Whether customers are in the mood for a straight-forward cheeseburger or a bison patty piled high with barbecue sauce and onion straws, Basement Burger Bar has a burger to suit the occasion. The original Farmington location is an underground ode to customizable burgers, though the restaurant does offer house specials like the Band Wagon Burger topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, onion rings, and a sunny-side-up egg.

Ask anyone from Dearborn and they’ll tell you the same: The best bar burger around is found at Miller’s. This old-school burger destination first opened its doors in 1941 and has been impressing locals and visitors alike since. The burgers, fries, and onion rings are served up “commando style” on simple squares of wax paper for a no-frills gut bomb. This spot is open for dine-in as well as carryout and goes by the honors system. (Pay before you leave.) Remember to take cash or expect to pull some from the machine on-site.

Situated in a gas station in Dearborn near the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In are some of the best burgers in metro Detroit. Favorites like the Taystee Special are stacked ridiculously high with coleslaw, fries, a fried egg, tomato, oozing cheddar cheese, and spicy mayo on a brioche bun. All burgers are made with fresh, halal beef on a flat top grill. Recently Taystee’s added a bigger location in Dearborn Heights, minus the gasoline fill-ups that were so darned convenient.

When choosing between a burger and a taco (or burrito or torta) is impossible, there’s Wicho’s Burger, a Mexican food truck now situated on a parking lot at Vernor Highway and Lansing in Southwest Detroit, that features a variety of specialty burgers that the ownership says is reminiscent of the street food vendors found in Jalisco like the Hawaiian, prepared with all the typical fixings, plus a thick slice of pineapple, and ham. The truck is faithfully posted at its usual spot from 2:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 2:30 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Detroiters have been turning to Delray slider spot Motz since 1929. While there are fancier burgers on the menu, many go for the simplicity of a griddled burger or perhaps go wild with the double-stack. Motz’s old-school burgers are only upstaged by throwback prices: Sliders start at only $2.50 each. Add cheese for only 25 cents more.

Choose from 15 different burgers at this Corktown hotspot. Many items on the menu pay homage to the city including the Southwest, which features a chorizo slider, candied jalapeño relish, munster cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, and pickled carrots. Pair it with a boozy Hummer milkshake or poutine tater tots slathered in dark gravy.

With more than 50 years of service to the Corktown neighborhood, this baseball bar has staked a spot in the Detroit burger pantheon. Order the burger and dress it up with Nemo's special mustard sauce.

Mister Dips, the griddled burger and fancy soft serve joint situated in Parker’s Alley in downtown, features three burgers, including the Classic Wedge Dip, made with crispy bacon, tomato, iceberg lettuce, and blue cheese mayo. Round out the meal with waffle fries and one of the spot’s Dairy Dips — sweet soft-serve ice cream cones that come in several flavors.

Find good, classic pub burgers at this Selden Street bar. Served up with all the fixings on a bun, the classic 100 percent ground chuck burger is a thing of beauty. Kick it up a notch with barbecue, bacon, and cheddar burger. Served until midnight, it’s surely one of the best late-night eats in the city.

This popular Midtown restaurant takes its name from a familiar line uttered in Pulp Fiction about McDonald’s in France, but the relationship to limp fast food burgers ends there. Burgers here come with a range of creative toppings such as the Mia Wallace with candied turkey bacon, mesquite barbecue chips, roasted corn and poblano peppers, melty cheese, and honey-ancho barbecue sauce.

It’s all about burgers at this Eastern Market institution and here, they can’t get much fresher. Guests can select five, eight, 16 (or two 16-ounce) patties made with ground beef seasoned with house spices, and sourced directly from Saad’s down the street. For the truly daring, opt for a stuffed burger, like the Cutter’s Stuffed — consisting of an eight-ounce seasoned patty filled with bacon and cheddar cheese.

Loosely inspired by the aesthetic of that one famous burger chain on the West Coast, California Burgerz — now with a second location in Warren — carries an all-halal menu of seasoned curly fries, thick milkshakes, and juicy Angus beef burgers, like the LA Bacon Burger that comes with a quarter-pound patty, beef bacon, pickles, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, two slices of American cheese, the spot’s signature CB sauce, all on a brioche bun.

This Ferndale beer and whiskey bar is known for its Betty burger, stacked high with bacon, sharp cheddar, garlic aioli, greens, tomato, and onion, and served with hand-cut fries.

Vinsetta Garage offers juicy charbroiled burgers to suit any taste. Try the Vinsetta burger, made with two 4-ounce patties, slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickles, maple bacon, and special sauce.

Another Royal Oak institution, the Redcoat Tavern brings an A-game when it comes to burgers. Opened in 1972, regulars will argue that the location offers the best burger around. Each one is made with freshly ground beef and served “continental style” on a sesame seed bun, but many customers spring for the Piedmontese beef patties. From there, choose from even more modifications and toppings such as sauteed mushrooms, smoked gouda, and dijon mustard.

Regulars at this Royal Oak burger bar usually start with a Piedmontese beef patty and work from there. Build a custom burger with options like pretzel rolls, gorgonzola cheese, and Russian dressing or spring for one of five sliders.

Find thick, buttery patties at this sports bar, with locations in Warren and Hamtramck (note, the Hamtramck locale has been temporarily closed for several months for repairs, according to its social media page). The cheeseburgers here are classic, huge patties with American cheese melting over the side. The beef is perfectly seasoned. Add a side of waffle fries and a pitcher of draft to complete the meal.