Psst, hey, in case you didn’t know: One of Seattle’s best steakhouses has an $11 happy hour burger, which in these times qualifies as an amazing deal. To say that it’s made from scraps does the burger a disservice, as the meat is ground from quality cuts of beef this Greenwood restaurant is proud to serve — primarily (and sometimes exclusively) filet mignon. There’s a creamy nature to the burger from the buttered bun, house sauce (aioli-like), blue cheese, and caramelized onions, with arugula adding peppery notes.

You won’t need the fancy fork and steak knife placed on your table, but keep the white linen napkin close for this steakhouse-style burger. The half-pound patty is pink in the center when cooked medium-rare and is adorned with tangy pickled red onions. Melted aged white cheddar and Louie sauce add to the affair. And there’s no shortage of shoestring fries on the plate.

A burger’s a sandwich, right? The meat on Mean Sandwich’s version is grass-fed and grass-finished. Choose one or two quarter-pound patties and this Ballard-based shop fills in the rest: American cheese (good old Kraft Singles), onions, mayonnaise, house-made pickles, and house-made mustard on a Tribeca Oven bun. “Skins & Ins” (fried baked potatoes, of sorts) fill out an unforgettable feast.

Modern French is the mission of this Fremont restaurant, and Le Coin’s burger is an umami bomb that comes with a fondue of caramelized onions and mimolette cheese, along with cured tomatoes, lettuce, and herb aioli — all on a bun from Sea Wolf Bakers. Oh, and oui to the fabulous frites with herbs and garlic cloves thrown into the fryer. Your server might suggest eating your burger over the fries so that the cheese that drips down creates do-it-yourself poutine, advice you’d be smart to follow.

The “Big Max” cheeseburger at this family-friendly restaurant in Queen Anne is a two-handed, happily messy mass. Big Mac lovers will enjoy the nostalgia factor, with two beef and bacon patties, “Max” sauce (tangy from sherry vinegar and mustard), aged white cheddar, pickles, plus a combination of caramelized white and raw red onions that makes this a super-elevated McDonald’s experience.

Operating out of a ghost kitchen in Capitol Hill and now in the University District, Halal Smash BRGR has four burgers on the menu, each centered on its own handcrafted sauce: classic, smoky, truffle (with mushrooms), and spicy. The use of fresh halal ground beef (and other ingredients that meet halal standards) allows area Muslims to enjoy good, classic burgers, but the quality has drawn accolades from non-Muslims as well. There’s even halal beef bacon, featured on the smoky burger and as one of the toppings on the decadent loaded fries.

The namesake Lil Woody with its diced pickles is affordable and satisfying, but the Fig and Pig burger is an outlier in a burger world ruled by savory selections. Pickled figs lend sweetness and chewiness, crumbled blue cheese delivers just the right amount of melty funkiness, and bacon contributes a salty crunch. Look for locations in Ballard, Capitol Hill, Green Lake, and White Center, as well as T-Mobile Park for game-day burgers — always made with grass-fed beef.

The Lao burger at Taurus Ox has been such a success that it created the launch of Ox Burger. While the menu has more “traditional” smash burgers, the Lao is still the one to get. It has a pair of patties, smashed and seared but still juicy, accompanied by som moo —fermented pork belly that serves as a slice of Lao-style “bacon.” Pickled red onions lend acidity, sliced taro stems offer crunch, aged provolone cheese adds funkiness, jaew bong brings spiciness, tomato jaew provides umami punch, and cilantro cuts through all the richness. The net result: a most complex and captivating burger.

This roadside favorite, founded in Fife in 1949, expanded to Auburn before opening a branch in SoDo in recent years. It’s a slice of Americana, once chosen as best burger joint in Washington state by USA Today for its crisply charred burgers and hand-cut French fries. As a bonus, Pick-Quick has a wide selection of shakes blended to order, including ones with fresh, in-season berries. As the name indicates, you can place and receive your order from the comfort of your car.

This Beacon Hill hot spot is primarily Guamanian and partially Filipino with a Kewpie burger that’s the talk of the town. Conceived as a kids’ menu item, the crispy smash burger gets an umami boost from miso and is topped with American cheese, onions, and pickles. It’s worth adding on an extra patty, and while the truffle fries help fill out the meal, come hungry and indulge in a rich bowl of corn soup as a starter.

While there’s a “deluxe” cheeseburger that the menu says is “restaurant-style,” Loretta’s Northwesterner is a bar, and you want the Tavern. This classic burger, possibly the city’s best, shows off simplicity done well: beef with a nice char, pickles, onions chopped small, American cheese, and special sauce that’s heavy on the mayo — all on an unobtrusive, squishy bun. (You can find the same burger at sibling restaurant Star Brass Works, but the fries are considerably better at Loretta’s.)