This Ballard burger shop owes its popularity to its half-pound patties, a fantastic whiskey selection, and one of the best late-night happy hours around. When it comes to choosing a burger, diners can trust the name and get the signature 8 ounce with arugula, balsamic onions, bacon, cheddar, and truffle aioli. If you’re feeling more adventurous, the Pike has habanero jam while the Union is made with an espresso-rubbed patty.

It’s easy to feel good about ordering a burger here, since this West Seattle wonder sources all of its meat from within 300 miles of the shop. Burgers come with one-third pound of Painted Hills beef, though hungry meat-lovers can add an extra patty, bacon, pulled pork, and even crispy pork belly to their patties. The hand-cut fries are fried in rendered pork fat, and the business also doubles as a butcher shop.

A burger’s a sandwich, right? The meat on Mean Sandwich’s version is grass-fed and grass-finished. Choose one or two quarter-pound patties and this Ballard-based shop fills in the rest: American cheese (good old Kraft Singles), onions, mayonnaise, house-made pickles and house-made mustard on a Tribeca Oven bun. “Skins & Ins” (fried baked potatoes, of sorts) fill out an unforgettable feast.

Once available only at monthly pop-up events, the burger from Beast & Cleaver is now available in limited quantity (30 to 40 per day) as part of a fun limited menu at 49th Street Beast, inside Fair Isle Brewing in Ballard. The burger is simple but solid, featuring beef aged 100 days, American cheese, ketchup, and a touch of beef garum. (Fermentation is one of the specialties here.) Expect the burger to come medium rare; when the meat is this good, why cook it any longer?

The “Big Max” cheeseburger at this family-friendly restaurant in Queen Anne is a two-handed, happily messy mass. Big Mac lovers will love the nostalgia factor, with two beef and bacon patties, “Max” sauce (tangy from sherry vinegar and mustard), aged white cheddar, pickles, plus a combination of caramelized white and raw red onions makes this a super-elevated McDonald’s experience.

Modern French is the mission of this Fremont restaurant, and Le Coin’s burger is an umami bomb that comes with a fondue of caramelized onions and mimolette cheese, along with cured tomatoes, lettuce, and herb aioli — all on a bun from Sea Wolf Bakers. Oh, and oui to the fabulous frites with herbs and garlic cloves thrown into the fryer. Your server might suggest eating your burger over the fries so that the cheese that drips down creates do-it-yourself poutine, advice you’d be smart to follow.

The full menu at this Fremont burger shack warrants a try, starting with the Classic and its quarter-pound of beef. Variations include the lamb burger with cured lemon, the bison burger with red onion jam and bacon, and — if you’re lucky — the elk burger with grilled hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. Tempura seasonal vegetables are a nice alternative to the usual side of French fried potatoes. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available.

This roadside favorite, founded in Fife in 1949, expanded to Auburn before opening a branch in SoDo in recent years. It’s a slice of Americana, once chosen as best burger joint in Washington state by USA Today for its crisply charred burgers and hand-cut French fries. As a bonus, Pick-Quick has a wide selection of shakes blended to order, including ones with fresh, in-season berries. As the name indicates, you can place and receive your order from the comfort of your car.

The burger at Renee Erickson’s Boat Bar features a thick patty that’s grass-fed, dry-aged, and delightfully juicy. Weighing in at four ounces, it’s actually fairly filling but leaves opportunity to enjoy other items on the menu. Toppings change seasonally; the frisée and green goddess dressing available at this publication time is quite popular. (Adjoining and sister restaurant Bateau is known for its eight ounce version, but you’ll have to ask as it’s not on the menu and not always available.)

While there’s a “deluxe” cheeseburger that the menu says is “restaurant-style,” Loretta’s Northwesterner is a bar, and you want the Tavern. This classic burger, possibly the city’s best, shows off simplicity done well: beef with a nice char, pickles, onions chopped small, American cheese, and special sauce that’s heavy on the mayo — all on an unobtrusive, squishy bun. (You can find the same burger at sibling restaurant Star Brass Works, but the fries are considerably better at Loretta’s.)

Parked outside Project 9 Brewing in Maple Leaf, Sammich is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, though you’ll have to wait for noon to get “Da Burger.” This juicy burger comes doubly blessed with both Swiss and American cheese, along with onions, burg sauce, and most notably a huge pile of finely shredded lettuce. Possible add-ons include pastrami and bacon, though we recommend a second beef patty. And speaking of beef, Sammich’s Chicago Italian Beef sandwich is a winner, complete with sweet peppers, giardiniera (worth trying on the burger!), and beef juice (dipped or wet) on a baguette with an option of provolone.

This family-friendly spot in Capitol Hill crafts burgers with inventive additions such as green chile cream cheese, house-made pickles, hop-garlic mayo, and fried avocado. The restaurant also touts a 20-tap rotating draft list for the grownups, and for the kids, junior burgers and draft root beer floats. The best seats might be at the bright blue counter where you can watch all the burger-making action.

You won’t need the fancy fork and steak knife placed on your table, but keep the white linen napkin close for this steakhouse-style burger. The half-pound patty is pink in the center when cooked medium-rare and is adorned with tangy pickled red onions. Melted aged white cheddar and Louie sauce add to the affair. And there’s no shortage of shoestring fries on the plate.