DETROIT – We are on the hunt for the very best hamburger in Metro Detroit.
Like you, we’re sick of these “top 10 burgers” lists put out by every news organization and their mother. That’s why Carmichael Cruz and I, Cassidy Johncox, are putting our arteries at risk as we taste our way through the burgers of Southeast Michigan.
Together, we’re going to try every burger we possibly can to narrow down the best of the best of Metro Detroit. And we’re taking you along for the ride.
Our first stop was at Miller’s Bar in Dearborn. Our second stop brings us to Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood.
Next stop: Grey Ghost, Detroit
Grey Ghost is a cool restaurant just north of Downtown Detroit that serves New American-style food. They’re known for their delicious dishes, craft cocktails and modern environment -- but that’s not why we came.
Carmichael and I have both eaten here before, but I was new to their burger. Carmichael had it before and loved it, and wanted to revisit it -- and that’s what we did.
The restaurant offers only one burger, a cheeseburger, for $16. For context, our first burger at the divey Miller’s Bar in Dearborn was $11.
At Grey Ghost, you can choose to add an egg and/or bacon to the burger (which is always delicious), but for the sake of consistency, we ordered the burgers as they normally come. We weren’t asked how we wanted them cooked, and they seemed to be cooked about medium-well, which is fine with us.
The cheeseburgers arrived and were actually two smash-like patties stacked to form the burger. There was some shredded lettuce on the bottom, and inside the top bun was their unique dill-mayo sauce. The burgers also came with a knife stabbed in the center, which is nice for those who like to cut burgers in half.
The burgers didn’t come with fries, but we ordered a side because ... well ... it’s weird not to. The current French fry in their rotation is Cajun style, and cost around $6.
We didn’t tell anyone where we were from (and we don’t plan to), but we did attach little microphones to our shirts so we could record our reactions while eating. To spare you from the gross chewing sounds, we’ve written out the conversation for you to read, instead.
Chewing the fat
Cassidy: Right off the bat, this looks so good and cheesy.
First bites commence.
Cassidy: Starting with the bun: It’s not too thick. It looks bready, and you can taste the bread, but ...
Carmichael: ... but it doesn’t fill up the bite, right? Because it’s no good when there’s too much bun to get through.
Cassidy: Right. I like this one, and it’s buttery and fairly structurally sound. It’s really messy, though, with the sauce and the cheese mixing together. Though it’s different from our last burger at Miller’s, which was messy because of the grease and not a sauce.
Cassidy: The burger tastes good on its own, but it’s hard to really taste it by itself because it’s so covered in sauce.
Carmichael: I do really like the dill ... mayo? I think that’s what they said it was. It’s present but not too overpowering in flavor. It brings a tanginess to the burger, which cuts through the savory flavors nicely.
Cassidy: If you’re someone who adds ketchup to burgers because you like that tang, you definitely don’t have to do that here. This burger doesn’t need anything added to it, especially that egg.
Carmichael: I feel like adding an egg would’ve really affected the flavor. It would’ve been too decadent. This is already rich on its own -- though it’s the perfect amount of richness.
Carmichael: It’s literally the perfect ratio of meat to cheese to bread.
Cassidy: And the cheese is so perfectly melted.
More chewing. Cassidy’s burger is making a bigger mess than Carmichael’s.
Carmichael: You see how your patty looks right now? That looks perfectly coated to me, with the cheese and the sauce.
Cassidy: Agreed, but right now, my bun is getting really soggy because it’s so soaked in the sauce. And things are squishing out because the whole thing is wet. It’s not staying together too well. But it’s one of those situations where it tastes so good that you don’t care too much.
Carmichael: Yeah, there’s a lot falling onto your plate.
Cassidy: I know. But! If you get fries, you can scoop up the extras. *Tries it.* That’s delicious. I do like the Cajun fries. Cajun fries aren’t my personal favorite and I don’t normally order them, but they are good.
Carmichael: Same for me. The fries themselves are perfect. They’re not too crispy or too soggy. It’s my favorite texture for fries.
Cassidy: For a nice, higher end place, I thought this burger would be overly extravagant -- but I’m glad it wasn’t. They were thoughtful with their ingredients and flavors, and that’s what makes it special, but it’s not over the top. They didn’t put gold leaf and **** on it to make it more expensive, which is stupid anyway.
Carmichael: Agreed. I know places like that.
Cassidy: This burger was also a great size for the price.
Carmichael: Yes, absolutely. It’s so filling. I remember I was still sort of hungry after our burger at Miller’s Bar.
Carmichael: How do you think this burger compares to our first burger so far?
Cassidy: I mean we’re still early into the search, but this burger is miles above the burger at Miller’s. It’s not your easy neighborhood burger. But to be fair, this was only $5 more than Miller’s, and it’s way more worth it in terms of flavor.
Carmichael: Right. I would get this every day. Granted, this was my pinnacle burger, that’s why I wanted to come back here. To reassess. I don’t know if it’s the best burger I’ve ever had, but it was my favorite in Metro Detroit.
Cassidy: I don’t know if that “best burger ever” moment will come to me naturally, or if I’ll just have to taste them all and then assess and decide.
Carmichael: I think it’ll come naturally! I remember when I first had this burger, my first thought was “wow” and it stuck with me. And I had a similar feeling again this time.
Cassidy: I will say I am wowed. I’m a fan. We’re definitely moving up.
Overall rating
It’s only our second taste test, and we’re still establishing a baseline. Therefore, we’re only issuing preliminary ratings for the first few restaurants we try.
So far, Grey Ghost significantly surpassed our first stop at Miller’s Bar. The burger was delicious and filling, and we were more than satisfied with our visit. Grey Ghost’s burger was messy and a lot of the flavor was coming from the sauce itself.
Was it the best burger to be had in Metro Detroit? Only time will tell.
For now, our ratings are as follows (on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best):
- Carmichael’s rating: 9.3
- Cassidy’s rating: 8.6
Stay tuned for our next Burger Breakdown coming soon!
Why are we doing this?
After trying countless hamburgers in our lives, we are on the hunt for the very best burger Metro Detroit has to offer. We’re selecting restaurants from viewer submissions, the most common “top burger” lists, and from our own lists, and tasting them all to see which is really the greatest.
When asking viewers where the best Metro Detroit burger is, we received over 600 responses. While we can’t try 600 burgers (I don’t think we’d survive), we’re going to get through as many as we can.
In short, we’re on the hunt for the moment when we can say: “Now, that’s the best burger I’ve ever had,” and we’re reporting on what we find. We’re both huge lovers of food, cooking, and the social scene, and we’re frequently trying new food and places throughout Southeast Michigan.
This journey will take us to many different restaurants that cater to different budgets. While we can’t get to every Metro Detroit restaurant and burger, we aren’t excluding any specific type of establishment from our search -- save for chains that aren’t specifically local.
As we hunt for the very best burger around, we will stop in at some dives, some higher-end spots, and everything in between. Our criteria will be the same for everyone, and we won’t be rating the more expensive burgers higher for any reason -- they’ll be graded for their quality and value just the same.
Have a spot you think we absolutely have to try? Let us know in an email or in the comments below, and we may add it to our list! We’re avoiding chains, unless they’re local.