One of the greatest things about living in Pennsylvania is that you can find a burger almost anywhere you go. Step into a restaurant, fast food joint, or even a gas station, and there is a juicy, meaty burger just calling your name. While a traditional burger is always tasty, sometimes you want to be a little more adventurous than just the standard cheese and ketchup.
When you are looking for a truly unique burger (maybe one topped with peanut butter?), you should definitely check out these 10 places with truly unique, unusual burgers to satisfy that craving.
1. Hooch & Blotto’s Sports Bar & Grille (Erie) – The Sonny Boy
This Prohibition-themed sports bar boasts plenty of great food, but their famous burgers are what keep their customers coming back for more. The Sonny Boy Burger is the ultimate choice for those who love having their breakfast anytime of the day.
Served on a delicious brioche bun, you have the option of either a beef, turkey, or black bean patty. The Sonny Boy is paired with Cajun bacon, pepper jack cheese, hot bacon dressing, crispy tater tots, and a sunny side-up egg worthy of making the breakfast connoisseur drool. Pair this burger with their fries and you’ll be asking yourself, "why eat cereal ever again?"
2. Smokin’ Betty’s (Philadelphia) - Tur-Duck-En Burger
Tur-duck-en is usually only seen around Christmas and Thanksgiving, but Smokin’ Betty’s in Philadelphia is serving up this glorious meat lover's dream all year round.
Topped with homemade stuffing, southern style gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, and sweet potato ribbons, this monster burger is stacked high and held together by a knife to keep all the delicious ingredients in place before you dive right in. Pair it with a side of their sweet potato fries and you have the perfect comfort meal.
3. Tipsy Turtle (Swoyersville, Jenkins Twp.) - The Original Terrapin
Found in two locations in Northeastern PA, the Tipsy Turtle is home to some delicious burgers, but one burger on their menu, the Original Terrapin, is unlike any burger you’ve ever seen before.
This half-pound beef patty is served with pizza sauce, salami, pepperoni, and Tipsy Turtle’s very own special cheese blend, all wrapped together in fresh dough and baked until golden brown perfection. Served with a side of pizza sauce, your taste buds will be thanking you for this burger. Mamma Mia!
4. Over the Bar Bicycle Café (Pittsburgh, Allison Park) - The Dirt Rag Delight
Named as an homage to Pittsburgh’s own Dirt Rag magazine, which has been covering the mountain biking scene for years, Over the Bar Bicycle Café crafted The Dirt Rag Delight.
One of OTB’s specialty burgers (all of which have bike themed names) is The Dirt Rag Delight. This tasty burger is comprised of a half-pound of premium aged beef that has been hand formed, topped with good ole’ American cheese, dill pickles, a large dollop of fresh Wholey’s peanut butter, and bacon to pack just the right amount of creaminess and crunch.
This burger can be found at either of Over The Bar Bicycle Cafe's two locations in Western Pennsylvania. Pair this burger with either their hand-cut potato chips or coleslaw and it’s the perfect meal after a long, exhausting bike ride.
5. The Burgery Company (Emmaus) - Specialty Burgers
With a restaurant that has so many options, it’s difficult to select just one unique burger from The Burgery Company. Walk in and just try to decide what type of burger want, with choices that range from beef, prime rib, veggie, fish, Kobe beef, bison, elk, venison, ostrich, lamb, turkey, chicken, and pork. Then comes the tricky part: customizing the toppings that you actually want on your burger.
The Nittany Lion (pictured here) is served on lamb, comes with salsa, roasted garlic spread, and tzatziki sauce. Another unique choice is The Sun Devil, served on a beef patty and topped with fire dust, pepper jack, fiery salsa, and fried jalapenos. There is a unique burger to suit everyone’s taste!
6. The Cove (York) - The Skull & Cross Bones
If the mere mention of a burger served between two grilled cheese sandwiches is making your mouth water, than The Skull & Cross Bones is meant for you!
One grilled cheese sandwich is stuffed with cheddar and tomato, the other is stuffed with American cheese, bacon, and sautéed onions. The beef burger itself is char-grilled and the whole thing is stacked into a tower of ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness on your plate. Pair it with one of their over 200 whiskeys to wash this burger down and you will leave full and satisfied.
7. Lucky’s Last Chance (Philadelphia) - The Mak Attack
Known for their artistic burgers, craft beer selection, and serious delicious hot dogs, Lucky’s Last Chance offers up some of the most unique burgers Pennsylvania has seen.
The real star is their best-selling burger, The Mak Attack. Starting with a buttered and toasted Liscio’s roll, this burger patty is accompanied with cheese, a heaping pile of delicious mac and cheese, with even more cheese on top. Served either in Junior or Standard size to fit the size of your appetite.
8. The Keys (Scranton) - Weekly Special Burger
Every Wednesday night in Scranton, The Keys offers delicious beers, spirits, and stuffed burgers. For a low cost, you get to choose your burger beginning with beef, turkey, or veggie and then stuff the burger with a variety of cheeses, veggies, and condiments.
As if this isn't reason enough to check out this bar, they also offer a Special Burger every week... and things can get pretty crazy. Take for example, The Elvis (pictured here). This burger is stuffed with peanut butter, bacon, and bananas, and is topped with raspberry habanero fluff! The Spaghetti and Meatball stuffed burger is topped with sauce and served on a toasted garlic bun. Both of these special burgers can even be ordered as a vegan option!
9. Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub (Clearfield) - Burger Challenge
Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub serves up some delicious specialty burgers, like The Black & Blue Burger loaded with crumbled bleu cheese and provolone cheese, or The Boogy Creek Burger, topped with Italian sausage, peppers, onions, cheese, mayo, and relish. There are a few burgers that truly stand out from the rest; what separates these burgers are their sheer size.
Home to the World’s Largest Burger Challenge, participants can choose between a 2 lb. burger up to a 25 lb. Beef-n-nator with all the fixings. Each challenge is timed based upon the size that is ordered.
If you are starving, think about tackling the Beer Barrel Belly Buster. This 15 lb. burger comes complete with 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a full head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup and a half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard, and banana peppers, all served on an enormous bun.
10. Burgh’ers (Harmony) - Polish Hill
There is no shortage of good, old-fashioned Polish food throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Haluski, kielbasa, potato pancakes... it’s all so dreamy and delicious.
Burgh’ers decided to concoct a burger based off this lovely cuisine and created the Polish Hill Burger. This burger is perfectly crafted with cheddar, caramelized onions, mayonnaise, and a pierogi! Enjoy a mixed greens salad or their signature Rosemary fries on the side. You won’t even notice there’s no ketchup or mustard on this Polish treat.
Is your mouth watering yet? We're certainly getting hungry seeing all of these one-of-a-kind burges... now we just have to choose which one we're in the mood for!
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