Best Burgers in La Crosse, Ranked

Where can you find the best burger in La Crosse?

The answer depends on what you want: an old-fashioned tavern burger, a thin smash burger with caramelized edges, a half-pound burger served on French bread or an elaborate creation topped with pulled pork, bacon and cheese.

To create this ranking, we considered recommendations from a La Crosse Area Foodie Facebook discussion, reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor and other dining sites, current restaurant menus and one local burger enthusiast’s scored “burger quest.” We also gave considerable weight to the number of recommendations each restaurant received from other La Crosse-area residents.

Here is our countdown to the best burger in La Crosse.

10. The Hungry Peddler

The Hungry Peddler has served the La Crosse area since 1976. The longstanding Mormon Coulee Road restaurant is known for hamburgers, steaks, homestyle cooking and its Peddler Brau house beer, brewed by Capital Brewery.

Its burgers are especially distinctive because they are not served on conventional hamburger buns. The restaurant uses a half-pound of fresh Angus ground beef and serves it on grilled French bread with french fries and pickles.

Choices include a traditional cheeseburger, Windsorburger with bacon and cheddar, Mushroomburger with mushrooms and Swiss, and the J.B. Winder Burger with bacon, mushrooms, onions, Swiss and cheddar.

The Hungry Peddler also appeared at the top of another local diner’s list of 20 classic cheeseburgers.

What to order: Cheeseburger or J.B. Winder Burger

Best for: A substantial old-school burger on French bread

Location: 3429 Mormon Coulee Road, La Crosse

View The Hungry Peddler’s menu or get directions.

9. The Sandwich Shop & Dirty Soda Bar

The Sandwich Shop & Dirty Soda Bar is a newer downtown restaurant that quickly developed a following after relocating from Sparta and reopening in La Crosse in 2026.

The menu includes several smash burgers, including an Oklahoma-style burger with thin patties smashed over onions on the griddle. The restaurant also serves hot and cold sandwiches, cheesesteaks and customizable dirty sodas. Its late-night service on select Friday and Saturday nights makes it an especially intriguing option for an after-hours burger downtown.

The Sandwich Shop has not accumulated as many years of reviews as La Crosse institutions such as Sloopy’s or The Hungry Peddler, but its early momentum earns it a place in the top 10.

What to order: Oklahoma Smash Burger with a dirty soda

Best for: Families, smash burgers and creative nonalcoholic drinks

Location: 411 Third Street South, La Crosse

Learn more from Explore La Crosse or follow The Sandwich Shop on Facebook.

8. The Barrel Inn Bar & Grill

The restaurant’s signature Barrel Burger has an unusual side-by-side construction. Two 1/3-pound patties are placed next to each other on an elongated hoagie bun and topped with ham, American cheese, Swiss cheese, lettuce and Barrel Sauce.

The Baby Barrel offers a more manageable version with one patty on a conventional hamburger bun. As one local commenter helpfully explained, the Baby Barrel is still a normal-sized burger—the full Barrel is simply enormous.

Other choices include a bacon cheeseburger, Shroom & Swiss Burger, Bacon Blue Burger, patty melt and Hangover Burger.

The Barrel Inn also offers a dine-in Monday special featuring select 1/3-pound burgers for $7 from 6 to 9 p.m. Check the restaurant’s specials page to confirm the promotion before visiting.

What to order: Baby Barrel for a regular meal or the full Barrel if you are especially hungry

Best for: A distinctive La Crosse tavern burger at a reasonable price

Location: 2005 West Avenue South, La Crosse

View The Barrel Inn menu or check its current specials.

7. Fork & Fable Crafthouse

Fork & Fable drew multiple endorsements in the larger community discussion. A local commenter also reported that its hand-pressed patties come from Holmen Locker and Meat Market.

The restaurant’s chef-driven approach means the toppings and featured burger can change. That unpredictability is part of the appeal: you might encounter a familiar pub burger on one visit and a more adventurous combination the next.

Fork & Fable is particularly useful when one person wants a burger while everyone else wants a broader menu of creative appetizers, entrées and cocktails.

What to order: Pub Burger or the featured burger special

Best for: Creative toppings and a broader chef-driven menu

Location: 1003 16th Street South, La Crosse

Follow Fork & Fable on Facebook or read its recent Google reviews.

6. Neuie’s Vogue Bar & Grill

The restaurant is home to the Flash Burger, one of the most unusual burgers anywhere in the region. It begins with a hamburger steak and cheese, which is covered in hash browns and topped with another layer of cheese. Pickles and wheat toast are served alongside it.

The Everything Flash adds mushrooms, onions and green peppers. The Supreme goes even further with bacon and jalapeños.

For something closer to a conventional burger, Neuie’s offers a Smash Burger made with two seasoned four-ounce patties, fried onions and cheese. The Hog Wild Burger combines pepper jack, pulled pork, bacon, barbecue sauce and coleslaw.

What to order: Everything Flash Burger or Hog Wild Burger

Best for: A singular La Crosse burger experience you will not find elsewhere

Location: 1820 George Street, La Crosse

Explore Neuie’s burger menu or get directions.

5. Sloopy’s Alma Mater Bar & Grill

A La Crosse favorite since 1969, Sloopy’s is known for its “Big Ten” burgers and casual sports-bar atmosphere. Its burgers are large, freshly prepared and piled with toppings inspired by Big Ten country.

The Wisconsin Burger embraces its Dairy State identity with bacon, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, Swiss and American cheeses, lettuce and tomato. Reviewers also frequently praise the homemade chips, tater tots and rotating craft-beer selection.

Sloopy’s is not attempting to create a delicate or minimalist burger. This is a substantial neighborhood-bar burger designed for a serious appetite.

What to order: Wisconsin Burger

Best for: Big appetites, watching sports and classic bar food

Location: 163 Copeland Avenue, La Crosse

Visit Sloopy’s or read its Google reviews.

4. The Crow

The downtown gastropub offers more than a dozen specialty burgers made with fresh, never-frozen Angus beef.

One commenter specifically praised the double-stacked Hawaiian-style burger. Currently called the Aloha Burger, it features two quarter-pound patties with lettuce, red onion, pineapple, provolone and Memphis Sweet BBQ sauce.

Other possibilities include the signature Crow Burger with pecan-wood bacon, provolone, fried onion and garlic mayo; the Sriracha Bourbon Pork Burger; Glazed Doughnut Burger; Cheese Curd Burger; and a Grilled Cheese Burger served between two grilled American cheese sandwiches.

The Crow also offers a considerable bourbon selection and several side choices. The Crow Combo Fries were another favorite in the local discussion.

What to order: The Crow Burger, Aloha Burger or Sriracha Bourbon Pork Burger

Best for: Creative toppings, downtown dining and bourbon

Location: 100 Third Street South, La Crosse

Explore The Crow’s burger menu or get directions.

3. Fathead Steve’s Bar & Grill

The burgers lean hearty and flavorful rather than minimalist. Current choices include the BBQ Bacon Burger, Mushroom Swiss Burger and Jimmy Melt. The Jimmy Melt combines pepper jack, white cheddar, fried onions and mustard aioli.

Fathead Steve’s is also known for its slow-cooked meats, including Vietnamese pulled pork and its popular Cubano. That attention to savory, slow-cooked flavors carries over to its burger menu.

Burgers typically come with a bag of chips. French fries, curly fries and battered pickle fries are available as upgrades.

What to order: Jimmy Melt or BBQ Bacon Burger

Best for: A substantial burger, bold flavors and casual drinks

Location: 324 Jay Street, La Crosse

View Fathead Steve’s on Google Maps or follow the restaurant on Facebook.

2. Flatiron Cafe & Bar

Flatiron is the newest restaurant near the top of this ranking—and the one generating some of the strongest current enthusiasm.

The downtown restaurant opened in spring 2026 in the former Schuby’s location. Despite being new, Flatiron received more individual endorsements in the Facebook discussion than nearly any other contender.

Its burger is intentionally simple: local beef, house pickles and special sauce on a toasted bun. Customers can order it as a single, double or triple and add bacon.

Several commenters called Flatiron the clear winner. Another described the difference between two of her favorites particularly well: The Big Lady offers a juicy half-pound burger, while Flatiron serves an elevated smash burger.

The thick, smoky bacon also received a specific recommendation.

Belgian-style frites with garlic aioli are available separately. They are not automatically included with the burger, so remember to add them to your order.

What to order: Double Flatiron Burger with bacon and Belgian-style frites

Best for: An elevated smash burger with local ingredients

Location: 321 State Street, La Crosse

View Flatiron’s menu or find it on Google Maps.

1. Food Dudes

Food Dudes is located in Holmen rather than La Crosse proper, but excluding it would ignore one of the most enthusiastically recommended burgers in the entire discussion.

The family-run, anime-themed restaurant specializes in burgers and other casual comfort food. Its burger meat is sourced from Holmen Locker and Meat Market and cooked on a seasoned flat-top grill.

Multiple commenters specifically cited the fresh, juicy local beef as the reason Food Dudes stands out. The restaurant is also known for its seasoned tater tots and house-made ranch.

Food Dudes requires a short drive north from La Crosse, but the volume of local support suggests it is worth the trip.

What to order: The Dude or another specialty smash burger

Best for: Locally sourced beef and crisp, caramelized edges

Location: 208 South Holmen Drive, Holmen

Visit Food Dudes or get directions.

Now it’s your turn? What’s your favorite burger? Take the poll and VOTE!

More La Crosse-Area Burgers Worth Trying

The greater La Crosse area has far too many good burgers to fit into a top 10. These restaurants also received recommendations or deserve consideration:

• Milwaukee Burger Company in La Crosse, known for specialty burgers, oversized cheese curds and elaborate Wisconsin-inspired creations

• Crooked Pint Ale House, specializing in cheese-stuffed Lucys and smash burgers

• Howie’s on La Crosse, which serves fresh Hereford burgers and offers a popular Monday two-for-one burger special

• The Big Lady in Onalaska, praised for its juicy half-pound burger

• Red Pines Bar & Grill near Lake Onalaska

• Houghton’s Jackson Street Pub in La Crosse

• Houghton’s and Features in Holmen, particularly for their French onion burgers

• River Rats on French Island

• The Dugout on French Island, known for the Mound Burger

• Robin’s Nest on French Island

• Alpine Inn on Bliss Road

• The Rookery at Coulee Golf Bowl

• Blue Moon in Onalaska

• Crossroads Bar & Grill

• Kramer’s Bar & Grill

• Vintage Kitchen in Onalaska

• Rudy’s Drive-In, a seasonal La Crosse institution

• La Crosse Distilling Co.

• JavaVino

Several farther-flung destinations also earned votes, including Stockyard Grill & Saloon in Coon Valley, The Thirsty Turtle in Stoddard, Rudy’s Bar in Genoa, Trempealeau Hotel and Four Corners in Centerville.

Who Has YOUR Best Burger in La Crosse?

The best answer ultimately depends on your preferred burger style:

Best overall: Fathead Steve’s

Best elevated smash burger: Flatiron

Best burger outside La Crosse: Food Dudes

Best creative burger menu: The Crow

Most distinctive burger: Neuie’s Flash Burger

Best oversized tavern burger: The Barrel Inn

Best old-school burger: The Hungry Peddler

Best new family-friendly option: The Sandwich Shop & Dirty Soda Bar

Visiting from outside the area? Pair your burger stop with our complete family guide to La Crosse, a trip to Grandad Bluff featured in our Milwaukee-to-South Dakota road-trip story, or more ideas from our guide to 72 unique Wisconsin adventures.

Have a favorite we missed? Share your pick—and the exact burger we should order—in the comments.