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.
We’ve visited Miller’s Bar, Grey Ghost, Tommy’s Detroit Bar & Grill, and Redcoat Tavern. Now, we’re stopping at a newer spot in Downtown Detroit.
Next stop: Olin Bar & Kitchen, Detroit
Our journey takes us next to Olin Bar & Kitchen located in the heart of Downtown Detroit. The restaurant is casual but elevated with an extraordinarily detailed interior.
Serving “bold American fare,” the restaurant describes its menu as “fresh and inspired,” drawing inspiration from both Michigan and the Mediterranean. The space also features a lounge area and a creative cocktail menu.
After hearing from many people around us that Olin’s burgers are incredible, we stopped in one Friday afternoon to dine and find out for ourselves.
We ordered the restaurant’s standard short rib burger, the only burger on the menu, which costs $22 and comes with a hefty serving of seasoned, cheesy fries. On the burger itself: There were two short rib smash patties, layers of American cheese, caramelized onions in between the patties, a Boursin cheese on one bun, and a dijonnaise sauce on another.
The burgers were also served with a few slices of sweet-ish pickles made in-house. The pickles are just meant to be a little snack on the side, but we did play around with adding them onto the burger, too.
We attached 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.
Here’s how it went.
Chewing the fat
Cassidy: Immediately, first impression: There is a lotttt of cheese. It’s extremely cheesy. These burgers are really tall, too.
Carmichael: Look at how ooey-gooey it is. I was already happy when I saw the plate hit the table. It’s picture perfect.
We take our first bites. Carmichael has added the pickle slices to the burger, but I’m tasting the burger without pickles, first.
Cassidy: The meat tastes like it’s been flavored well, but I love that I can still taste the cheese. I always feel like you should be able to taste the cheese in a cheeseburger.
Carmichael: This is definitely on the messier side for me. It’s very greasy, but the right level of grease, for me anyway.
Cassidy: Agreed. It is super greasy and my hands are messy already and I’m just two bites in. But I don’t mind it -- though we’ll see when we’re at the end. Laughs. Apart from being drippy, though, it’s holding together pretty well.
Cassidy: It looks like there are some onions in between the patty layers, which I didn’t know were there at first.
Carmichael: Chewing. Oh, yeah. They’re good onions! More chewing. So, I’m biting into the pickle and I think it did need the pickle.
Cassidy: Adds pickles to burger. Yes. I know they’re just meant to be an accent, but the pickle slices actually really lift the flavor. I almost wish there were more pickles.
Carmichael: No, I think the two pickles were just enough! Pickles can undercut the savory flavor of a burger with its sugariness and tang, but I’m actually really liking the savory flavor of this burger. It’s so savory.
More bites. Burgers are getting messier as the cheese melts more and mixes/drips with the dijonnaise.
Carmichael: What do you think about the bun?
Cassidy: I think it’s good in context of the whole burger, but on its own, it’s not really standing out to me. But it holds together well, it’s not too thick, and it adds a kind of softness since the burgers are crispy -- which I like.
Carmichael: The bun almost has a McDonald’s texture to me. Laughs. The exterior of it is kind of stiff like that. Like a shell.
Cassidy: Overall, I’m finding the double patty is helping the structure and helps everything stay together. And despite all the moisture, the bun didn’t get too soggy too fast or anything.
Carmichael: And it’s the perfect amount of cheese. They put cheese on both patties and it’s the perfect ratio.
Carmichael: Can you tell the difference with the patties? Can you tell it’s a short rib burger?
Cassidy: You know, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a short rib burger, so I don’t really know if I can tell the difference. I did notice how much I like the texture of this burger. And I think its flavor is so strong partly because they charred the outside of it. It’s flavor is really dominant.
Carmichael: I eat a lot of plain short ribs, and I don’t know if I can tell it’s a short rib burger -- but, it is really good. I don’t think it would’ve mattered to me if you told me it a was a short rib burger or not, to be honest.
Cassidy: Right. I just had a big bite of just the burger and the cheese, and I’ll say that flavor surpasses that of the burger at Redcoat Tavern.
Carmichael: 100%.
Cassidy: This burger has a stronger flavor like Grey Ghost did, but that burger was strong in flavor because of its sauce, whereas this burger is strong in flavor because of the actual burger. This is more along the lines of what I’m looking for.
Cassidy: I love this, actually.
Carmichael: I do too. And I love that it came with fries!
Cassidy: Laughs. It better come with fries for $22.
Overall rating
We’re still establishing a baseline, being only a few taste tests in, but where the burgers fall on our grading scale is becoming clearer and clearer the more we eat. Still, the first few ratings we’re providing are preliminary and might get changed down the road.
For Olin Bar & Kitchen: We thought the burger was packed with flavor, and had the most perfect level of cheesiness of any burger we’ve had yet. While we still have many more burgers to taste before making a final decision, this burger was Cassidy’s favorite so far (and high on Carmichael’s list, too!).
For now, our ratings are as follows (on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best):
- Carmichael’s rating: 9.1
- Cassidy’s rating: 9.2
We’ll be taking a short break from Burger Breakdown for the holidays. Stay tuned for our next Burger Breakdown in January!
Find all Burger Breakdowns here
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! Again, we’re avoiding chains, unless they’re local.