1. Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery
With a patio stretching along the Napa River and a microbrewery inside its historic water tower, this outdoor venue is a Napa Valley crowd favorite. Their Tillamook Cheeseburger is equally beloved – a lunch and dinner menu staple at Calistoga Inn, this Napa Valley burger is grilled over a wood-fire and toppling with a generous heap of creamy Tillamook cheddar. Best enjoyed with a piping-hot order of garlic cheese fries.

2. Sam’s Social Club
Named after Indian Springs resort founder Samuel Brannan, Sam’s is the place to meet for a bite of classic Americana that’s seasonal, creative and thoughtfully prepared. Ask for Sam’s Cheeseburger, with house ground beef, garlic aioli and sharp cheddar on soft and sweet Pan de Mie. It’s available for lunch and dinner, but we love chowing down at Sam’s in the early evening when the eatery is at its prime, buzzing with convivial energy and a Calistoga good time.

3. TRUSS Restaurant & Bar
Word has spread about the cheeseburger at the Four Seasons, so squeak in during happy hour (starting at 3pm) to experience this Forbes Five-Star resort before a big crowd. Our favorite seat in the living room concept restaurant is the sofa by the fireplace – nestle in if you can, and order the TRUSS Cheeseburger 2.0, an all-American burger featuring grass-fed beef from Stemple Creek Ranch. It’s a juicy bite, served with sumptuous, caramelized onions – and 360-degree views of the Palisades.

4. Market (St. Helena)
With rustic stone walls and an old-timey bar, Market is a Main Street icon and a true neighborhood restaurant. Chef Ernesto and team craft mouthwatering classic meals – burgers included. Order the Market Burger, a half-pound patty of Painted Hills beef, smothered with grilled onions and Fiscalini cheddar. Don’t sleep on the Housemade Veggie Burger alternative – layered with garlic-sauteed spinach, garden-grown cucumber, and avocado slices.

5. Goose & Gander
Take it from Vince Vasquez (@TheTastebud) who recently spent 24 non-stop foodie hours in Napa Valley. “Goose & Gander is the definition of ‘if you know, you know’ in Napa Valley. Rustic feels… phenomenal food!” This wine country public house, located in Walter Martini's historic 1920 bungalow, is a long-standing gathering place on a quiet street. Take a seat at the basement bar, and alongside your order of duck fat fries (a must), request The G&G – a grass-fed beef burger on a remoulade-coated sesame bun with bacon, gem lettuce, and melted Gruyère.

6. Gott’s Roadside (St. Helena)
Napa Valley’s signature roadside burger stop is a fast-bite favorite with a gourmet’s touch. Not only is it a James Beard Award Winner for Best American Classic, but rave reviews for Gott’s come everywhere from the weekend traveler to the Food Network Star (Guy Fieri famously loves their Wisconsin Burger. Locals go crazy for the Kimchi). There’s even a dedicated burger menu – you have 12 choices, but no fear. All Gott’s burgers are the right pick. Gluten-free or vegan? Handled – swap to a veggie patty on any style, request a lettuce wrap, or order a grain-free bun.

7. The Charter Oak
The chef famously behind Michelin-perfected The Restaurant at Meadowood, Christopher Kostow launched The Charter Oak with a celebratory, family-style dining experience in mind, coursed to enjoy by the table. Food at this cool-casual retreat is deliberately clean and unadorned, including vegetables grown from its three-acre farm. In its simplicity, The Cheeseburger may be Napa Valley’s best – a diner-style two-patty burger with warmed cheese and diced onions.

8. Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch
Chefs, farmers, cattle ranchers and winemakers came together to create Farmstead – a Napa Valley farmhouse restaurant showcasing the founder’s farm, 700-acre ranch, and vineyards. The ranch is Farmstead’s main food supplier and keeps the restaurant busy every night. Add a sunny side-up egg to the Grassfed Cheeseburger, served with white cheddar on a potato bun, and enjoy a pioneering example of the farm-to-fork movement buzzing through the culinary world.

9. Rutherford Grill
Recharge after a wine tasting day on Highway 29 with a stop at “the grill” - a local favorite with a charming location, rustic American fare, and robust wine list (did you just buy wine? Bring it in – a server can open your local bottle). Sink into a booth, enjoy the warm atmosphere amongst friends, and request the classic Cheeseburger – featuring ground chuck steak with cheddar on a freshly toasted egg bun. Go against the grain and pair with a side of their very delicious, very wild rice.

14. Andie’s Café
You’ll get one of the best burgers in town – with your car wash. What started as a food cart near a full-service car detail on Freeway Drive has become of the best diner secrets in Napa Valley. Customers line up long for favorites like the Ranch Burger, Smoky Chipotle, Andie’s Burger (the secret is their garlic sauce), and Double Cheese. Every burger is third-pound fresh ground chuck, with veggie and turkey patties available as substitutes, ground fresh daily and cooked to order. Whatever your burger choice, wash it down with one of Andie’s signature milkshakes.

15. Compline Restaurant & Wine Shop
Can a Napa Valley wine bar make a good burger? Just ask Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and The New York Times. Surrounded by hundreds of international bottles, a warm kitchen glow and the bounty of Napa Valley, this press-loved downtown hub features elegant fare including beef tartare and braised lamb pappardelle, but the wine pairing triumph is The Compline Burger, topped with balsamic onions, heirloom tomatoes, and Schoch Family cheese.

16. Napa Palisades Saloon
Started by two beer guys in wine country, the Palisades crew knows how to pair a patty with a pint. But they don’t stop with the basics. Go with the Saloon Burger for a classic– beef patty, white cheddar, and stout-braised onions. But don’t lose sight of the Lamb Burger (with crumbly feta cheese, roasted peppers, and Sambal mayo) and the completely craveable Plant Burger (but not for the vegans, as it features poblano-buttermilk ranch and goat cheese). Grandma Brown’s pickles are always served on the side.

17. Bank Café and Bar
You know the saying, you eat with your eyes? You’ll be stuffed looking at the bar menu of Chef Ken Frank’s Westin Verasa Napa restaurant. Everything is mouthwatering, with bites like Fried Chicken Sliders, Crispy Reuben Spring Rolls, Lobster Butter Popcorn and Quesabirria Steam Buns. Try as you might to scan past other tempting snackables and head straight for the BANK Burger, a Five Dot Ranch grass-fed beef patty with cheddar and “BANK Boss” sauce on a housemade milk bun.

18. Gott’s Roadside (Napa)
While this famous roadside refresher first opened in St. Helena, its Downtown Napa off-shoot is just as full of hungry burger fans Monday to Sunday, noon to night. The menus are identical between locations – but we’re not telling if you make St. Helena your burger stop for lunch and grab a Napa dinner burger for two same-day eats. Save room for dessert – pair your cheeseburger with a Black & White handspun chocolate-vanilla shake.

19. Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ
With an astounding lineup of over 400 highly-allocated wines on the shelves and oodles available by-the-glass, you’ll work up an appetite scanning the 18-page wine list. Not in the mood for wine? They have over 40 American whiskeys, too. Start slow with the bleu cheese chips or a BBQ sampler plate, then dive right into The Bounty Burger. This thick Snake River Farms patty is topped with aged white cheddar, bread and butter pickles, and saloon sauce. Don’t offer to share – this burger each man deserves for himself.

20. Norman Rose Tavern
Adorned with rustic touches that salute Napa’s heritage, this cozy downtown tavern is a great place to unwind, gather with friends, or make new ones. Menu items are rich, hearty, and scratch-made, and run the gamut from succulent short ribs to crispy Baja tacos to grasshopper pie. Leave with a full belly after ordering the NRT Premium Burger: an all-natural beef patty from Five Dot Ranch, topped with your pick of swiss, pepperjack, cheddar or bleu cheese. Yes, please.

21. Grace’s Table
Full slide-open windows give this Second Street corner restaurant a hustle-and-bustle vibe and a refreshing non-stop breeze to enjoy your brunch or lunch about town. Their global menu, featuring everything from cheesy shrimp and grits to house-cured salmon gravlax and baguettes, includes a truly American delight: Enter the House Ground Kobé Burger, with whole grain mustard, housemade pickles, and chili d’esplette Parmesan fries. Make it extra decadent – add cheddar cheese and a soft-yolk egg.

22. Angele Restaurant & Bar
This French bistro at the Historic Napa Mill specializes in excellent cuts of meat, so you know the patty is going to be spectacular: cooked perfectly and seasoned to a chef’s kiss. If you opt to bypass classique boeuf bourguignon, beef tartare or steak frites, you’ll get the best of both worlds – wafts of the French countryside, and a top-tier, juicy American burger. The Angele Hamburger is served with French fries, and can be customized with exquisite cheeses, thick-cut bacon, or an egg.

23. Boon Fly Café
Nestled in a picturesque red barn, the cafe neighboring Carneros Resort & Spa serves up beloved comfort food from morning to night and picturesque vineyard views along Highway 121. If you’re popping in for brunch, order the fresh sugar donuts – but don’t let their sweet treats fully distract you. For your main, commit to the Akaushi Kobe Beef Burger, nestled in a brioche poppy seed bun.