![]() ![]() (Ketchup is always Red Gold, the preferred local alternative, but you probably don't need it.) This is one of Indy's essential bites, in one of the best bars in the Midwest. BURGER SHOP STATEN ISLAND PLUSBelly up and order a double cheeseburger, so smashed it's not even funny, served Big Mac-style with bread in the middle, plus cheese on both patties, shredded iceberg, and a bit of mayonnaise spread thinly on the bun. Racks of Cheez-It packets, a DeKuypers display collecting dust, and a forgotten half-pot of coffee on the burner passes for decor at the glass-brick bar, backlit by pink neon. Over a century old, this woman-owned and -operated restaurant remains in the same family of Macedonian immigrants that founded the place, back in 1918. The now internationally popular style is nearly ubiquitous here, from regional chain restaurants to vintage mom-and-pop operations like The Workingman's Friend, a true tavern tucked into a part of Indianapolis you probably weren't looking for. Long before smash burgers were a trend, Hoosiers just called them burgers. Instead of a regular burger, which comes on a floppy, sesame bun that simply doesn't do the meat justice, opt for a classic patty melt, your choice of a quarter-pound, half-pound, or even three quarters if you're that hungry, stuffed between slices of crispy, buttery rye with loads of grilled onions and American cheese. ![]() Opened in 1942 by a family of Armenian immigrants, the restaurant, which moved to its permanent home in the 1950s, is fashioned like a classic old coffee shop, with a long counter and spacious booths, little league teams on summer nights, and politicians holding court at election time. Sure, the ones you've heard of may sound essential, but ask around, and the crotchety old-timers (*raises hand*) will tell you-flavors of the month come and go, so call us when one of them outlasts the accurately named Top Notch Beefburgers on the South Side, where they still grind fresh top round in-house and cook their hand-cut fries in beef tallow. Things get a little muddled in Chicago sometimes, a city where "popular" is sometimes confused with "best", and certainly when it comes to burgers. ![]()
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