Connecticut may be known for its pizza and seafood, but one could argue we’re also a burger state, with some truly iconic, unique, creative and headline-grabbing meat-and-cheese presentations.

We could spend all day on National Cheeseburger Day, Sept. 18, extolling all the fantastic burgers in Connecticut. But here, we’re focusing on five of the Nutmeg State’s best-known, quirkiest and most distinctive offerings — menu items you’ll likely only find within its borders.

Louis Lunch is a legend in Connecticut and beyond. The historical New Haven joint, founded in 1895, has long been acknowledged as the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich, even recognized as such by the Library of Congress. Original owner Louis Lassen is said to have invented it for a customer in a rush, as he placed ground steak trimmings between two slices of toast. 

But controversy emerged recently, as a Connecticut Magazine reader cast doubt on Louis’ claim. The reader found Texas newspaper archives featuring cartoonish ads from 1894 that depicted “hamburger sandwiches” at a saloon, six years before Lassen apparently served his first hamburger in New Haven. Jeff Lassen, the fourth-generation owner of Louis Lunch, said the cartoon “proves nothing” to him and isn’t credible evidence.

The renewed debate over its origin hasn’t changed Louis’ status as one of the best-known burgers in the country, having been featured on the Travel Channel and in numerous national publications. The patties are made with a proprietary blend of five cuts of meat, ground fresh daily, and cooked in cast-iron vertical broilers, served on toast with only cheese, onion and tomato as acceptable toppings. The Lassens have long believed the meat’s quality speaks for itself, so don’t you dare ask for ketchup or other condiments.

Louis Lunch is at 261 Crown St. in New Haven. 203-562-5507, louislunch.com.

General manager Dylan McNulty shows off a double cheeseburger with melted aged Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese at LaMay's Steamed Cheeseburgers in Meriden on May 14, 2021.

Chances are, if you ask someone from outside of Connecticut if they know of steamed cheeseburgers, they’ll look at you funny. It’s pretty rare to find the regional specialty outside of central Connecticut towns and cities like Meriden, Middletown and Wallingford. But word has spread over the years, as Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden has been featured on national television and trucked its mobile Steam Machine around the state to breweries and special events.

These burgers aren’t char-grilled or seared on a flattop. Instead, they’re cooked in metal trays in a steam cabinet. Blocks of cheese also get the steam treatment, softening the cheddar to a molten state so it can pour out of the tray and blanket the patty. And at K. LaMay’s, with an original location in Meriden, the cheese is everything, says founder Kevin LaMay, who uses a specific type of Wisconsin sharp cheddar.

“The cheese is the big, big thing,” said LaMay, who’s been steaming cheeseburgers for nearly 30 years. He got his start working at Ted’s, and opened his restaurant in 2006.

“If you don't get enough sharpness of the cheddar, it doesn't make the kick to the sandwich and the flavor. And if you give it too much aged sharp cheddar, if it's aged too long, it overpowers the sandwich and becomes real rich...and it’s too rich.”

K. LaMay’s has two locations, in Meriden at 690 E. Main St. and at the Double Play Cafe in Wallingford. klamayssteamedcheeseburgers.com.

Ted's Restaurant is at 1046 Broad St. in Meriden. tedsrestaurant.com.

At the delightfully retro Shady Glen in Manchester, the “Bernice Original” (named for co-founder Bernice Rieg) is a sight to behold. As the burger hits the grill, cooks lay four slices of American cheese in a square pattern atop the patty, positioned so the edge of each cheese slice comes into contact with the heated flattop. 

Once the cheese edges are perfectly crisped, the cook gives them a slight upward flip with a spatula, giving the cheeseburger a “winged” look. Customers either fold the crunchy cheese wings inward to eat as part of the burger experience, or tear them off to munch separately. (And regulars know you can also order a plate of fried cheese on its own.)

Shady Glen has appeared on Food Network and Travel Channel programs, and earned an “America’s Classic” award from the James Beard Foundation in 2012. While they’re known for burgers, their ice cream is also not to be missed.

Shady Glen is at 840 Middle Turnpike East in Manchester. 860-649-4245.

Flipside Burgers and Bar owner Mike Baffa hasn’t had it easy with the timing of the debuts of his Southern Connecticut burger restaurants.

“In Fairfield, we opened up in the middle of the 2008 recession,” he said. “And Milford, I opened up in the middle of a pandemic.” But during both historical periods, Baffa and his team serviced diners looking for reliable, inexpensive and fun comfort foods, with an emphasis on creative burgers. Flipside’s “classic burgers” — some of its original recipes from the Fairfield original — are anything but traditional: a “patty melt” burger stuffed between two grilled cheese sandwiches, a “virgin Mary” burger playing off the flavors of a Bloody Mary drink with horseradish and spicy ketchup, and a Waldorf burger, with Gorgonzola cheese, green apples, candied walnuts and cranberry aioli. The specialty sirloin burgers are even more innovative. When we asked Fairfield County foodies for their favorite local spots, Flipside’s “Candy Popper” burger came up again and again in a Facebook thread. This one features a slab of cream cheese, candied bacon and sweet jalapeño-carrot slaw on a pretzel bun.  Baffa says the Boss Burger, with grilled crispy cotija cheese, taco slaw, avocado, fried jalapeño and chipotle aioli, is another new favorite. The mac and cheese burger, with a square of cheesy pasta, bacon, cheese sauce and pico de gallo, is a best-seller.  Flipside Burgers and Bar has locations in Fairfield and Milford. flipsiderestaurant.com.

The name is either a reference to sticker shock, or a cardiac event brought on by its rich ingredients. The “Heart Attack Burger” at Republic, which runs a cool $49 at the Bloomfield gastropub, is the picture of indulgence: domestic Kobe beef, foie gras and black truffles on brioche with a truffle demi-glace dipping sauce. The burger alone will cost you a Grant, or you can add a bottle of Darioush wine to make it two Benjamins.

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Leeanne is the food and consumer reporter for Hearst Connecticut, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about CT food and beverage businesses.

She's been working in Connecticut news for more than 15 years, most recently as the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant. A native of Worcester, Mass., she holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University.