Who makes the best cheeseburger in the Taunton area? Our readers picked some winners
Kristina FontesSome pairings are just meant to be:
Spaghetti and meatballs.
Hot fudge and sundaes.
Peanut butter and jelly.
And, cheese and burgers.
On Sept. 18, we get to celebrate the latter, for National Cheeseburger Day. What's even better is that this year, National Cheeseburger Day falls on a Saturday, so you can stay in your sweatpants and enjoy a nice little weekend feast.
We asked you, our readers, what some of your favorite places are, and boy did you ever deliver.
A side of fries:10 places to grab some french fries in Greater Taunton
If you're looking for a burger to help you properly celebrate this auspicious occasion — or you just want to enjoy a good cheeseburger, for any reason — we've rounded up readers' choices for restaurants around Greater Taunton and the SouthCoast serving up some cheesy, satisfying fare:
Two clear favorites: Liberty & Union and Barrels & Boards
When it comes to local places, there were two clear favorites with Gazette readers:
Liberty & Union Alehouse, in downtown Taunton, and Raynham's Barrels & Boards.
Located in the heart of the downtown area, at 16 Trescott St., Liberty & Union Alehouse has been making a name for itself in the city since 2018.
Known for their famous soft pretzel — served with cheddar cheese ale dip and spicy horse radish whole grain mustard — they're also dishing up a couple of different cheeseburgers for hungry guests.
There's the Liberty bacon cheeseburger, prepared in a classic way with bacon, tomato, lettuce and red onion, served on a toasted brioche bun.
For something a little different, try the LU jam burger, topped with melted American cheese and bacon and onion jam.
Liberty & Union Alehouse is open Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. They're closed on Mondays. For more information, call 508-386-9154 or visit https://www.libertyandunionalehouse.com.
Over at Barrels & Boards, 1285 Broadway in Raynham, they've got a whole range of burgers, including a plant-based option.
Serving hungry customers since 2019, Barrels & Boards has a few more traditional options, like their aptly named classic burger, topped with applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, red onion and American cheese, served on a brioche bun. There are also the mushroom Swiss and pub burgers, topped with mushrooms and Swiss cheese and cheddar, crispy onion strings, and brew pub mustard, respectively. They've also got a whiskey bacon cheddar burger.
The king burger certainly boasts a royal entourage of flavors and toppings: ground Angus chuck, braised beef brisket, caramelized onions, whiskey bacon jam, Swiss cheese, a sunny-side-up egg, and cilantro garlic aioli.
For the vegetarians out there, at least those that still consume dairy products, you can add some cheese to the sweet potato black bean burger. It's got plenty of promising flavors on its own, though, with sliced avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cilantro garlic aioli, all served on a brioche bun.
Barrels & Boards is open Monday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.barrelsnboards.com or call 508-738-6630.
Mac & Walt's in Norton
The third place that got the most readers' attention was over in Norton: Mac & Walt's.
Located at 363 Old Colony Road, if you're looking for a burger place you need look no further. Their motto is "burgers, beer, bourbon." Their burgers are cooked using the smash method, to get a flavorful crust on them.
They've got a classic burger with cheese, a bacon cheeseburger, a patty melt, a smothered burger, a double-stacked burger, a "where's the beef" burger (housemade black bean burger topped with pepper jack cheese), and even a poutine burger.
Then there are the specialty burgers, like The Mac, which is served without a bun, and has Andouille sausage and shredded cheese on top, not to mention chili. You'll need to eat this one with a knife and fork.
For another knife-and-fork burger experience, try the Baby Got Mac. Not sure whether Sir Mix-A-Lot would approve, due to the lack of buns, hun, but for the more adventurous souls out there, this one is served up on mac and cheese "buns" and has an ale cheese sauce.
The Pen & Pasture burger is topped with cheddar and pulled pork, the Southern Special has pimento cheese on top, and The Mafia burger has a fried mozzarella plank on top.
Bring your appetite to Mac & Walt's Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. They're closed on Tuesdays. For more information, call 508-455-1873 or visit their website at https://macandwalts.com.
Slap Shotz Gastropub
524 Broadway, Raynham
Burgers: Slap Shotz Gastropub has hand-pressed burgers served with hand-cut fries. They've got a truffle parmesan burger, topped with bacon, homemade potato sticks, cheddar cheese, and truffle parmesan aioli. They also offer an Impossible (plant-based) burger, as well as a California turkey burger, with avocado, spinach and pepper jack cheese. If you find yourself there during the week, Tuesdays are $5 burger night.
More information: Visit https://www.slapshotzpub.com or call 774-501-3346.
Harry's Bar & Grille
407 W. Grove St., Middleboro
Burgers: A veggie burger can be substituted for any of the burgers on the Harry's menu. You can build your own B-52 burger or choose from one of their B1B Bomber burgers. Their Picadilly burger is topped with American cheese, bacon, fried pickles and ranch dressing.
More information: Call 508-947-9297 or visit https://www.harrysbarandgrille.com.
Frates Drive-In
1423 Somerset Ave., Taunton
Burgers: Their gourmet burgers have fun, 1950s Americana names like The Big Bopper, The Doo Wopp and The La Bamba. The Wimpy Burger, which you shouldn't wait until Tuesday to pay for, has got two beef patties, bacon, onion rings, sweet pepper relish, lettuce, tomato and Wisconsin cheddar cheese.
More information: Visit http://www.fratesdrive-in.com or call 508-880-4900.
Star Drive-In
205 Myricks St., East Taunton
Burgers: The Star's burgers are hand-pressed and cooked on the flat top with house seasonings. The Joey Rapoza Burger is a flavor-packed nod to Greater Taunton's Portuguese community, with garlic, cumin, cilantro, Adobo, oregano, crushed pepper, marinated Portuguese peppers, melted sharp cheddar cheese and an over-easy fried egg, served on an Art's Portuguese roll.
More information: Call 508-822-7827 or visit https://thestardrivein.com.
2 Jerks BBQ
701 Broadway, Raynham
Burgers: They might be known for their BBQ, but 2 Jerks is also in the burger game. Check out the 2 Jerks Special Burger, featuring two four-ounce patties, a fried chicken breast, 2 Jerks burger sauce, American cheese, pickle and onions.
More information: Visit their Facebook page, or call 508-386-2737.
Fork & Bibb Food Truck
Norton — keep up with their schedule at their Facebook page
Burgers: The menu changes every day, but you can count on The GOAT burger. GOAT in this case meaning "greatest of all time," but the burger does also feature goat cheese! It also sports bacon jam and arugula and is served on a brioche bun.
More information: Check out their Facebook page or email forkandbibb@gmail.com.
As for casual chain restaurants — we'll get to fast food later — readers also said that they enjoyed the burgers at the 99 restaurant on Dean St., and, in a somewhat unusual choice, Papa Gino's. Papa's pizzas bring in the crowds, but it looks like some folks are also sticking around for their burgers.
Cheeseburgers around the SouthCoast
When traveling out of town to grab a cheeseburger, lots of readers appeared to favor the New Bedford/Dartmouth area.
Moby Dick Brewing, 16 S. Water St. in New Bedford, was a popular choice. Go and grab a pint of Ishm-ale and check out their signature burgers, like the Union St. Burger, with shaved pastrami, caramelized onion, cheddar cheese and whole grain honey mustard. For more information, visit https://www.mobydickbrewing.com or call 774-202-6961.
Other favorites on the SouthCoast
- Address: 36 Homer's Wharf, New Bedford
- Try: The Amaral, with cheddar cheese, an Amaral's linguica patty, and a fried egg
- Website/phone number: https://backdoorburgersnb.com; 508-717-3276
- Address: 335 Coggeshall St., New Bedford
- Try: The double-bacon cheeseburger. All burgers are fresh, not frozen.
- Website/phone number: 508-996-9305
- Address: 768 Purchase St., New Bedford
- Try: Return of the King. This burger might not actually feature Aragorn son Arathorn, but it does have barbecue sauce, house bacon, house pickles, and cheddar, topped with buttermilk fried onion rings.
- Website/phone number: http://www.dnbburgers.com; 774-202-0118
- Address: 405 State Rd., Dartmouth
- Try: The Sloppy, with nacho cheese and chili sauce.
- Website/phone number: http://maxsdartmouth.com; 508-996-6000
Cask and Pig Kitchen and Alehouse
- Address: 780 State Rd., Dartmouth
- Try: The C&P Burger, with fried egg, crumbled chouriço, American cheese, and pimenta moida (crushed red pepper) aioli. Burgers at the Cask and Pig can all be subbed out with a black bean burger.
- Website/phone number: https://caskandpig.com; 774-992-0183
- Address: 4171 N. Main St., Fall River
- Try: The Texas Burger, topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, coleslaw, crispy onion strings and barbecue sauce.
- Website/phone number: https://www.barrettsalehouse.com; 508-674-3600
- Address: 1379 Fall River Ave., Seekonk
- Try: The Rise N' Shine, a fried egg, hash browns, bacon, American cheese, and maple bacon mayo.
- Website/phone number: https://www.kcsburgerbar.com; 508-557-1723
And for dessert:10 places to scoop up some ice cream around Greater Taunton
How about a quick bite?
Lastly, when it comes to readers' favorite stop to grab a quick cheeseburger, the clear winner was Five Guys.
There isn't a Five Guys in Taunton, but there are quite a few within a reasonable driving distance, if you're craving a fast food cheeseburger that is just a step above the others. The chain has locations in Swansea, Seekonk, Fall River, Brockton and South Attleboro, just to name a few.
Readers also stood by some old fast food favorites, like Burger King, Wendy's and McDonald's. The golden arches got the least number of reader shoutouts, but really, the fries are the best thing there so we don't blame you all.
A few less common fast food joints made the list, like Sonic and Smashburger. Again, neither of those are in Taunton, but there is a Sonic on the GAR Highway in Somerset, and you can find a Smashburger in Attleboro, near the Emerald Square Mall.
If you really want to go far from home, one reader suggested In N' Out. Just make sure to send us a postcard when you find a franchise in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Texas or Utah.
Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.