Here’s where you get your favorite burgers (both bougie and budget orders).
Where are the Queen City’s most beloved fancy and no-frills hamburger joints?
As we suspected, our inaugural Bougie vs. Budget series caught the attention of many local burger fans who were more than happy to share the places we missed.
There were only two rules:
Traditional hamburger: We wanted a classic, traditional hamburger, not the modern smashburger redux.
Homegrown, locally-based: The spots had to be locally owned — and that can include local chains, as long as they have Charlotte roots and are not major national chains.
What I landed on as winners were Rusty’s for a budget burger ($7.99 on Tuesdays, plus a half order of fries for $1.99) and 131 Main for a bougie burger ($19 with fries and a free tea. In the end — by a thin margin — Rusty’s edged out 131 Main for me, due to its generous burger size and fries portion for the price.
Here’s where you told us to try for Round Two, including both bougie and budget burgers.
Bougie hamburgers
300 East
Location: 300 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
- $15, Shipley Farms grass-fed burger
Alexander Michael’s
Location: 401 W 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
$16, Half-pound fresh Angus Chuck burger
Foxcroft Food & Wine
Location: 1235 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 7824 Fairview Rd, Charlotte, NC 28226
Location: 7416 Waverly Walk Ave, Suite H-1A, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 16915 Birkdale Commons Pkwy Suite A, Huntersville, NC 28078
- $19, house-ground burger
- $16 half-pound burger with a side
Reid’s Fine Foods
Location: 2823 Selwyn Ave, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 4331 Barclay Downs Dr, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 135 Levine Avenue of the Arts #120, Charlotte, NC 28202
- $17, Reid’s Steakburger
Comet Grill
Location: 2224 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28203
- $14 hamburger, includes a side
- $22 two-patty burger The Biggz
Budget hamburgers
ACE No. 3
Location: 829 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
Location: 101 S Tryon St UNIT 120, Charlotte, NC 28280
Location: 1001 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 8520 Pit Stop Ct NW #10, Concord, NC 28027
- $7.95 single ACE burger
Clark’s Snack Bar
Location: 3001 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
- $6.95 single; sides like pickle spears start at $1.95
- $8.95 double hamburger
Brooks Sandwich House
Location: 2710 N Brevard St, Charlotte, NC 28205
- $6.50 single; fries are $3.75 extra
- $9.75 double hamburger
Hinson’s Drive‑In
Location: 2761 CPCC Ln, Matthews, NC 28105
- $5.75 burger
Ted’s Restaurant
Location: 8625 Monroe Rd G, Charlotte, NC 28212
- $5.05 hamburger; $2.35 french fries side
South 21
Location: 3101 E Independence Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 11450 E Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105
Location: 6920 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28213
Location: 6116 Brookshire Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28216
- $4.95 hamburger; $2.60 small fries
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
