These are the 5 Best Hamburgers (Full Patty) in North Carolina

No smashburgers on this list.

I’ve been driving across North Carolina looking for the best hamburger in the state. Smashburgers will get their own list. The full patty is its own animal — thicker, slower, more forgiving of a mediocre cook and more punishing when one phones it in.

These are the five best I’ve found. I haven’t been everywhere yet. North Carolina’s coast needs more exploring, so do the mountains and the Triangle.

One thing to note is that I only order ketchup, mustard and pickles as my toppings. I know it’s basic, but I’m not judging based on who has the highest-quality lettuce and tomatoes. And I realize that’s not Carolina style, but not all places offer a Carolina style burger. This gives a closer apples-to-apples comparison.

Here’s where the rankings stand today. This list will be updated once new contenders enter the conversation. (Last update: June 10, 2026)

Brooks’ Sandwich House in Charlotte was recently bumped from the list.

5. BrightStar Grill, Mount Holly

Cross the Gaston County line and you’ll find a small white building tucked into a neighborhood off the main road. BrightStar opened in the 1960s as a drive-in, but today you walk in and order and get transported back almost to a time when Fonzie… The decor’s been left mostly alone.

Regulars will tell you to get the LottaBurger. I went with the standard hamburger because that’s the cleaner test. It was perfectly seasoned — not aggressive about it, just enough to let the meat taste like meat without the seasoning shouting over the top. That balance is rare.

Cheap, too. Which is part of the point.

4. Al’s Burger Shack, Chapel Hill

I’ve lived in North Carolina since 2019 and it wasn’t until May 2026 that I made it to Chapel Hill for the first time. My first stop: Al’s on Franklin Street.

I get why so many UNC grads swear by this place. It was flavorful, not too expensive, and possibly best of all: You get to pick your burger temperature. That’s not common outside of nicer sit-down restaurants.

I went with medium. I know a lot of people like burgers more well done and steaks on the pinker side, but this kept safe-looking color while being juicy.

3. Parkton Grill, Parkton

Parkton doesn’t have a stoplight. It has Ruth Lowery scooping ice cream and selling antiques. It has her husband Ed across the street in the mayor’s office. And it has Parkton Grill, in a small building on David Parnell Street, where the server will redirect you if you order wrong.

I asked about the chicken-fried steak. She shook her head.

“Get the burger,” she said. She was right.

The temperature was perfect, as was the texture. A third pound of fresh USDA beef, ground in-house, never frozen. A town this small does not, statistically, have one of the best burgers in the state. Parkton does anyway.

Parkton Grill also has locations in Hope Mills and Fayetteville.

2. Market on Morehead, Charlotte

I don’t usually like bougie burgers. The price-to-taste ratio rarely works.

Market on Morehead is the exception. New spot in South End, huge patio, 25-foot screen, the kind of menu that telegraphs “elevated American” before you even sit down. The burger they put in front of me was a 5 oz grass-fed patty, smoked ketchup on a sesame bun. It was good enough that I stopped being skeptical somewhere around the second bite.

The smoked ketchup is worth the trip on its own, especially if you choose to dip the parmesan truffle fries in it. Go at least once. You’ll get it.

1. Lil Papi’s International Deli, Concord

A deli in a strip mall on Concord Parkway, next door to the bakery that makes its bread.

Lil Papi’s calls it a smash burger on the menu, but it’s not smashed. It’s a full patty, thick and well-seasoned.

The meat is incredible, and the bun you’ll remember. It isn’t a brioche or a potato bun or anything else you’ve had a burger on. It’s bolillo bread baked at Panaderia Odalys, and they walk it over fresh throughout the day. Crunchy enough to hold, soft enough to give. It reminds me a bit of Dutch crunch bread that’s all over the Bay Area.

Lil Papi’s International Deli the best full-patty burger in North Carolina for my money.

What burger do I need to try that can dethrone it?

• Other community-loved hamburger spots I’ve tried that didn’t quite make the cut: Food Freaks Hidden Gems (Salisbury); Hap’s (Salisbury); Brian’s Grill (China Grove); Char (Lexington); Come Back Shack (Boone); Hops Burger Bar (Greensboro); Park Road Soda Shop (Charlotte and Kannapolis); Goody Shop Cafe (Albemarle).