A great burger place is something every town in America should have. In Madison, there is no shortage of burgers. With many establishments around the town, who chars the best beef? We went to 3 popular burger places in town to answer this for ourselves. Starting with Bottle Hill Tavern, then Five Guys, and finally 54 Main. To keep everything fair, we ordered the same burgers from each establishment. Let’s get right into it with Bottle Hill.
Bottle Hill Tavern is located in the center of town, and finding a parking spot is not easy. We went on a Sunday and it was crowded with many people at the bar but the atmosphere was still great with music playing, TVs airing football and a hostess with an accommodating attitude. They had 3 burger choices but we all ordered the build your own burger. As established, I got mine with just the burger, bacon, mushrooms, and onions. Greg got a plain hamburger to test how the burger can stand alone, and Jack got a plain burger with cheese. Each burger was $12 which is a good price to be able to choose from many ingredients. We all thought the bun was nice and soft with a nice char from the grill, but fell apart while we ate it. The burger was on the larger side and was very filling. The bacon was also cooked well and gave a crunchy addition to the burger. Jack said the cheese melted well and added good flavor to the burger. Overall the burger patty at Bottle Hill stood out the most out of all the elements as it was cooked to perfection and very juicy. Overall our Ratings James Amorosi 7.9 , Jack O’Donnell 7.9, Greg Randall 7.3
Our next stop was Five Guys located on main street a few blocks from the center of town, and I can say we were all super excited, because it is one of the most famous burger franchises around. Right when you walk in, you’re confronted by the red theme of the restaurant and various quotes of great reviews on the walls. The person taking our order was very sharp and got our orders placed quickly and efficiently. Our food came quickly in 5 minutes, and the first bite lived up to our expectations. Greg stated that it was the most perfect level of juiciness in a burger that he’d ever had. I found my burger to be the same and I believe it was a perfect mix of all the ingredients, and the bun absorbed them all. Jack said the cheese was superb and complimented the patty well. The smashed patties also had a great char on them and were seasoned very well. Overall, we were very pleased with our Five Guys experience. Overall our Ratings: James Amorosi 8.0 , Jack O’Donnell 8.2 , Greg Randall 8.4
Finally on to, 54 Main, located also in the center of town right across the street from Bottle Hill. As we entered we were greeted by a dark but lively atmosphere as there were a lot of football fans rooting for their favorite teams on Sunday. The staff greeted us with hellos and nice conversation as we sat down and ordered. We received the burger after a longer wait than we wanted but it was nice and hot, and had a strong aroma of beef that filled our noses. After our first bite, it was clear that 54 Main cooks a good burger. Jack said the cheese pull was perfect. We all found the bun to be a great foundation to the burger as it held everything together perfectly. That’s really the only thing that stood out too much, every other ingredient was good but not remarkable.
Overall our Ratings: James Amorosi 7.2, Jack O’Donnell 8.3, Greg Randall 6.9.
After thoughtful consideration we all think that Five Guys made the best burger. The way all the ingredients came together and how smashed patties were seasoned, made the burger special. We did enjoy the other two establishments and they make a quality burger too, but if you’re in between choose Five Guys. Overall our experience at each restaurant was very good and Madison has some fine burgers to offer.