Florida’s 7 Best Fast Food Burgers

Florida still doesn't have an In-N-Out. So you can't get a Double Double Animal Style. So what are the best fast food burgers you can order at the drive thru for lunch today if you live around here? A new USA Today ranking is out and here are 7 of Florida's best fast food burgers. I think the most surprising thing is who's NOT on their list.

McDonald's, certainly the most consumed burgers in Florida, has NO picks on USA Today's top 10. Not even the Big Mac. Also not on the list? Wendy's! Of the fast food chains, those are probably the two most visited Florida burger joints, but neither made the list. I would argue that Shake Shack deserves to be on this list way more than USA Today's #7 pick.

#7: The 1921 Slider at White Castle
White Castle isn't in the Tampa area yet, but if you've gotta do that awful drive to Orlando there is one right off I-4 near the Disney parks. The 1921 Slider has cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, tomato, lettuce and pickles. The patty is a bit thicker than their other sliders.

I'm not a big White Castle fan. I gave them a second chance when they opened in Orlando. I wrote a poem after my first visit years ago. "I once tried White Castle in New York City. Twenty minutes later, it wasn't so pretty." Thank you.

#6: The Whopper at Burger King
Burger King introduced a meatless version of The Whopper a few years back. But the original is the one that made USA Today's list. I've always dug the whopper's flame broiled off the grill taste. No other fast food burger really has it. It's been around since 1957.

#5: The Double ButterBurger with Cheese at Culver's
Culver's has been a welcome addition to our fast food scene. Culver's got its start in Wisconsin and debuted here in Florida about 10 years ago. The burgers are juicy, flavorful and good. But what makes Culver's stand out are the unique items most fast food places don't have like cheese curds and that awesome frozen custard. There's nothing terribly different about their ButterBurger, but it's good.

#4: The Double Meat Whataburger
We don't have one of these in the Tampa area yet. Most of Florida's Whataburger locations are in the northern part of the state near Jacksonville. They got their start in Texas. If you have a chance to visit this summer, they've introduced a variation - the Bacon Steakhouse Double with 2 slices of melted cheddar cheese, smoky bacon, fried onions, and a tangy steak sauce on a toasted bun.

#3: The Cheeseburger at Five Guys
When people complain that we don't have In-N-Out in Florida, I always tell them Five Guys is just as good if not better. I lived in California for about 6 years and went to In-n-Out Burgers maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I think Floridans long for it and crave In-N-Out simply because you want what you can't have.

If I'm in Vegas I'll drop by and have a Double Double Animal Style. But to me Five Guys is worth paying a little more. Ok maybe more than a little more. The prices are quite a bit higher than In-N-Out. But I love all the toppings you can get a Five Guys. Plus the fries are fantastic… I just wish the smallest size wasn't so enormous and expensive. It's the biggest reason I don't go to Five Guys often.

RELATED: The Best Burger in St. Pete You Haven't Tried Yet

#2: The BBQ Rodeo Burger at BurgerFi
Coming in at #2 on the USA Today list of fast food burgers in Florida, this one has charred jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, crispy haystack onions and a sweet Memphis-style barbecue sauce. The BBQ Rodeo Burger uses two antibiotic-free Angus beef patties. The CEO sounds more like my kind of burger - it's got candied bacon-tomato jam, truffle aioli, garlic aioli and Swiss cheese. BurgerFi is now open with three restaurants in Tampa, plus one in Odessa and Bradenton.

#1: The Double Char at The Habit Burger Grill
In their 2024 list of the best fast food burgers, In-N-Out's famous double double has been eclipsed. The Habit Burger Grill took the top spot this year. The chain's restaurants are mostly in California… not unlike In-N-Out. You may not even know there's one of these in the Tampa area. (I didn't!) But there is one now near the Largo and Clearwater line on East Bay Drive.

The burger that got The Habit Burger Grill to the top of the list is their Double Char. It's 2 beef patties, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayonnaise on a toasted burger bun. The Double Char is available with or without cheese. It's what I'm having for lunch today. I'll report back. I'm a little skeptical of this place becoming part of my routine... burgers go for up to almost $20! That's wild for fast food.

The In-N-Out Double Double came in at #2 this year. The big difference between the two top burgers is that the Double Double uses In-N-Out's special sauce.

Some say Tampa isn't a foodie city, but I'd respectfully disagree. Tampa is a melting pot of different cultures and cuisines, making it a foodie paradise. Some Tampa chefs have even made one (or multiple) appearances on The Food Network and its most popular shows like Chopped, Guys Grocery Games, and more.

Shows on The Food Network have become some of my favorite programs to watch. And it's even more exciting to watch when I have a local Tampa chef to root for. The Food Network has brought many shows to the Tampa Bay area like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Man vs. Food Nation, FoodNation with Bobby Flay, and more. Currently I'm binging all the new episodes of Wildcard Kitchen and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing.

Not only have professional chefs competed against some of the best in the country. But even a Tampa Bay teen competed on Chopped Jr. just a few years ago. Virann Welbourn competed in 2019 on the popular Food Network show. She took home the grand prize of $10,000. Virann was only 13 at the time of her win. I hope she's still killing it in the kitchen and looking into starting her own restaurant one day.

Tampa has been making some splashes in the culinary world recently. 6 Tampa restaurants were added to the Michelin Guide in 2024. Supernatural Food & Wine, Predalina, Streetlight Taco, The Pearl, Ebbe, and Kōsen were all added to the guide. In 2022, Tampa's first-ever Michelin stars were awarded to Rocca, Koya and Lilac.

Are you a Food Network fanatic? Know any Tampa chefs that competed on any shows we missed? Feel free to shout them out on social media!

Chef Johnathan Rodriguez is the most recent Tampa chef to compete on the Food Network. He recently competed on Season 6 (Episode 5) of Supermarket Stakeout. Host Alex Guarnaschelli gives 3 chefs $500 to spend on groceries, but needs to last 3 stake outs and dish up a continental breakfast. This episode airs May 15 at 9pm.

Chef Jada Vidal is not only a Chopped champion, but she's appeared on "Guy’s Grocery Games" (and won $20,000) and "Beach Brawl." You can try her delicious meals at Noble Rice. You can stream Jada's Chopped episode (season 56 episode 721) on Max.

Ronicca is the owner of the Shiso Crispy food truck and restaurant. She's competed multiple times on the fan favorite Guys Grocery Games. She won her first competition and came back and competed against other champions in the Summer Games. I just recently watched her episode and it's hilarious watching her run around the set compared to her other competitors. She recently opened up the Shiso Crispy restaurant in Downtown St. Pete, more info on that location here.

Chef Brenda Villacorta is a Tampa local who was professionally trained in New York. She competed on season 4 of Halloween Baking Championship, and on Cake Wars Christmas. She's even taken home top prizes from these competitions. Brenda opened up Sucré Table in 2020, you can see her at 4048 W Kennedy Blvd.

Chef David Benstock appeared on the popular cable network show “Beat Bobby Flay,” in 2019 and did just that. His episode ended up airing way later thanks to the pandemic. You can try his delicious Italian cuisine at Il Ritorno in St. Pete.

Another Tampa chef to compete (and win) on Beat Bobby Flay is Michael Buttacavolli (Chef at Cena). He beat Bobby Flay with his famous meatball recipe, which you can still try at Cena in Downtown Tampa.

Chef Rosana Rivera made history by being the first Latina chef to win Beat Bobby Flay. She competed with her husband Chef Ricardo Castro back in 2019 and the episode aired back on December 26.