Best Burgers in Washington, D.C.: Area Guide

The best burgers in Washington, D.C. cluster along a few corridors: U Street and Shaw, 14th Street up to Logan Circle, the Union Market food hall in NoMa, and the newer waterfront blocks of Navy Yard and The Wharf. Two styles dominate: diner burgers smothered in chili and thin smash burgers from counter-service kitchens.

The city’s own street-food signature is not a burger but the half-smoke, a coarse, smoky sausage usually made with beef and pork. Ben’s Chili Bowl has served it on U Street since 1958, next to burgers topped with the same house chili, and it remains the reference for that style. The other local marker is mumbo sauce, a sweet and tangy red sauce from D.C. carryouts that goes on wings and fries. Weekday lunch follows the office crowd downtown; evenings move out to the neighborhood strips.

Burgers in Washington, D.C.: key facts

• Neighborhoods to explore: U Street, Shaw, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill around Eastern Market, NoMa and Navy Yard.
• Local style: chili burgers and chili-covered half-smokes, a U Street tradition since the late 1950s.
• Local condiment: mumbo sauce, worth asking for with your fries.
• Food hall: Union Market puts several counters under one roof, handy for comparing kitchens in a single visit.
• Getting around: Metro stations serve U Street, Navy Yard and Eastern Market directly.
• Currency: US dollar (USD).

Every guide we publish on Washington, D.C. is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse our burger restaurant guides from around the world.