5 best burgers in Iron County for value
About 10 days ago, members of The Spectrum & News team from St. George ventured upon a beef-inspired adventure across Washington County in search of Southern Utah's perfect patty.
They did not travel north to Iron County. To fix that, we bravely assembled an Iron County burger-buster squad and traveled across the Festival City to find the perfect double cheeseburger.
Each burger was scored in four categories —the bun, condiments, meat and overall value — using a scoring system of one to five. Each score could increase in one-quarter increments. The highest score possible is 60 when each of the raters is combined.
We compiled a list of the 5 best double cheeseburgers in Iron County and combined their scores with the list of St. George establishments. What resulted was a couple changes to the top five with a hidden gem from Parowan making the highest leap.
Choosing the burger-buster team was a challenge. We had newcomers such as our new SUU T-Birds reporter Ryan Miller begging to come along. Ultimately the team was selected and we set out on our journey.
I was fortunate enough to go along for the tantalizing trip along with our office advertising representative Dan Ortega, SUU Deputy Director of Athletics Dean O'Driscoll and Spectrum Media Publisher Rhett Long.
No. 5 — The original Hermie Burger
A veritable mountain of meat and cheese, the Hermie burger is a Southern Utah staple. I have to be honest. I was a bit intimidated by the Hermie Burger. I'm lucky I had Dan to help me eat this monstrous sandwich. The Hermie Burger is a double-cheeseburger with a third bun and a slice of ham. It is a delicious mound of food that will satisfy even the largest hunger.
The value sets the Hermie Burger apart from its peers, this mountain of goodness costs less than $5.
•Cost: $4.99
•Overall score: 45.5
•Location: 293 N. Main Street, Cedar City
No. 4 — The Hermies Double Cheese
It's unusual to have the same restaurant with two burgers on the list, but the Hermie Burger is an amazing culinary accomplishment — even though it actually rated below the classic Hermies Double Cheese.
Not as formidable as the Hermie Burger but equally delicious, the double cheese is a classic burger that fits the bill for an American lunch.
It is not as well-known in these parts as the famous Hermies Burger, but overall it outranked its much larger cousin. Long enjoyed the classic double cheese most of all during this stop.
"I enjoyed the bun, I enjoyed the hamburger. The condiments complement the overall taste," Long said. "This burger is a definite best bet for a burger craving."
•Cost: $3.99
•Overall score: 48.25
•Location: 293 N. Main Street, Cedar City
No. 3 — The Cedar Bowling Alley
The bowling alley came in as the dark horse in this contest. Not immediately known for their burgers, the double cheese came out piping hot and juicy. With an 80/20 ground chuck, this burger is higher in fat but equally high in deliciousness. The best set of condiments in the city come alongside the burger allowing the consumer to customize this culinary delight however they see fit.
Ortega enjoyed the fresh pickles and tomatoes especially.
"The burger comes out sizzling and with the make-it-your-own condiments this burger becomes whatever you want it to be."
•Cost: $5.91
•Overall score: 48.75
•Location: 421 E Hwy 91, Cedar City
No. 2 — Brad's Food Hut
If this contest were based off experience alone, Brad's would take the crown. The inside of the restaurant has been remodeled with the best shrine to SUU and high school athletics in all of Cedar City. Even with the contest based off burger quality, Brad's finishes with the top burger in the Festival City.
A tasty cheesy burger with two ample patties, the condiments and quality at Brad's are top notch. If you want the epitome of an American cheeseburger Brad's will deliver every time.
•Cost: 3.99
•Overall score: 50.25
•Location: 546 N Main Street, Cedar City
No. 1 — Hamburger Patty's
To find the best burger in Iron County you must travel to the 'Mother Town' of Parowan and check out Hamburger Patty's. Patty's is a bit tougher on the wallet, but the culinary experience is worth the extra cost. The meat, seasoned and tender scored the highest of any Iron County establishment and the bun was unanimously loved.
With full bellies and open minds we traveled north to Parowan under Ortega's insistence that Patty's 'would not let us down'. He was right.
O'Driscoll said we saved the best for last.
"The best bun of the day held together a delicious group of ingredients."
•Cost: 7.99
•Overall score: 50.75
•Location: 197 W 200 S, Parowan
With the new data, we combined this list with the St. George list and now can present the official, definitive top ten burgers in Southern Utah
•No. 10 — Smash Burger, 46.25
•No. 9 — Hermies Double Cheese, 48.25
•No. 8 — Cedar Bowling Center, 48.75
•No. 6b — Del Taco, 49
•No. 6a — Marv's, 49
•No. 5 — Brad's Food Hut, 50.25
•No. 4 — Hamburger Patty's, 50.75
•No. 3 — In-N-Out Burger, 51.25
•No. 2 — Freddies, 51.5
•No. 1 — One Hot Grill, 53
Do you agree with us? Disagree? Hit me up on Twitter@Tim_Beeryor tell me about it at 435-865-4524.