Most burger arguments in town come down to style before they come down to place. This is a guide to smash burgers in Cleveland, the thin patties pressed hard onto a hot griddle until the edges go crisp, set next to the thicker tavern burgers that neighborhood bars have always served.
The smash burger spots are spread out: a bowling alley in Lakewood, a grocery counter in Midtown, a restaurant on East Fourth Street and a small shop on Waterloo Road. The tavern burgers cluster in older bars in Tremont, the Warehouse District, Battery Park and Lakewood’s Birdtown.
Pick the style first and the list gets short fast. For every burger counter, bar and drive-in on the map, open the full Cleveland burger guide.
Smashed and stacked
Where to go for each style
Lakewood
Mahall's
Best for: A smash burger with bowling and a show
Mahall’s has been a bowling alley on Madison Avenue in Lakewood since 1924, and its kitchen is the reason plenty of people come in who never pick up a ball. The smash burgers are the draw, and the building is also a music venue, so a burger here can turn into a full night: eat, bowl a few frames, then catch whoever is playing. It is one of the most talked about burgers on the west side.
Midtown
CleaveLand Grill
Best for: Halal smash burgers, stacked high
CleaveLand Grill works out of a grocery on Carnegie Avenue in Midtown, which makes it an easy stop from downtown or University Circle. Everything is halal. The Double Cheddar Smash can be stacked up to three patties, and chicken or lamb patties are on the menu if beef is not what you want. It is a good place to bring a mixed group with different diets.
Downtown
Cordelia
Best for: A sit-down smash burger downtown
Cordelia is a Midwestern restaurant on East Fourth Street, and it gives the smash burger a proper dining room. The Burger Box pairs Certified Angus smash patties with Kool-Aid pickles, a combination people tend to remember. It suits a night out before a game or a show downtown, when you want a real table and a smash burger at the same time.
North Collinwood
Doinks Burger Joint
Best for: Creative smash burgers on the east side
Doinks Burger Joint is a smash burger counter on Waterloo Road in North Collinwood, in the Waterloo Arts District near the lake. The menu leans playful, with builds like the Bonn Mi Burger done in the style of a banh mi, plus sides and drinks in the same spirit. It is widely liked, and it pairs easily with a walk along Waterloo.
Ohio City
Heart of Gold
Best for: A bar smash burger in Ohio City
Heart of Gold is a bar on Lorain Avenue in Ohio City from the team behind Good Company. The Heart of Gold Smash is built on a 70-30 Angus blend, and it is the house signature. It is the pick if you want a smash burger with a drink in a bar setting on the near west side.
Warehouse District
Johnny's Little Bar
Best for: A thick tavern burger late at night
Johnny’s Little Bar is a small tavern on Frankfort Avenue in the Warehouse District, and you enter it off the alley. The burger here is a thick half pound ground from steak trimmings. The kitchen runs a late-night menu and there are more than 40 beers, which makes it a natural last stop after a night downtown.
Tremont
Rowley Inn
Best for: A corner tavern burger in Tremont
Rowley Inn has been on its Tremont corner since 1906, and the bar menu is built around burgers. The Poutine Burger comes topped with fries, gravy and cheese curds, and it is the one to order if you came hungry. Local beers are on tap and there are arcade games, and it is one of the best-liked bars on this list.
Battery Park
Good Company
Best for: A custom-blend burger in Battery Park
Good Company is a bar and grill on West 76th Street in Battery Park, a short hop from the Gordon Square blocks of Detroit Avenue. The Good One burger uses a custom Certified Angus blend, and there is a diner-style melt for people who want something closer to a sandwich. Wings are made from scratch if the table wants something to share.
Birdtown
Buckeye Beer Engine
Best for: A long burger list and a longer beer list
Buckeye Beer Engine sits farther west on Madison Avenue in Lakewood’s Birdtown, and it runs a long list of gourmet burgers anchored by the West Side Burger. Patty melts are on the menu too. The beer selection is very large and the kitchen stays open late, so this is where to go when you want a thick burger and time to work through a tap list.
Telling them apart
How to choose between a smash burger and a tavern burger
A smash burger is pressed thin on a flat top, so it cooks fast and gets a crisp, browned crust with a lot of edge. Places usually stack two or three of them with melted cheese. A tavern burger is a thicker patty that stays juicier in the middle and tends to come with bar sides and a beer.
If you want the crust, start with Mahall’s, CleaveLand Grill or Doinks. If you want something you need two hands and a napkin for, go to Johnny’s Little Bar or Rowley Inn. Good Company and Heart of Gold, from the same team, make it easy to try one of each on consecutive nights.
Plan a route
A Madison Avenue burger night in Lakewood
Madison Avenue in Lakewood has both styles within a short drive of each other. Start at Mahall’s for a smash burger and a few frames, then head west to Buckeye Beer Engine in Birdtown for a beer and a patty melt to split. Check both before you go, especially on nights when Mahall’s has a show booked.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
What is a Galley Boy?
It is the double-decker cheeseburger at Swensons Drive-In, the Akron-born curb-service drive-in. Cleveland-area locations include Brookpark Road, North Olmsted and Willoughby.
Is there a smash burger spot south of the city?
Yes. CleaveLand Grill has a second location on Pearl Road in Strongsville with the same halal menu.
Where can vegetarians eat well at a burger place?
Tommy’s on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights has a long vegetarian and vegan menu next to its burgers, fries and thick milkshakes.
Every burger on the map
See all the burger spots around Cleveland
The <a href="/guides/best-burgers-cleveland/">Cleveland burger guide</a> maps counters, taverns and drive-ins across the city and suburbs, with details for each one.