The Midwest's Best Burgers

112 Eatery, Minneapolis Melty Brie and housemade sweet pickles top the only Burger ($9) on the menu at a chic restaurant with a James Beard Award rep. But the place isn't stuffy at all. English muffins do a dinner-time turn as burger buns (genius!), and you'll feel right at home dunking your fries in the tarragon aioli or a side of the kicky Sriracha mayonnaise. See Midwest Living's review. (612) 343-7696; 112eatery.com

Blanc Burgers and Bottles, Leawood, Kansas Kansas City's suburban foodies dig the meaty $100 Burger, a $14.95 concoction filled with red-wine-braised short ribs, but we also love the Inside Out, a $10.95 burger stuffed with blue cheese and topped with a fried egg and smoked applewood bacon. See Midwest Living's review. (913) 381-4500; blancburgers.com

The Blue Door Pub, Saint Paul The $6.50 Blucy is the neighborhood pub's take on Minnesota's favorite burger genre, the Juicy Lucy (made like a meat Ding Dong, with the cheese inside). Here, the char-grilled Angus beef patties dress up 10 ways; the Lumberjack comes stuffed with Gouda, bacon and a dash of cayenne then topped with maple syrup. In a word, sublime. See Midwest Living's review. (651) 493-1865; thebdp.com

Brasserie V, Madison, Wisconsin Fountain Prairie Farms' dry-aged Highland ground beef serves as the chef's canvas at a casual neighborhood bistro. The V Burger ($10) comes with battered onion straws, Muenster cheese, spinach, tomato and aioli on toasted Madison sourdough bread. Pair it with a dark, rich Belgian ale. See Midwest Living's review. (608) 255-8500; brasseriev.com

Pictured: Imported beers and European fare make Brasserie V feel like a fancy twist on a college bar, just blocks from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.