B2a2
12 articles
B2A2: Echelon's Smash Burger
The South Main kitchen brings a burger to a restaurant built around seasonal wood-fired cooking.
Echelon's burger belongs in the Ann Arbor conversation, but its current ingredients and price should be confirmed from the live menu before publication.
B2A2: Grizzly Peak
Entry twelve fills the gap the series has been ignoring. The Ann Arbor brewpub burger is its own category.
The B2A2 series reaches the Ann Arbor brewpub. Grizzly Peak has been at Washington and Ashley long enough to be taken for granted. Entry twelve asks whether the pub burger holds up.
B2A2: Sava's
Entry eleven asks what eighteen years of Ann Arbor kitchen experience does with a single burger.
The B2A2 series returns to State Street. Sava's has been at 216 S State St for eighteen years. The question: does the full-service kitchen behind one of Ann Arbor's most durable restaurants make a burger worth ranking?
B2A2: Grange Kitchen & Bar
Entry ten visits the farm-sourced table on West Liberty. The burger is made like the rest of the menu: with the full weight of where everything came from.
The tenth B2A2 entry visits Grange Kitchen & Bar at 118 W Liberty. A farm-sourced kitchen applies the same sourcing philosophy to a burger. The result is what it should be.
B2A2: Zingerman's Roadhouse Burger
Entry eight goes to Jackson Avenue, where fried chicken is king and the burger is made with beef from regional farms on a Bakehouse bun.
The eighth entry in our Best Burger in Ann Arbor series visits Zingerman's Roadhouse. The $21 burger uses beef from regional farms, a house-made Bakehouse bun, and a kitchen philosophy built on ingredient obsession.
B2A2: Jolly Pumpkin
Entry seven takes the burger to a wood-fired kitchen that has been making its own sour ales since before the brewing boom made everyone feel good about it.
The seventh B2A2 entry visits Jolly Pumpkin on South Main. The wood-fired burger is better than it has any right to be given everything else this kitchen is known for.
B2A2: Green Dot Stables
Entry six takes the burger series to Corktown for $3 sliders that ask the same question the frita did: what counts?
B2A2 Entry #6 takes the series to Detroit's Corktown for Green Dot Stables, where $3 sliders challenge the definition of what belongs in a burger ranking.
B2A2: Sidetrack's Signature Burger
Entry five heads to Ypsilanti, where a long-running Depot Town bar serves its signature burger.
The fifth entry in the Best Burger in Ann Arbor series crosses into Ypsilanti. Sidetrack Bar & Grill's signature burger brings the pub format to Depot Town.
B2A2: Raven's Club Smash Burger
Our search for Ann Arbor's best burger starts in a dark cocktail bar on Main Street.
The first entry in our Best Burger in Ann Arbor series. Raven's Club serves a smash burger with a deep sear, excellent fries, and a garlic aioli that ties the whole plate together.
B2A2: Frita Batidos
Entry two in our burger series isn't technically a burger. That's what makes it interesting.
The second entry in our Best Burger in Ann Arbor series. Frita Batidos serves a Cuban-style frita that challenges what 'burger' means in the first place.
B2A2: Blimpy Burger
Entry four goes to the counter where you've always built your own. No chef's vision. No cocktail menu. Just a flat-top and your choices.
The fourth entry in our Best Burger in Ann Arbor series. Blimpy Burger at 304 S Ashley St is the populist counterargument to everything we've eaten so far.
Best Burger in Ann Arbor (B2A2): The Running List
A living series tracking our current contenders, notes, and repeat-order recommendations.
The B2A2 running list: best burger in Ann Arbor rankings after 13 entries. Current top three: Frita Batidos, Echelon, Grange Kitchen & Bar. Updated April 2026.