Tessaro's -- Pittsburgh, PA

4601 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224-1922
(412) 682-6809
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-11:30pm
Tessaro's Place Page

For about 25 years or so now, Tessaro's has been considered by many to be the best burger in Pittsburgh. You'll be happy to know that they live up to this billing, as it also ranks among the finest burgers in the world. This has long been one of my favorite burger stops, and it is an absolute requirement that I make at least one visit to their establishment any time I find myself in Pittsburgh.

Tessaro's legendary sear

When you first walk into the restaurant, you are immediately smacked in the face with the smell of the wood-fired grill. That's right -- not gas, but real mesquite. This is part of why their burgers taste so damn good. The other part is the meat. Every burger is a half-pound (after cooking) of fresh ground meat, with the patty not even formed until you place your order. It's a perfect blend of chuck, filet, sirloin, and steak trimmings, a process overseen by their former meat supplier, who arrives at 5am each day on his way to work to grind dozens of pounds of meat.

The burger that arrives at your table is perfection on a fresh-baked bun. It has excellent crust, which is surprising for a flame-grilled burger. It is perfectly juicy no matter the level of doneness. The mesquite imparts a good deal of flavor into the meat, without being an overpowering influence. On this particular occasion, the kitchen cooked mine a bit more than the
medium I had requested (a rare mistake, mind you), but it still was the best burger I'd had since the last time I visited Tessaro's.

I prefer just a plain cheeseburger, with a small amount of ketchup and mayo, but they do offer more "gourmet" options, such as a mushroom-swiss option and a barbecue option (if you like it hot, try their atomic sauce). Save that for your second visit, though -- you need to fully appreciate the flavors that come with just meat-on-bun. Oh, and if you're with some lame-ass who doesn't like burgers, there are plenty of other fine options on the menu.

In short, you can easily justify a trip to Pittsburgh just to try a Tessaro's burger. It's that good.

Rating...5 Bites