Best 5 Burgers Under $5

With these burgers, you have plenty of cash left over for delicious brews or desserts.

By: Allison Austin Scheff  |   January 2012   |  FROM THE PRINT EDITION

The All the Way burger at Five Guys PHOTO CREDIT: Rina Jordan

Hamburger All the Way
Five Guys
Renton, Northgate and Redmond
$4.99
Sure, it’s a national chain, but at clean, bright and friendly Five Guys, you’ll find what is easily one of the best burgers around for $5. The best part: All the toppings—grilled onions and mushrooms, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapeños, relish and more—are free.

Bacon Cheeseburger
Broiler Bay
Bellevue
$4.69
Charbroiled while you wait, the satisfying quarter-pound burgers served at this aging counter-service joint come topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, ketchup and onions. Plus the deeply caramelized onion rings ($2.59) are stellar.

The Classic with Cheese
Uneeda Burger
Fremont
$4.75
It’s the only burger made with local beef that we could find for less than $5, and you get to eat it in such a stylish, low-key spot. A quarter-pound of Painted Hills beef cooked to medium, with melted cheddar, tomatoes, special sauce, pickles and chopped romaine. Just right.

Tavern Burger
Loretta’s Northwesterner
South Park
$3
At this neighborhood watering hole, the no-nonsense burger comes with cheese, pickles, onions and special sauce. It’s a small burger, for sure, but tasty. And get this: You can get a double (two patties, two slices of cheese) for $5.

Zip Burger
Zippy’s Giant Burgers
White Center
$4.50
House-ground chuck makes these burgers great; you get the deep char of a hot griddle and the crannies of hand-formed patties, plus pickles, lettuce, red onions and Zippy’s incredible special sauce. You’ll have plenty of extra moola to stay, grab a local brew and hang in a red vinyl booth for a while.