Getting back down to basics, my favorite burger place in SLC is B&D Burgers on 13th East just off 2nd South. (Little-known fact: “B&D” stands for Big and Delicious.) I’ve never had a burger there, and my regular order is the Chicken and Swiss combo. Clean and warm, kind of a diner feel. Good food and friendly service (but not waistline-friendly unless you’re careful). Check it out sometime.
There was a little burger joint over by Naugles in Highland, CA (can’t remember the name because it’s been forever ago) where we used to go to get “Taco Burgers.” It was a taco-spiced burger with pepper jack cheese, red onion, and pico de gallo on a sourdough bun. They had taco sauce for the fry sauce, too.
B&D is interesting. Their food is good, but I cannot understand how that place isn’t a 24-hour or at least an open-until-2am kind of place.
They are basically the only place of its kind adjacent to campus and yet they have AARP hours. I can never understand it. They close at 9, but I’ve had them turn down cooking something for me at 8:30 because they’re starting to clean/close.
They have this golden opportunity to be THE hangout next to campus and they’re dropping the ball on the 1 yard line.
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I’ve met the owner and he’s happy with their current setup. I agree with you, but I guess it’s his show. They have a second store in Midvale, about 80th South and State.
B&D been around as long as I can remember (which is quite a long time). Haven’t been to the campus location in a very long time but living out in the south part of the valley we’re a few miles away from the Midvale location and try to visit them a few times a year.
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Lucky 13’s Celestial burger is my favorite but that probably doesn’t fit into this category as little/unknown establishments .
Hug Hess cafe has a few restaurants in Davis County (Centerville, Syracuse. Ogden and Layton) They make a fantastic bacon burger.
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Sunshine Cafe in North Salt Lake has great burgers (breakfast as well). They’re only open for breakfast & lunch, everything there is great.
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I can think of a small handful of favorite burger joints over the years, but unfortunately 3 of the 5 are gone:
I went to Highland High for a year in the 70’s, and the Arctic Circle that used to be on the south side of 21st South just west of 21st East had the best burgers and fries I’ve ever had. I’m not sure why they were so much better then any other place in town (probably result of the extreme metabolism of a 16 year old boy).
In the 80’s and 90’s and 2000’s I worked in Park City for many years and the Mount Aire Café near the intersection of Highway 224, and Kearns Blvd always had great burgers for lunch or dinner, but also had spectacular Omelets for breakfast. They closed and sold the building which has been repurposed into a much more trendy restaurant since.
The owners of the Mount Aire in PC, also had a burger joint (I think also called the Mount Aire) in Kamas, a block or two off the main drag as you drove up the Mirror Lake Highway. I was last there in 2020, and it had been through several owners since the original Mount Aire folks sold the Park City location, but the burgers were still great. I just checked and it appears to be closed 
Finally, every trip I’ve ever made to the Oakley 4th of July Rodeo, or Smith and Morehouse, starting with trips with my dad to go fishing when I was very little in the 60’s, included a stop on the way at the Oakley Polar King, which is still there. I may have to take drive up there sometime soon and see if the burgers are still as good.
Saving the best for last: for decades I had friends and relatives who had old home or cabins in Sanpete County and made dozens of trips down there for building projects, of just casual weekends. It’s a beautiful area in which I really miss spending time. We always tried to plan our trips there and back, with a lunch stop at the Little Acorn, near the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. I haven’t been there for decades, but it’s still there, so I need to find an excuse to travel down that way.
I’m hungry for lunch now and although my diet doesn’t regularly include burgers or fries anymore, I do make an exception every 6 months or so.
Happy eating!
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Burley Burger in South Weber is legit. Only eaten there a couple of times, but definitely want to go back. It’s not very close to where I live, but sometimes on the way back from Ogden, Snowbasin, or Pineview.
Then you’ll also remember Munson Burgers on the corner of 33rd south and 20th east. I think there’s a coffee shop there now. Pretty good burgers as I recall.
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Does anyone remember Scaddy’s? Are they still around?
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I remember it well. I grew up nearby, and in high school (Highland) it was quite the hangout. The AceyBurger and the Ranch Burger were awesome.
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Rodger’s Dairy Freeze in Mount Pleasant is a must-stop if you’re ever there. It’s right on Main Street (Highway 89). You can get a burger there, but it’s not truly a burger joint, it’s more like a comfortable rustic diner. Everything is made to order, so it’s not fast food. Just a nice place to eat. Try the grilled chicken sandwich.
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Roseanne Barr used to work at the B&D Burgers when she was a teenager living in SLC.
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Millies in Sugarhouse.
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I liked the burgers at the old Cotton Bottom. I haven’t been there for years so I don’t know how they are now. The nearby Hog Wallow Pub is decent.
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Cotton Bottom had great garlic burgers.
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SalUte’s post got me thinking about a couple favorite burger places of mine that are no longer around.
Of course the Training Table was a staple along the Wasatch Front for a kid growing up in the '80s. By the end of their run their product and presentation had sunk in quality considerably. Like CONSIDERABLY. But when it was newer and still on the way up, it was hard to beat any of their burgers and cheese fries with their hickory dipping sauce. It was still going hard in the early '90s.
Also, and this one will be a deep cut, but right on the edge of Holladay and Cottonwood Heights was a place on the corner of Highland Drive and 6200 S called Broiler Works. I’m not sure how long they were around, but I’d guess they came and went while in the '80s. But they were solid!! A flame broiled burger with a flour dusted bun and finely-shredded lettuce, and fry sauce. Also great skin-on fries and towering Iceburg-style shakes. Mmmmm-mmm! I think for a short time they may have also had a place in the food court at the Cottonwood Mall.
They gave way to what is now China Grill (which has also been there for years and has an amazing sweet and sour pork served katsu style with a unique tomato-based sauce. Delicious!!)
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that hickory sauce (on burgers or with fries) from the Training Table was gold.
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I went to Dilworth Elementary and a couple of times every year, usually on someones birthday, our moms would give us money and we would walk over to the Arctic Circle and buy lunch.
Wastach Bagel and Grill in Park City has excellent burgers.
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