As the mercury starts to boil and shadows linger around well into the evening there’s a certain yearning that comes along with it; the lemonade and the brats, the always well appointed Ted Drewes frozen custard but the most pronounced inclination is for beef, charbroiled beef to be exact.

As Americans we have our apple pies and our red, white and blue, but I would estimate that there’s not much that is more American than the noble hamburger.  This high-born entree has graced the table of every American, our kids grow up on them and even our presidents indulge from time to time.  Though it’s roots may be a bit hard to track down with any real accuracy historians agree that the magnanimous hamburger had it’s first brush with fame right here in the Lou.  In 1904 Fletcher Davis traveled from Texas to the St. Louis World’s Fair to peddle his “unnamed” sandwich.  A reporter for the New York Tribune found him and wrote from the fair of a new sandwich called a hamburger, “the innovation of a food vendor on the pike.” Sadly Davis’ hamburger cart is long since gone but there remain a number of mouthwatering incarnations of this 1904 treat still in St. Louis.  Here’s a few of the local varieties that are worth the drive:

Carl’s Drive In. From the moment you walk into Carl’s it’s as if you’ve jumped back in time. Carl’s has been right off Manchester for more than 50 years and little has changed since Carl Meyer founded the place. From the fact there’s only eight stools underneath the old Formica counter-top to the homemade root beer (which today’s IBC is rumored to be based on) everything here is the real deal.  The burgers are flat and crisp, packing a savory crunch that is more than satisfying. Be sure to get there early enough to grab a seat at the counter, only inches from both the kitchen and a few feet from the door.

Clancy’s Irish Pub. A bit of a hidden jewel, it’s located in Chesterfield, what Clancy’s lacks in location it more than makes up for in taste. The folks at Clancy’s know their meat (it’s currently in it’s sixth generation as a family owned butcher store) and this is no more apparent than in their made to order burgers.  Clancy’s offers three different size burgers, the smallest at 6 oz and the largest topping out at 12 oz, all of which is made in the attached butcher shop (apparently by their “left handed butcher O’Randy”)  The beef is then tenderly seasoned and balanced on a french roll with your choice of condiments.  The burgers are big, juicy and tasty and one of the best burgers west of 270.

O’Connells Pub. There’s only a few real Irish pubs in St. Louis and O’Connell’s is one of the best, they also offer one of the finest burgers, Irish or not.  Located in what was once referred to as the Gaslight District the pub has served it’s 10 oz (a timid estimate) burgers since 1962.  What O’Connell’s does best is cook a fine burger (though I would be remiss not to mention the roast beef and fish & chips as well).  There’s not much fanfare, as the beef is unseasoned and burgers are delivered on paper plates, but the cooks know their craft and deliver a perfectly cooked and deliciously juicy patty on every visit.

The Royale. I’m not sure what I like more, the burger itself or the fact that you can order a “Royale with cheese,” and I may never know.  What I do know is that The Royale makes one of the best hamburgers in St. Louis.  I’m not all that familiar with the different kinds/grades of Kobe beef, they get theirs from Australia, but it makes a burger that is more than deserving of the $10 price tag. What you get is a melt in your mouth piece of beef, full of flavor and juice that has few competitors, both locally and elsewhere.  Add some of their homemade sweet potato chips and you’ve got a winning combination.

Is your favorite St. Louis burger joint not mentioned?  Tell us about it!