Bite into our favorite Vegas burgers

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Posted Nov 15, 2013

Grace Bascos, Special for USA TODAY1:09 p.m. EST November 15, 2013

It's not hard to find a burger in Las Vegas. It is, however, hard to find a good burger that stands out from the rest. If you're in the mood for this comforting classic, here are five options for you to sink your teeth into. Plus, we have a photo tour of the Top 10 contenders in last weekend's second annual World Food Championships to further feed your craving.

Bradley Burger at Hops & Harvest

The burger at this off-Strip restaurant is deceptively simple, served merely as the patty on a soft, brioche-like bun without a lot of fanfare. It's what's in the burger that counts. In this case, the grind of 75% chuck and 25% American Wagyu delivers a juicy, flavorful burger that is accented by special sauce, onions and cheese, if you so choose (I order cheddar more often than not). hopsandharvestlv.com

Gold Standard at Holstein's

The Cosmopolitan's burger joint has quite a few interesting burgers on their menu — from a Korean bulgogi burger topped with kimchi slaw and a fried egg to the Big Fat Greek, a lamb burger with feta cream and tzatziki — but it's the classic toppings that have my vote. The Gold Standard does have classic toppings, only elevated as smoked bacon, aged goat cheddar, tomato confit, arugula and garlic aioli on a dry-aged beef patty — proving that it is possible to make a good thing even better.holsteinslv.com

In 'n' Out

Ok, so In 'n' Out isn't specific to Las Vegas, but it still warrants some love. Even though it's fast food, each burger is made to order so it's as fresh as possible. The standard burger — the single — comes dressed with lettuce, tomato, sauce (think Thousand Island), and onions (raw, grilled, sliced and/or chopped) if you'd like. It's beautiful in its simplicity, but things get better once you get to know the jargon, such as the "Double-Double," which features two patties and two slices of cheese. Feeling extra hungry? There's the "3 x 3," with three patties and three slices of cheese, and the "4 x 4" … you get the picture. (The largest anyone has ever gone is the "100 x 100" in Las Vegas in 2004). Things get serious when you discover the Not-So-Secret Menu and learn to treat your burger "Animal Style" — or topped with extra spread, grilled onions, pickles and mustard fried directly into the patty. in-n-out.com

Surf, Turf and Air Wagyu Kobe Burger at Tender

Though we're not sure why the name of the burger has to mention both Wagyu and Kobe, we're OK with the rest of the excess that goes along with it. The American Wagyu is ground in-house daily to create the patty, which is cooked to order (medium for Wagyu, please, to ensure the generous marbling has a chance to melt for your juiciest burger possible). It gets topped with a medallion of lobster tail and crispy duck bacon, served on a potato-brioche bun with oven-roasted potatoes. On the side, seaweed-artichoke slaw adds some crunch, and truffle-caviar aioli and homemade ketchup are there for you to doctor your burger as you wish. luxor.com

Ramen Burger Sliders at Andrea's

Yes, the ramen burger is alive and well in Las Vegas, and surprisingly pretty good. You don't have to wait in a long line to get a taste of these bad boys, either. The sliders come two to an order and the concept is simple: it's a Wagyu burger, with typical accoutrements of bibb lettuce, spicy relish, oven-dried tomato, red onion andamazu pickles. Except instead of a plebian bun, the vehicle upon which your burger is delivered is pan-fried pucks of ramen noodles. The noodles themselves are fresh when they are delivered to Andrea's kitchen, then pressed overnight to retain their shape when they're cut into the rounds. No, you're not just biting into raw blocks of dehydrated ramen noodles. encorelasvegas.com

SEE MORE: Las Vegas' best 10 meals for under $10