Right up there with eating a steak when you're visiting Kansas is treating yourself to a good burger when in the heart of the country.
Wichita is chock-full of bar and grill options where you can order a tasty burger but if you’re looking for a unique burger to try, we’ve got 19 that will hit the spot.
6S Steakhouse
True to its upscale American steakhouse roots, 6S Steakhouse elevates the burger on its menu. Enjoy a blend of their in-house 28-day dry-aged ribeye, KC Strip and filet topped with Oregon Tillamook white cheddar and crispy onion rings, along with bacon jam and garlic aioli. This delectable burger is served on a brioche bun.
The Anchor
Among the most unusual Wichita burgers is The Haystack, an open-faced burger piled with fries and queso on Texas toast. Plus, The Anchor grinds their meat daily at the adjacent butcher shop, The Anchor Meat Market. Variations include Burn Baby Burn, adding chili and grilled jalapeños on toasted jalapeño bread, or the Poutine Haystack, adding white cheese curds and beefy poutine gravy stacked on to the original.
Bricktown Brewery
A burger that tastes like a home-cooked breakfast? Sure, why not! At Bricktown Brewery (east and west), you can order a burger – complete with a fried egg, hashbrowns, American cheese, sweet, peppered bacon and burger sauce – to tackle your hunger and satisfy your craving for breakfast any time of day.
Dave & Buster's
Whether you decide to devour it all yourself or split it with a friend, the Beastmode Bacon Burger at Dave & Buster's is sure to quell your hunger. They start with Blue Moon BBQ braised pork belly and then add on applewood smoked bacon, sharp white cheddar cheese, bacon jam, lettuce and roasted tomato aioli.
Dempsey’s Burger Pub
On a menu full of burger options, one of the most distinctive is the Hot Hawaiian Kobe from Dempsey's Burger Pub. It’s not just the Sriracha aioli that spices things up, it’s the pineapple-jalapeño chutney too. The Kansas-raised Wagyu beef burger is topped with thick cut bacon, bibb lettuce and served on a pretzel bun. Don’t even think about skipping the fries. They have regular, truffle, duck fat, fire and sweet potato to choose from and dip in their signature sauces.
Deano’s Grill & Tapworks
In addition to being known as a great place to watch a game because of their 23 big screen televisions, Deano’s Grill & Tapworks is also known for their artisan wood-fired pizzas, house-made salads and mouth-watering burgers. On the unique side is their Fat Kid Deluxe, which comes with a juicy beef patty, cheddar cheese, Canadian bacon, mayonnaise, and an over-easy egg all served on a butter-toasted egg kaiser bun.
Emerson Biggins Old Town
A visit to Wichita wouldn’t be complete without some time spent exploring the Old Town District, which is a great way to work up an appetite. The E.B. Burger at Emerson Biggins Old Town is sure to satisfy. It’s a juicy burger topped with a fried egg, smoked ham, cheddar cheese and mushrooms, along with lettuce, tomato, pickle and red onion.
The Flying Stove
The menu constantly rotates at The Flying Stove, one of the first and longest operating food trucks in Wichita. One thing is for sure: whatever burger offering is on the current menu will be exceptional. For example, an All-American burger featuring local Creekstone Farms beef, American cheese, iceberg lettuce and Stove Special Sauce.
The Hill Bar & Grill
After finding murals in the Douglas Design District, head over to The Hill Bar and Grill to fill up on good food and a wide selection of craft beers. Sure to please, their memorable Shack-Out Burger starts with either single, double or triple quarter-pound beef patties and is layered with double the American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and special sauce on a potato roll.
Hurricane Sports Grill
Mushroom lovers, this one is for you. Hurricane Sports Grill’s Mushroom Burger makes sauteed mushrooms the star in this burger. They stack them high on a half-pound of ground beef with mild swiss cheese and creamy mayonnaise – all between a brioche bun. Other indulgent options include the Macdaddy and Hangover burgers.
Jax Restaurant & Bar
Whether you choose the Filet Cheeseburger or the Mushroom Swiss at Jax Restaurant & Bar, you will taste the freshness at this east Wichita eatery, touting a scratch kitchen. Each one starts with ground filet beef for hearty flavor. Wanting a delicious meatless alternative? Try their Mission Impossible Burger, featuring an Impossible patty, Swiss cheese, soy sauce mushrooms, caramelized onions and stacked with toppings.
The Kitchen
The eats at The Kitchen aren’t just good, they’re Guy Fieri good. Literally. Owners Natasha and Scott have many award-winning menu items to prove it. While they have seven burgers to choose from, their ooey-gooey ‘Shroom & Swiss burger stacks sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and dijon aioli on top of a half-pound burger patty. Pair it with their house-made sweet potato fries for ultimate deliciousness.
Nortons Brewing Co.
For a mouthful of unique flavor, order the Norton Burger at Nortons Brewing Co. It’s a double bacon cheeseburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches for the buns. They start with two certified Angus beef/short rib blend patties, top it with American cheese and their thick cut bacon strips and then add lettuce, tomato, mayo – all in between two grilled cheese sammys!
PourHouse by Walnut River Brewing Company
If you’re not prepared for two pounds of beefy goodness, avert your eyes. PourHouse by Walnut River Brewing Company’s Burgzilla is truly a beast! They start with four half-pound beef patties and top it with bacon, an assortment of cheeses, barbecue sauce and onion rings. Plus, this tasty creation comes with one of PourHouse’s freshly made sides like spicy pickles or loaded baked potato salad. No matter what you select to complement the Burgzilla, don’t forget a hand-crafted brew to go along with it.
Public
Public’s Smash Burger – consisting of a quarter-pound beef brisket and chuck patty, American cheese, grilled onions, lettuce and a secret relish sauce – has a legion of fans, and rightly so. Another tasty option is their Chef’s Burger, complete with smoked date spread, smoked cheddar cheese, grilled onions and bacon jam. All of their burgers are loaded with local flavor, using area farms, creameries and bakeries for the ingredients. Veggie lovers can get the same great burgers, but with a black bean patty.
Pumphouse
Sometimes the cooking method gives the burger its distinctive flavor, and Pumphouse has been cranking out its 8-ounce Kansas beef burgers on the same seasoned flat-top since the 1980s. You can make your own unique creation here with any combination of bacon, grilled jalapeños, sautéed mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, egg and ham on their buttery, fresh-baked buns.
River City Brewing Co.
In addition to 16 brews on tap, River City Brewing Co. offers a classic cheeseburger made with Kansas beef, of course. You pick the type of cheese, and they make it fresh to order. Tack on a classic dessert like peach cobbler, served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you’ll feel right at home at this brewery in Wichita’s Old Town District.
The Rusty Nail
Good times aren’t the only steady at The Rusty Nail. This local hangout is also cooking up great food in the kitchen. Their Damn Good Burger is one you won’t soon forget. They start with a 1/3-pound beef patty, season it just so and give you the option to top it how you want it. A slew of toppings to choose from are available and include pepper jack and ghost pepper cheese, blue cheese crumbles, an onion ring, barbecue sauce or even grape jelly, just to name a few.
Stearman Field Bar & Grill
Some people think this burger should be called the Control Tower since its two half-pound patties stack tall and it’s served within a few hundred feet of an active airstrip. Since there is no control tower at Stearman Field (at the airport or in the bar & grill), they call their absurdly large burger the Big ’Merica. It’s a pound of Kansas Hereford beef with pepper jack and cheddar cheese slices along with pickles, grilled onions, lettuce and their signature sauce.
Looking for even more flavor? Wichita has more than 1,200 restaurants throughout the city.
