It wasnappt that long ago that a $20 cheeseburger was a ridiculous idea. But these days, pretty much every upscale eatery offers some variation of a grass-fed, organic, American Wagyu beef burger that hovers around that price if not higher.
It is not a novelty that is not wearing off, either, given I had my first $20 burger over a decade ago.
But when I spotted a sign on the side of a fast food chain spot recently boasting its new line of burgers starting at appjust $6.99,app I was taken aback. This place was not alone, though. As costs rose after the start of the pandemic, nearly all fast-food places have increased their prices.
So, does anyone offer a good cheap burger these days? The answer is yes, and here are the ones I love from local spots, all of which come in under that $6.99 fast-food price. These are all cheeseburgers, by the way, because who orders a plain hamburger these days?
The G.O.A.T.s
These legendary burgers are the measuring stick the rest of the burgers in this column strive to emulate.
Sliders, Powers Hamburgers, 1402 S. Harrison
This little white building serves the supreme cheap burger in Fort Wayne at just $1.85 for a cheeseburger or $2.75 for a double. Sliders are the only option and I purposefully left sliders off the rest of this list because they are always cheap.
It might be the best cheap burger in the country. Powerapps is not just a local legend, either. It was rated by George Motz, a reputed burger scholar, filmmaker and author of appHamburger America,app as one of the top five places in the country to get a burger.
Read more restaurant reviews from Journal Gazette critic Ryan DuVall.
Made on that tiny ancient grill steamed with thin slivers of white onion, they are so good they put White Castle to shame. The fresh beef from Tim Didier Meats at 3205 N. Wells St. app the place that produces the beef for almost every good Fort Wayne burger app is impeccable and those onions are seasoned perfectly. They are simply the best.
Big Buster, Don Hallapps restaurants
This triple-decker burger with two beef patties on a three-tiered bun with cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles and the restaurantapps appSpecial Sauceapp app a standard ketchup-mustard-relish mix app is Big Mac knockoff, which almost every fast-foot burger restaurant offers or has offered at some time.
It is a Fort Wayne staple that every Hallapps restaurant offers for good reason, and it still qualifies as a bargain at just $4.75.
Bucket list-worthy
A&O Sweet Shop Tavern, 1734 High St.
Fort Wayneapps second oldest licensed bar tailing only Oyster Bar, A&O began as a candy store app hence the name app which was likely a great cover during Prohibition. There is one sweet you can still buy there app another city legend, the Bun bar.
But the sweetest finds are the burgers, which are the only thing on the menu since the pandemic. There is really nothing else this place needs to offer because these $4 gems are the perfect late-night treat while bar hopping.
Made on a tiny grill eerily similar to Powersapp and cooked in the same fashion with onions, these full-sized burgers also can be had with ketchup, mustard and pickles. Spicy giardiniera is also available on the side app or cooked in with the onions if you tip well and the cook in charge is in a good mood app and I loved having the zesty pickled vegetables on mine.
There is no better way to cap off a night of bar-hopping than having one of these perfect beauties.
Daveapps Burger, 1206 S. Randolph St., app
The burgers here were the inspiration for this story. This restaurant opened in an old Dairy Queen building in app before the pandemic and I never gave it much thought until it was still up, running and buzzing when I stopped in for a weekday lunch late last year.
I had one of the best, beefiest, juiciest, most-thoughtfully constructed burgers in recent memory, and it was super cheap. Depending on toppings, a single cheeseburger is anywhere from $3.85 to $4.99. Double cheeseburgers start at around $5.50.
The construction wrinkle was that the lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle were on the bottom. This is a new trend you can find out all about on several burger centric websites done so you can turn the burger over and eat it with the bottom bun, and those veggies, on top. Why? Because the thicker top bun is a better base to soak up the moisture from the veggies and any dripping juices without falling apart.
The final wow moment at Daveapps Burger came when an employee matter-of-factly told me it is the sister store of the famous Mr. Daveapps in North Manchester. That spot is famous for its world-renowned pork tenderloin. But this Daveapps is all about burgers.
Doggone good
Fort Wayneapps Famous Coney Island, 113 W. Main St.
The first of a few hot dog joints that serve great burgers as well, this Fort Wayne legendapps burgers have a strong following but are still not on everyoneapps radar.
It is always well-seasoned, always juicy and its patty tastes fresh app yes, it is also Didierapps.
They are only $4.65 and you can even order one Coney-style app dunked in coney sauce and topped with mustard and chopped onions just like the dogs.
Jeffapps Coney, 6330 E. State Blvd.
The owner of Jeffapps is quite proud of this burger and freely boasts that its ground beef comes in fresh from Kaiserapps Food Center in Butler. This $3.49 burger was a little thicker and much juicier than its counterparts, it was seasoned nicely had just the right beefy flavor.
That beef also makes some great chili at Jeffapps, and nothing will go better with that burger than one of Jeffapps hand-spun milkshakes.
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Coney Dog Café, 357 Lincoln Highway W. and 8915 Lima Road
I have enjoyed sliders here for years, but just recently tried the full burger, which runs $6.78, and it was an epiphany. The patty from Didierapps was perfectly medium-rare and it came on a better-than-the-norm ribbed bun that was buttered and toasted.
Toppings included long, thin pickle slices, surprisingly ripe tomato slices, a full onion slice and fresh leaf lettuce. It was delicious and the only thing that could have made it better was good olapp iceberg for the added crunch that the leaf lettuce lacked.
As I sat enjoying mine, at least three more went to tables or out the door, so I am clearly not the only one that will be having this burger again and again.
Filling up
All-American Stores #8, 404 N. Jefferson St., Ossian
It was by accident I found this cheap burger gem. While taking in a sale down near Ossian, I stopped in the All-American Marathon gas station to get a drink when the aroma from behind the food counter, which had the usual fried chicken and other goodies in a warming case on it, started to make my stomach grumble.
Then a little sign touting the appsteakburgersapp caught my eye. The Ossian store is the only one grilling up delicious patties from app you guessed it app Didierapps. At just $2.79 for a single, $3.99 for a double or $5.99 for a triple, it was a great lunch option and probably the best burger in town for sure.
Ryan DuVall is a restaurant critic for app. Email him at rduvall@jg.net; call at 461-8130. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @DiningOutDuVall.
