The Best Burgers in Washington County, Ranked

Washington County has quietly developed one of southeastern Wisconsin’s strongest burger scenes.

You can find thin, crispy smash burgers in Hartford and Germantown, half-pound tavern burgers around Slinger, creative monthly specials in Kewaskum and a West Bend creation that was officially crowned Wisconsin’s best burger.

This ranking considers statewide recognition, local reputation, originality, consistency and the overall dining experience. We also reviewed recommendations from Washington County diners and Facebook discussions.

Menus, prices and hours can change, so check directly with each restaurant before making a special trip.

For more burger inspiration, explore our rankings of the best burgers in Ozaukee County, the best burgers in Port Washington and 55 unique burgers to try around Greater Milwaukee.

Here are the 15 best burgers in Washington County, counting down to our top-ranked destination.

How We Ranked the Burgers

This ranking blends several factors rather than relying only on online reviews:

• Burger quality and execution

• Originality and signature menu offerings

• Local reputation and recommendations

• Statewide awards and recognition

• Consistency

• Atmosphere and overall dining experience

Brazen Head’s 2025 statewide championship and Game Over’s 2026 Elite Eight selection carried significant weight. Community recommendations helped identify less-publicized destinations, particularly around Slinger, Hartford, Hubertus and Germantown.

15. Jimmy’s Restaurant & Bar — Jackson

Jimmy’s Restaurant & Bar is a dependable choice for families who want a traditional burger without the oversized toppings or gastropub presentation.

The longtime Jackson restaurant specializes in familiar American comfort food served in generous portions. Its burger is the classic diner-style version: fresh beef, a soft bun and plenty of opportunities to add cheese, bacon, mushrooms or sautéed onions.

Jimmy’s is also a convenient option when different members of the family want different things. Its broad menu stretches well beyond burgers, making it an easy lunch or dinner stop.

Best for: A relaxed family meal
What to order: Cheeseburger with bacon and upgraded fries

14. The Drinking Well Tavern & Grill — Hartford

The burger menu at The Drinking Well Tavern & Grill is built around chargrilled patties and hearty bar-food combinations.

The Hartford-area tavern specifically highlights its Hangover Burger among its signature sandwiches. The restaurant also serves wings, appetizers, pizza and other tavern staples in a casual setting with pool tables and televisions. (The Drinking Well Tavern)

This is not a minimalist smash-burger destination. The Drinking Well is the place for a substantial, fully loaded pub burger with a cold drink and a laid-back atmosphere.

Best for: A hearty chargrilled burger
What to order: Hangover Burger

13. Sheryl’s Club 175 — Slinger

WISCO burger topped with melted beer cheese, cheese curds, and crispy bacon

The family-owned neighborhood bar has operated since 1999 and serves a broad pub menu that includes several burger options. Its appeal comes from friendly service, straightforward food and the comfortable feeling of a true local gathering place.

Best for: A neighborhood-bar burger
What to order: The Classic or Wisco Burger

12. Uncle Larry’s Rustic Inn — Hartford

Uncle Larry’s Rustic Inn is a classic Wisconsin tavern rather than a modern burger bar. Expect a substantial patty, melted cheese, familiar toppings and a relaxed setting where the burger is meant to be enjoyed with fries and a cold drink.

The menu has included choices such as a traditional butter burger and more elaborate specialty combinations, giving diners the option to keep things simple or add a few indulgent toppings.

Best for: An old-school Wisconsin tavern burger
What to order: Butter Burger

11. Jug’s Hitching Post — Kohlsville

Jug’s Hitching Post is a rural Washington County destination known for substantial portions and fresh Black Angus burgers.

The menu includes half-pound burgers and an enormous one-pound cheeseburger for especially ambitious diners. Burgers come with a choice of cheese and can be customized with additions such as bacon or mushrooms. (Jug's Hitching Post)

Jug’s is not trying to reinvent the hamburger. Its appeal is the satisfying simplicity of a thick, juicy tavern burger grilled to order.

The Kohlsville location also makes it a good stop before or after exploring the northern part of Washington County.

Best for: A big, traditional beef burger
What to order: Half-pound cheeseburger

10. Joe Mama’s Bar & Grill — Colgate

Joe Mama’s Bar & Grill has developed a loyal following through its rotating smash-burger creations.

The restaurant regularly experiments with different cheeses, sauces, vegetables and crispy toppings. Its weekly burger specials can be more adventurous than the standard neighborhood-bar offering, making Joe Mama’s a destination for diners who want to try something new.

The regular menu also includes a simpler smash burger for anyone who prefers beef, cheese and sautéed onions without an elaborate stack of toppings.

Check the restaurant’s current menu or social media pages before visiting because the specialty burger can change.

Best for: Creative burger specials
What to order: The featured smash burger

9. Bilda’s Friess Lake Pub — Hubertus

Bilda’s Friess Lake Pub is a longstanding favorite near Friess Lake and one of the most frequently recommended casual restaurants in the Hubertus area.

The restaurant serves traditional pub burgers in a rustic setting that feels especially appropriate after hiking, boating or exploring nearby parks. Bilda’s burgers lean more classic than experimental, focusing on a well-cooked patty, melted cheese and familiar Wisconsin tavern toppings.

The restaurant’s location, atmosphere and broad menu make it a strong option for families and groups. Bilda’s also appears in our guide to gluten-free fish fries around Milwaukee, though diners with dietary restrictions should confirm preparation procedures directly with the restaurant.

Best for: A burger after outdoor adventures
What to order: Bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions

8. The Stillery — Richfield

The Stillery is widely known for its whiskey collection, but its burgers deserve attention of their own.

The Sonoran Burger combines a beef patty with roasted jalapeños, caramelized onions, bacon, pepper jack cheese and roasted-garlic aioli. The result balances spice, sweetness, smoke and richness without completely overwhelming the beef.

Other choices appeal to diners who prefer classic toppings, mushrooms or blue cheese. The Stillery’s cocktails and spirits program also makes it one of the best destinations on this list for an adults’ night out.

Families can still feel comfortable dining here, particularly during lunch and early dinner hours.

Best for: Burgers with bourbon or cocktails
What to order: Sonoran Burger

7. The Slinger House — Slinger

The Slinger House gives diners a choice between thick, chargrilled burgers and crisp-edged smash burgers.

The Jalapeño Popper Burger features a half-pound patty with cream cheese, bacon, jalapeños and pickles on a toasted brioche bun. The Laredo Smash Burger layers two smash patties with cheddar, pepper jack, bacon, jalapeño haystack onions and two styles of barbecue sauce.

The restaurant also serves California and mushroom-Swiss versions for diners looking for something less spicy.

The historic tavern setting and recently revitalized menu have helped make The Slinger House one of the community’s most notable restaurant comeback stories.

Best for: Choosing between smashed and chargrilled
What to order: Jalapeño Popper Burger or Laredo Smash Burger

6. Local Press Burger Bar — Kewaskum

Local Press Burger Bar brings a more contemporary burger-bar approach to downtown Kewaskum.

The restaurant is known for hand-formed burgers, specialty combinations, scratch-made sauces and rotating burger-and-fry features. It also offers alternatives such as gluten-free buns and lettuce wraps, making the menu easier to navigate for diners with different dietary preferences.

Local Press reached the Elite Eight of the Wisconsin Beef Council’s 2025 Best Burger Contest, placing it among the most recognized burger destinations in the state that year.

The restaurant’s greatest strength is variety. A diner can order a familiar cheeseburger during one visit and return for an entirely different monthly creation the next time.

Best for: Monthly specials and customization
What to order: Burger of the Month

5. Bibinger’s Bar & Restaurant — West Bend/Slinger Area

Bibinger’s Bar & Restaurant offers one of the most polished burger experiences in Washington County.

Located just outside Slinger in a historic building with deep roots in the community, Bibinger’s operates more like a contemporary gastropub than a traditional corner tavern.

Its signature burger has featured a substantial beef patty, multiple cheeses, caramelized onions, bacon and house sauce on a sturdy pretzel-style roll. The combination is rich, but the quality of the beef and locally inspired ingredients keeps it from becoming just another overloaded bar burger.

Bibinger’s is particularly well suited to date nights, celebratory dinners and visitors looking for a more elevated meal near Slinger.

Best for: An upscale gastropub burger
What to order: Bibinger Burger

4. Smash Daddy’s — Hartford

Smash Daddy’s has become one of Hartford’s most talked-about restaurants.

The concept began as a mobile food operation before moving into a permanent location. Its burgers are made by pressing fresh beef against a hot griddle, creating thin patties with deeply browned, crispy edges.

The signature Smash Daddy is an unapologetically loaded creation topped with cheddar, pickles, fried jalapeños, onion straws, smash sauce and Wisconsin cheese curds. Other burgers use combinations such as mushrooms, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, pineapple or bourbon sauce.

Smash Daddy’s was among the most frequently recommended restaurants in the Washington County Facebook discussion, even though the original question specifically asked about burgers closer to Slinger.

That enthusiastic following helps push it into the top four.

Best for: Big, creative smash burgers
What to order: The Smash Daddy

3. Bixenberg Tavern — Germantown

Bixenberg Tavern may be Washington County’s strongest word-of-mouth burger destination.

The tavern specializes in hand-pressed burgers, Wisconsin craft beer and a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere. Its signature Bixenburger keeps the formula relatively straightforward, pairing the beef with cheese, caramelized onions, pickles and tomato on a soft brioche bun.

That restraint is part of the appeal. The burger is not buried beneath cheese sauce, fried appetizers or a dozen toppings. The griddled beef remains the centerpiece.

Bixenberg was repeatedly recommended by Washington County residents, including diners who described it as worth the drive and argued that few restaurants make a better smash burger.

Best for: A simple burger executed extremely well
What to order: No. 01 Bixenburger

2. Game Over — West Bend

Game Over pairs serious smash burgers with an entertaining retro-arcade atmosphere.

The restaurant’s thin patties develop a deeply browned crust on the flat-top before being layered with combinations of American cheese, provolone, caramelized onions, bacon, cheese sauce and the restaurant’s tangy Atari sauce.

The Homie is the ideal starting point, combining two smash patties with American cheese, caramelized onions and Atari sauce. More elaborate options add bacon, provolone, truffle aioli, jalapeño cream cheese or dipping sauces.

Game Over was selected for the Wisconsin Beef Council’s 2026 Elite Eight, confirming its status as one of the state’s top burger destinations.

The arcade games make it especially appealing for families, groups of friends and anyone who wants more than a standard sit-down meal.

Best for: Families and arcade fans
What to order: The Homie

1. Brazen Head Pub — West Bend

Brazen Head Pub takes the top spot in our Washington County burger ranking.

The downtown West Bend pub’s Brazen Beer Cheese Burger won the Wisconsin Beef Council’s 2025 Best Burger Contest. The half-pound Angus patty is topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, onion rings and house-made Harp beer cheese, all served on a pretzel roll.

It is a big, rich and unmistakably Wisconsin burger. The beer cheese coats the beef, the bacon adds smoke and salt, and the onion rings provide enough crunch to balance the softer ingredients.

Brazen Head also offers customizable burgers for diners who would rather build their own combination.

Bixenberg may be the local purist’s choice. Game Over may offer the most entertaining experience. Smash Daddy’s may have the loudest recent buzz. But Brazen Head has combined long-term local support with the strongest statewide recognition of any burger restaurant in Washington County.

Until another county restaurant takes the title, the Wisconsin Best Burger trophy earns Brazen Head the No. 1 position.

Best for: Washington County’s definitive destination burger
What to order: Brazen Beer Cheese Burger

Burger Superlatives

Best overall burger: Brazen Head Pub

Best traditional smash burger: Bixenberg Tavern

Best family experience: Game Over

Best loaded smash burger: Smash Daddy’s

Best upscale burger: Bibinger’s

Best rotating specials: Local Press Burger Bar

Best Slinger burger: The Slinger House

Best old-school tavern burger: Uncle Larry’s Rustic Inn

Biggest burger: Jug’s Hitching Post

Restaurant hours, prices and menu items can change. Confirm current details directly with each restaurant before visiting.

Continue exploring with our guides to the best burgers in Ozaukee County, best burgers in Port Washington, best pizza in Washington County and best kid-friendly restaurants across Greater Milwaukee.

Now you tell us what you like the best! Take our poll to crown the people’s champion.