Tom’s Burger @ Tom’s Place

1524 N. Main St., HP, 336.887.5220

There is an assortment of options on the menu at Tom’s Place, a packed lunchtime destination where breakfast is served all day and the onion rings are cooked just right. Several of those are burgers, including an open-faced one served on bread with gravy, but the hot ticket is naturally called Tom’s Burger.

Of the few orders I could hear being placed near me last week, two were for burgers and both patrons wanted the namesake patty (while a woman next to me at the bar asked for chicken livers and deviled eggs).

It’s easy to see why Tom’s Burger is popular — the blackened, 8-ounce patty is topped with melted bleu cheese, resting in between a better-than-average bun. 

“Isn’t that the best burger you’ve ever had?” my server Megan asked as she refilled my water.

Online foodies agree that Tom’s offers the best burger in High Point. Its strength may lie in its simplicity — this is a burger’s burger, a simple feat without bells and whistles that is well prepared and executed. And for whatever reason, it didn’t sit as heavily in my stomach as others.

Some burger joints struggle for consistency in patty shape, causing parts of the burger to stick out from the bun or fall off, or don’t evenly spread toppings. But this entrée is unfailing throughout, with each bite echoing the last.

The onion rings, one of the side options to round out the burger, are solid and dependable, too. They come lightly battered to let the onion rather than its fried casing do the talking, and it might even be worth slipping one or two into the burger.

— EG

[This article is part of the cover story “The Hamburger Renaissance” published on July 2, 2014.]