National Hamburger Day in Pensacola: Here's our favorite hamburger joints. Tell us yours!

There aren't many better feelings in life than biting into a nice, juicy burger that has been hand-crafted and embraced by the perfect bun. It has thoughtfully selected ingredients, a perfectly seared patty smeared with a blend of spices that unleash a flurry of flavor onto your taste buds.

But what is it that transforms a good burger into a great burger, and is this feeling something attainable in Pensacola?

Union Public House Chef Blake Rushing believes the perfect burger is well seasoned, has good caramelization and a balance of flavors and textures.

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For MI SU Food Truck co-owner Alden Garcia, it's the simplicity — and the bun.

"We believe simplicity makes a burger great. Not three different sauces or an overly expensive aged cheese. Oh, let’s not forget about the bun. A great burger needs a bun that will hold up with time. A bad bun can ruin an amazing burger."

Other chefs, like Brown Bagger Food Truck co-owner Tim Thompson, believe it's the whole process. From the ingredients you source to the way you season the burger and even apply condiments.

"From the seasoning to the smash (or non smash) to the cheese melting and condiment application, there are trade secrets at every burger joint to help make good burgers great all across the world," said Thompson.

In honor of National Hamburger Day on May 28, we've put together a list of some of our favorite hamburger joints.

This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list — Pensacola has too many good hamburger joints for that — so we invite you to voice your opinion in our poll. Vote for your favorite in this list or write in your own.

The “is this burger really only $5?” burger 

TOPS Choice Hamburger

Where: 401 E. Cervantes St.

TOPS Choice Hamburger has a few locations along the Gulf Coast, and it's worth checking them all out as some have specialty burgers. TOPS in Pensacola is located in a very unassuming building located at 401 E. Cervantes St. The hours aren't always reliable, and a lot of the time you'll be waiting in a line that's pouring out into the street, but it's a burger that is well worth the wait.

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When you do finally pull up to order at the drive-thru and pick-up-only establishment, you'll be presented with a refreshingly small menu and prices that are just as small. They serve hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and tots.

The hamburgers are quarter-pound, 100% beef patties that seem to fit perfectly on the bun. It comes with all the traditional dressings like mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, onion and ketchup, but feel free to add chili, bacon or jalapenos. They're not smash burgers but reminiscent. The mouthfeel and knee-quivering taste of the first bite will make you feel like you just broke the law by driving off with something that good for less than $10.

The 'OG' burger

Blue Dot Barbecue

Where: 310 E. N. Devilliers St.

Blue Dot Barbecue owners Thomas Long Jr. and son Byron have a way of making the question, “what ya want,” sound almost endearing. Maybe it’s because Blue Dot has been serving the people what they want for several decades now, and if there’s anything Pensacolians love, it’s history.

Perhaps a theme for truly good burgers, Blue Dot is a no-frills affair. If you’re stopping by, you’re stopping by for a burger the way they prepare it, and if you’re lucky, you might catch the ribs, too.

The burgers sit on top of a buttered and toasted bun, topped with mayo, mustard, chopped white onion, a slice of tomato and salt. Don’t ask for cheese. They don’t have it. What you can do is ask for them to pour a little barbecue sauce on top and enjoy the juicy mess of a burger that requires ample napkins and leaves you saying “shoot” after dropping a bit on your favorite shirt.

The every occasion burger

McGuire’s Irish Pub

Where: 600 E. Gregory St.

Say goodbye to limits and restrictions. McGuire’s famous 3/4 pound Angus burgers are dripping with creativity and flavor. There are so many burgers that the menu actually has them arranged in a table. And, so far, I haven’t been disappointed.

The burgers are custom ground by McGuire’s in-house butchers. These bad boys are nearly a pound and are rubbed down with a unique blend of seasonings. There are a variety of traditional burgers like a smoked gouda cheeseburger, black and bleu steak burger or the Big Daddy Burger, which was featured on the Food Network.

But the fun really gets started when you get adventurous. McGuire’s will serve you a burger topped like a pizza, dressed like a Reuben or covered in Skippy peanut butter (you do you). And if you’re feeling spunky, you can try the garbage burger, which has a bit of everything on it and is ‘absolutely disgusting.’ Those aren’t my words, it says it on the menu.

The 'bougie' burger

Union Public House

Where: 309 S. Reus St.

If you’ve been around the Pensacola food scene at all, Blake Rushing is a name you probably already know. A Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy alumnus, the food at Union Public House is all fantastic, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that they get the burger right, too.

UPH does burgers a little differently. Rushing says the burger is stuffed with red wine-braised short rib and served up on freshly baked potato buns baked at Pensacola's own Craft Bakery.

On Tuesdays, UPH does burger night where they spotlight a special burger. In the past they've done a burger with pimento cheese, pepper aioli, Alabama white barbecue jalapeno slaw, fried green tomatoes and pork rind; as well as one with garlic aioli, Dijon mustard, caramelized onions and mushrooms, raclette cheese and short rib au jus.

The IYKYK burger

MI SU Food Truck

Where: 260 N. Palafox St., outside Odd Colony

My street, your street is the meaning behind MI SU Food Truck's name, and seems to be the philosophy they apply to their warm customer service, too. MI SU is owned by husband and wife duo Alden and Hylene Garcia who mesh Spanish flavors with American fast food. The result is easily one of the most mouthwatering smash burgers in the Pensacola area.

Smash burgers aren't a new concept, just a trend that was lacking here in Pensacola.

"When we began to brainstorm ideas for MI SU, we knew that Pensacola was lacking our favorite type of burger - the smash burger. Closer to our opening date we learned that Brown Bagger would also be smashing burgers. ... Luckily, their style turned out to be very different from ours," said Alden.

MI SU uses certified beef patties that are smashed as thin as possible to maximize the surface area that sticks to the flat top. Alden says this perfectly caramelizes the beef and produces the "crispy, lacy edges and sear that is synonymous with a traditional smash burger."

The bread and butter of MI SU's smash burgers is the house ground chorizo, which is turned into an actual mayonnaise and is the sauce on the truck's signature burger, the MI SU Melt. The melt is a take on Argentinian Choripan. It's got your patty and bun with white American cheese, sautéed peppers and onions.

You can catch MI SU outside of Odd Colony Wednesday to Saturday night. Follow them on Instagram for updates on hours and for news on delicious treats like the Nashville hot sandwich and the birria smash burger.

The “people’s” burger

Brown Bagger Food Truck

Where: 3808 N. 12th Ave., parked outside the Wisteria Tavern

East Hill's Brown Bagger Food Truck, parked right out front of the Wisteria Tavern with the coveted 12th Avenue tree tunnel view front and center, has helped MI SU elevate the status of smash burgers in Pensacola.

As mentioned above, Brown Bagger's offerings are different from MI SU, and part of that are the customizable options and crowd favorites. Co-owner Tim Thompson says its ingredients are part of what pushes the burger beyond good.

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"We take our time and don’t skimp on spending when sourcing ingredients. Our beef is a high grade Wagyu blend and is never frozen. All of our cheeses are top shelf. For example, our gouda is imported from Holland and hand-shredded daily," said Thompson.

And like UPH, Brown Bagger gets its buns from Craft Bakery.

You can take your pick from the Bagger Burger, which is a quarter-pound Wagyu beef patty, American cheese and grilled onions topped with Bagger Sauce; the bacon gouda burger with the same patty, shredded gouda and bacon or get creative and build your own.

Pensacola chef favorites

We took the time to ask a few chefs if they had a favorite local burger, and while taste may be subjective, the results seem definitive.

Blake Rushing of Union Public House

Rushing was short but firm with his response: Blue Dot.

Alden Garcia of MI SU Food Truck

If you can't create a burger you adore, how could you hope someone else would? Alden Garcia's answer for his favorite burger joint is, of course, MI SU.

Tim Thompson of Brown Bagger Food Truck

Thompson joked about having a Brown Bagger burger just before the interview but gave a nod to both TOPS and Blue Dot, and another great burger joint not on the list - Jerry's Drive In

"I think it’s safe to say ours are our favorite. But that doesn’t mean we don’t go out and enjoy other burgers in the area! There are some good ones I also crave consistently. Tops will always have a place in our hearts. Blue Dot is an OG place and certainly does their thing. Jerry’s Drive In makes a mean one as well," said Thompson

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: National Hamburger Day in Pensacola: Our favorite burger joints