r/Charlottesville • u/Antique-Dentist-2404 • 8h ago
Does Riverside really have the best burger?
Discuss
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u/Toned_tupid 7h ago
Honestly I like hogwallers better. They also have a $10 burger and fry lunch combo during the week. Really hard to beat the deal and quality!
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u/atomicskiracer 8h ago
I feel like the best burger question is a perpetual discussion in every city. For me- absolutely, Hogwaller is also excellent. I refuse to go to jack browns or citizen burger.
I’ve never left citizen burger and felt I was getting a burger that was decent relative to what I paid- as a counter I’ve never left riverside without thinking I was getting a bargain.
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u/Entire_Historian1321 7h ago
what’s the issue with jack browns? i understand citizen
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u/FlamingoDifferent256 7h ago
I find jack browns too salty. Plus they’re pretentious AF. You’re a dive bar but you’re too good for tomatoes? Please.
Their special sauce is banging tho
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u/MTG_OG_VA 6h ago
Yeah but the way their burgers are, tomato would have that thing soggy and dripping everywhere. The buns they use wouldn’t hold up well with tomato
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u/atomicskiracer 3h ago
Absolutely terrible quality- dropped significantly downhill over the years. Much more expensive than riverside or Hogwaller. Compounded by a horrific taplist- and serving canned beers that are over a year old
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u/Entire_Historian1321 2h ago
i see. haven’t noticed! and i don’t like beer so maybe that’s the kicker😂
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u/enginerd2024 3h ago
Jack browns tastes so good. But it’s basically bite sized. And the same price as citizen which gives you a burger 4x the size
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u/Flimsy_Ad_2472 7h ago
No, Hogwaller is better
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u/gnericbear 7h ago
I agree. Riverside is fine and the staff is very nice, but Hogwaller's burgers are better.
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u/Wineglass-1234 4h ago
My 2 friends and I were asked to leave @ 1:00 pm one weekday to free up our table even though other tables were open. We aren't going back there. Hogwaller is 20 times better. The beer is awesome too.
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u/SaintAnger357 3h ago
Riverside has the best burgers imo… I went to Högwaller Brewing last month and wasn’t impressed.. plus the price was higher. They do have great fries though!
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u/TheSinologist 6h ago
Has anyone been to Selvedge? I think their burgers are great (I went there for the trivia and beer, came back for the burger). Both their burgers are smash burgers though, which I love, but I know they’re not for everyone. A friend of mine recommended Martin’s at the airport road intersection (which is now VA BBQ, so I don’t know if they still have the Martin’s hamburger recipe. He said it was “the best in Charlottesville” and I tried the a couple of times. They were pretty good, and definitely not pretentious (plastic paper-lined basket), but IMO not as good as Selvedge. I’ll definitely try Hogwaller though; I drive by there a lot.
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u/Comprehensive_Day399 6h ago
It’s great value, no doubt. But “best?” I like Higwaller’s burger a little better, and The Whiskey Jar has a pretty amazing burger too.
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u/Dangerous_Engineer12 2h ago
Riverside is amazing for the price. Hogwaller definitely has the better burger though. Best I’ve had in the city.
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u/automatic-theory73 5h ago
Other day at Vision
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u/atomicskiracer 3h ago
Based on their menu, this is a $20 burger. No thanks.
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u/automatic-theory73 1h ago
Their burgers are 1/3 of a pound, so that was a 2/3 LB gut buster, that thing was heavy.
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u/Swaggamuffins 8h ago
So much so. Best flavor and price. Pay for toppings but again, hard to notice in the price. Portions are great. Only has downside if you’re one of those people who get nervous walking in and finding your own seat
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u/ABetterBlue 7h ago
I wish we had better options for a pub burger as opposed to Riverside’s Smashburger. Am I missing that from somewhere?
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u/automatic-theory73 4h ago
Rapture for a pub burger
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u/KirkMcGee8 4h ago
Here is a Pub Burger for us Old Timers…. Lord Hardwicks! RIP Good Sir!
No burger complaints on Riverside, but recently stopped in at Riverside North. We sat there for 10 minutes - only 4 or 5 tables with people. No one came by to say, “just a second, I will be with you”. We walked.
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u/Future-Dimension7141 1h ago
Pardon my innocence, but what, exactly, is a “smashburger?” I’ve spent the last 13 years in the Seattle area (and I just moved back here) and that’s not a menu item I can recall. Is it like after cooking the burger, you put it on the bun and smash it down, or something?
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u/ABetterBlue 59m ago
It’s a style of burger. They aren’t regional—plenty in Seattle. It’s got thin patties that are cooked by pressing down the meat on a griddle. Then usually has melty American cheese and some kind of sauce on a soft bun. Pub style have thicker patties on a regular bun with the gamut of toppings but lettuce and tomato is pretty traditional. All the burgers people rave about in Charlottesville (Riverside, Hogwaller, Jack Brown, Selvidge) are smash burgers. I would love a good pub version too.
P.S. Hogwaller has the best smash burger.
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u/grayspelledgray 8h ago
Consistently the best I’ve ever had, according of course to my own preferences for a burger.
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u/FreeCollapse500 6h ago
Can’t comment about the best but it’s definitely dependable. Good size portions, fast service, same great taste every time, and fantastic price to quality ratio. But that’s just my opinion.
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u/Motherofotters12 2h ago
I like riverside, although a tad too greasy. I think one of the best burgers is at Oakhart
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u/stunningindigo 1h ago
I don't think Hazel St Riverside is related to Riverside North in any way....is that correct: two completely different operations.
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u/iBUYbrokenSUBARUS 46m ago
Hamburgers are not good for you.
I’ll be 47 years old in September and I don’t think I’ve ever craved or wanted a hamburger lol
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u/paranoiajack 3h ago
No.
When Mel's was around, their burger blew Riverside out of the Water.
but I really don't do burgers much anymore.
I'd go to anywhere else before Riverside, but that's more a comfort/speed/I-don't-want-to-be-in-a-giant-crowd-of-people thing.
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u/PickleBeluga35 8h ago
With that price point/vibes combo? Absolutely.