (in the Lora Hotel); 651-571-3501; fellerrestaurant.com

B-52 Burgers and Brew

The rooftop patio at this Inver Grove Heights mainstay is one of the most hopping places in the south suburbs. Live music, a full outdoor bar and cushy furniture make it a great place to hang out, especially with one of the restaurant’s awesome burgers. Now there’s a second location in Lakeville, too.

• B-52 Burgers and Brew: 5639 Bishop Ave., Inver Grove Heights, 651-451-3838; 20751 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville, 952-213-4150; b52burgersandbrew.com

Burgers and Bottles

There’s a burger for every taste at this suburban strip-mall storefront, and all of them are nicely flame-grilled outside and juicy in. The bacon cheeseburger, with plenty of thick-cut bacon, suits us just fine. The hand-cut fries are delicious, too.

• Burgers and Bottles: 1278 Lone Oak Road, Eagan; 651-340-7175; burgersbottles.com

Dick’s Bar

This lovable dive just off the main drag in downtown Hudson has a dark, day-drinking friendly bar, a lighter, appropriately care-worn dining room and a cute little patio. The burgers here are just the way we like them, with a squishy bun and nice griddle char. The Ricky, with American cheese, griddled (not caramelized, there is a difference) onion, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce, is a winner, but we were surprised by just how much we loved the French onion burger, which is an oniony take on a patty melt, made with a nice, tangy sourdough bread and served with au jus for beefy, salty dipping.

• Dick’s Bar: 111 Walnut St., Hudson; 715-386-5222

King’s Bar and Grill

It’s best to leave for remote Miesville when there’s plenty of daylight, and preferably when there are some fall colors to enjoy. This roadside eatery attracts lots of motorcyclists, because the drive is a pretty one. The restaurant is worth the trek, too, with relatively small, tasty burgers that are topped with all manner of craziness, from peanut butter to giardiniera to sauerkraut to pineapple. Though there are more than 90 varieties, we are fans of the relatively simple Knight: sauteed mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo. You should also upgrade to the thin, crisp, skin-on fries to go with that burger (they are usually served with chips).

• King’s Bar and Grill: 14460 240th St. E., Miesville; 651-437-1418; kingsplacebar.com

Tavern Grill

If you look around the sprawling dining room at this suburban outpost, probably half the diners are chowing down on thick, juicy burgers served on fresh buns. We’re often put off by barbecue sauce on a burger, but the house bourbon red sauce on the Tavern Style Burger here is less sweet than most, and pairs beautifully with smoked gouda and crispy bacon.

• Tavern Grill: Multiple locations, including 772 Bielenberg Drive, Woodbury, 651-578-3000; 10950 Club West Parkway Suite 280, Blaine, 763-398-8100; 3561 Lexington Ave., Arden Hills, 651-478-4450; 15435 Founders Lane, Apple Valley, 952-683-1222; 6740 France Ave. S., Edina, 952-358-6100; thetaverngrill.com

Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon

This local chain has a ginormous menu, but the thick, fresh burgers are really where it’s at. We’re partial to the “Feelin’ Gouda,” which features plenty of gouda cheese, some garlicky aioli and crisp bacon on a griddled egg bun, preferably while watching a football game, because the place is lousy with televisions and has special events every Sunday. The outfit took over the former Liffey space in the Holiday Inn in downtown St. Paul last year, too.

• Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon: Six locations, including 175 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, 651-556-1420; 546 Commons Drive, Woodbury, 651-357-1050; and 15020 Glazier Ave., Apple Valley, 952-432-2455; wildbillssportssaloon.com