During the summer, the terrace at Fichtekränzi is full of Frankfurters. It’s truly a local spot. Join in a toast with a glass of apfelwein (apple wine) and you will feel part of the family quickly. For a traditional German meal, start with some handkäse (milk cheese) to share (no fork!) or frankfurter würtschen (a thin, boiled sausage of pure pork). Following that, you can’t go wrong with Frankfurter Schnitzel (schnitzel and grüne soße), or just grüne soße with potatoes if you don’t like eating meat.  The cold herb sauce consists of sour cream, boiled eggs, spices and, of course, herbs. Those main dishes are made fresh every day and are typical of the German state of Hessen. During the winter, you always feel cozy sitting inside, next to each other. The place is full of long tables and are made to be shared. To keep you warm, don’t hesitate to order schnapps at the end of your meal. Mispelschen, made with apple brandy, is a tradition.

El Taco de Mexico is the place Denver chefs come to eat. Everything from the tacos to handmade gorditas to burritos are made with a variety of meats prepared with great expertise. The fried pork burrito is magnificent served smothered in green chile sauce. Invented in Denver, the burrito served here is a very refined version. The venue is down-market, but the food is anything but. This is a flagship for the unique version of Mexican food found in Denver we are calling Mexi-Den.

For one of the best hamburgers in central Illinois, meat lovers head to Green Gables tavern on the shore of Lake Bloomington. Opened in 1929 at a gas station, the site was converted in 1952 into a bar, grill and full-service grocery store. Famous for its fatty, juicy patties smashed flat on the grill so their edges turn crisp, cheeseburgers are stacked with cheese, pickles, tomato, onions, ketchup and mustard, then swaddled in paper to steam. Legend has it musician Ted Nugent declared it the best cheeseburger he'd ever eaten. Pro tip: Accompany your burger with a fried side of cheddar cheese balls or corn nuggets. And prepare to wait. Service can be slow. 

Humble market stall it may be, but the burgers are brilliant. Fat, juicy patties, crafted from a blend of 28-day aged cuts, are grilled on a little hotplate and anointed with one of three toppings. Molten cheese tops Mother Flipper’s Cheeseburger. A third of a pound of brisket and short rib with bone marrow is fashioned into a patty, grilled and popped onto a rich brioche bun with lettuce, pickles and onions. There currently aren't any side dishes, but you can buy a cold can of pop to wash down your lunch. You'll usually find them on Tuesdays at “Kerb,” the street food gathering previously known as eat.st) near King's Cross, or on Saturdays at Brockley Market, but it's worth checking their twitter page on the day.

Relatively new on the burger scene, the owner is a former rock star and the burgers are a smash hit. The Chairman features a whopping one-third pound patty of brisket, short rib with bone marrow. Topped with cheese, bun sauce and pickled red onion jam, it’s sandwiched in a hamburger cream bun.  In an age of gourmet burgers galore, this is one of the best by far.

This glass-fronted, exposed brick-walled cafe on the edge of Borough Market serves biodynamic wines and a seasonal menu cooked on a wood-fired grill. They only serve burgers for lunch on weekdays, and Elliott’s burger fans pack the house. Mind-meltingly awesome, every single last thing on the burger is made in-house. Elliot's minces and presses its beef patties, incorporating aged rib-eye caps and fresher shin, shoulder or flank to perfectly balance the flavors of beefiness and age, aiming for an 80/20 meat-to-fat ratio. Beer-braised onions and Comté cheese give the burger a decidedly French je ne sais quoi and the wonderfully soft, slightly sweet buns are baked in-house using olive oil instead of butter. The buns are delicious, soft, yet sturdy. The burger is served with fried potato discs, homemade mayo and a rich, clove-infused ketchup. Uniquely, discs of sweet pickled cucumber are served skinless, which removes crunch, the perfect complement to the soft, squishy texture of the ensemble and the unusually deep flavor of the beef patty.

Burger & Beyond is operated by a group of guys from the country, and they brought the meat right off the farm with them. Operating from a 1970 Citroen H Van at Camden Market and drawing inspiration from burger joints around the world, Burger & Beyond serves hand-pressed and cooked-to-order burgers, freshly ground from choice cuts of dry-aged beef. THE burger to order? The Cliff. Served on a brioche bun, a 90-day aged patty of chuck and brisket aged on the bone is topped with Monterrey Jack cheese, pancetta bacon, lettuce and tarragon mayo. This burger, masterful meaty happiness in a bun, is brought to you on a street festival, party level. It's the essence of what a burger should be. OK, you can start drooling now.

Burger aficionados agree Lucky Chip makes some of the greatest burgers in London. Originally operating from a van in Netil Market, which still serves hungry East Londoners every Saturday, they have established themselves in two other locations: The Sebright Arms in Hoxton and The Grafton pub in Kentish Town. Go for the classic, The John Travolta Royale wit Cheese, first mentioned in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” An aged beef patty with American cheese is layered with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, gherkins and Lucky Chip’s homemade burger sauce. The patty, cheese and sauce are perfectly matched. There’s no need to add anything else.

It may look like a hole-in-the-wall, but don’t let this iconic diner fool you. Mitchell's has been pleasing patrons since 1923, offering old-school food at its best. Politicians including Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and George Bush are known to pop in. Women and children are welcomed sweetly with free boxes of Milk Duds, and as soon as diners sit down, they are presented with a basket of piping hot doughnut holes. An extensive breakfast menu is available all day and meals are brought to the table steaming in the skillet. Recommended options include fried eggs, homemade Greek toast, hash browns and oatmeal. Dishes are usually large, so plan a post-breakfast nap. 

Bar Buvette is a French wine bar and traiteur run by Bristol couple Peter Taylor and Max Ososki, who spend the rest of their time running a small seasonal hotel in the Auvergne called Auberge de Chassignolles. Taylor opened the natural wine bar to pour organic, biodynamic and chemical-free wines and beers from small producers in France. These well-rounded wines are best accompanied by a simple cheese board or charcuterie platter, both of which find excellent form at Bar Buvette, or perhaps a toastie oozing with cheese and leeks. The chalkboard menu offers a number of other quintessentially French plat du jour, from celeriac remoulade, to gem lettuce with walnuts, lardon and soft-boiled egg, to a hearty coq au vin.