Best Burger Joints in Nevada

Nevada Diners & Classic Roadside Restaurants

Decadent pies, homemade ice cream, and milkshakes galore… few things are sweeter than road tripping your way through the Silver State. Prepare yourself for old-school slices of Americana at frozen-in-time roadside diners and restaurants in all corners of the Silver State, beckoning locals, visitors, and anyone in search of a solid sweet treat. Turn back time by heading to the retro community of Boulder City—a planned community for thousands of families who built Hoover Dam. Art Deco vibes drape the nearby dam and the entire historic downtown, with nods to classic Americana on every hotel, neon sign, and diner in town. Grab breakfast at The Coffee Cup Cafe or Southwest Diner, and be sure to get your hands on frozen yogurt, milkshakes and malts—or even the legendary Dole Whip—at Chilly Jilly’z Bakery and Cafe before you hit the road.

Choose from dozens of savory homemade ice cream flavors at The Inside Scoop in Overton, Spoon Me in Elko, or Steve’s Homemade Ice Cream in Fernley, and if you’re after a tasty milkshake or blended coffee treat, search no further than Mary and Moe’s Wigwam in Fernley, Brew 95 in Winnemucca, Economy Drug & Soda Fountain in Ely, or Temptations in Lovelock. For bigger bites, get your hands on made-from-scratch biscuits and gravy at The Owl Club in Battle Mountain or The Griddle in Winnemucca, or toast to the most remote diner in the Lower 48 with a butterscotch milkshake at The Outdoor Inn in Jarbidge. 

The Best Burger Spots in the Silver State

Chasing down the best burger in Nevada? With that dizzying cheeseburger aroma beckoning travelers to every city and town across the Silver State, swinging through some of our favorite joints might put you face to face with some of the best burgers in America. When you’re looking for a tasty burger spot, few things hit the mark better than a joint aptly named Beefy’s. Nestled in a historic little building (which arrived in two pieces on a train car back in the day) Beefys is a Midtown Reno institution, offering a menu of more than two dozen freshly made burgers, hot dogs, and even a few grilled chicken sandwiches sure to buzz those taste buds (and a spectacular beer list, to boot).

Also in Reno, don’t miss some of the best specialty burgers in Nevada at Louis Basque Corner—featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives—and also Butchers Kitchen Char-B-Que. For a taste of some Basque culinary roots, we recommend getting your hands on a chorizo burger—made with local Basque chorizo and a bevy of other secret ingredients unlike any other cheeseburger you’ve ever tasted.

Further east, in the tiny town of Lund, save room for a burger basket boasting local angus beef, ooey-gooey cheddar cheese, and crispy onion rings slathered with special sauce—the telltales of the Whipple Whopper—an Ely-area rite of passage. Back down south, in addition to claiming the title of oldest bar in southern Nevada, Goodsprings’ Pioneer Saloon is one of the best burger spots around, too. Swap travel stories with bikers and fellow road trippers as you sip frosty beers over that historic Brunswick bar counter, and be sure to order up the Ghost Burger off their long list of other signature burgers that have been featured on the Food Network.

Still hungry? The only place for the job is Middlegate Station, a former Pony Express station that’s now one of the last great roadhouses in America. After one perpetually famished regular complained he was never quite satisfied, Middlegate Station knew just what to do and created the Monster Burger Challenge. Served on a sourdough bread bowl as the bun, hungry travelers can rest assured this 1 ⅓ pound burger stacked high with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onion, and cheese oughta do the trick. Finish the entire burger, topped with green olives for eyes and a pepperoncini for a nose, along with the entire plate of fries, and you’ve not only survived the Loneliest Road in America, but vanquished a Monster, as well—with a brand new commemorative t-shirt to prove it.