There’s no shortage of burger joints in Columbus, but for every household name slinging patties, there’s a lowkey spot quietly changing lives one bite at a time. These are the places your friend “who knows a guy who knows a guy” swears by. The joints tucked in alleys, trucks wedged between buildings, or restaurants that don’t even technically specialize in burgers but absolutely crush them anyway.
And yes, I’ve eaten every single one of these. Some I’ve had more times than I’d care to admit. Others are recent discoveries that sent me spiraling into a burger-fueled existential crisis (hence the timing of this article).
These are five of the most underrated burger spots in Columbus and Central Ohio, in no particular order — because ranking them would be like ranking your children (if your children were greasy, cheesy, griddled-to-perfection slabs of joy)…