Bite Into the Best Burger in Town

A few months back, Patch for the place in Oak Forest that slings the best burger. When the results came in, the top three suggestions were Markella’s, Blarney Stone Pub, and Marcotte’s Bar & Grill. This week I sampled each restaurant’s offering and made my pick for the top burger in town. Here’s what I found:

I’ve been into Markella’s before and I know they have great gyros, but when the Patch voters talked up the burger I was definitely curious. Though it usually comes with onions, ketchup, and mustard as well, I ordered my cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and pickles. The food was made fresh and was ready quickly, and I definitely enjoyed the grilled flavor. Crisp lettuce and crunchy pickles were a big plus, and the sesame seed bun is always best for any burger.

Thumbs Up: Fresh toppings, great taste, and you can get a burger, fries, and soda for under $5.

Thumbs Down: Thin patty left me wanting more—would order the double next time.

I'm very familiar with Blarney Stone as a bar and have eaten there a few times but never tried their “Blarney Burger.” A classic half-pound pub burger, this one was hand-packed, cooked to order (I like mine medium well), and with your choice of cheese. In an effort to keep things even, I chose American cheese, lettuce, and tomato—the pickle came as a spear on the side. The best thing the Blarney Burger had going for it was the slightly toasted bun which makes any sandwich better.

Thumbs Up: Half-pound burger was more than satisfying, cooked to order, and with a wide variety of toppings to choose from.

Thumbs Down: The actual flavor of the burger wasn’t the highlight, so the sandwich somewhat relied on the toppings and toasted bun—which is fine because they offer some great options.

This was my first time setting foot into Marcotte’s, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Their menu actually had a lot of great options, but I was here for the burger. They set it up as a Burgers and Chicken menu, with options for five specialty sandwich with either a burger or a chicken breast. The final choice was “Your Way,” and so I once again went with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. As far as pub fare goes, this was about par for the course. The burger itself seemed to be a fairly simple salt and pepper creation, which can have its appeal with the right toppings. I just would choose other toppings in the future.

Thumbs Up: A simple pub burger with decent flavor, with the potential to be great with the right choice of toppings. Also were offering 2 for 1 burgers on Mondays.

Thumbs Down: A simple pub burger almost to a fault, and the bun didn’t go well with the sandwich.

First, I have to thank our readers for voting on this, because I got to eat some great food this week! After sampling some of Oak Forest’s finest burgers, I had to choose one to wear the crown of “Best in Town.” It was a tough decision, but in my opinion Markella’s put forth the best burger in Oak Forest. Quick. Fresh. Delicious. The fact that my only complaint is that I wanted more, has to say something about the quality of the food.

Go out, try one for yourself, and let me know what you think. Disagree? Tell me why in the comments. 

Next week, Patch samples gyros in Oak Forest, Orland Park and Tinley Park. What's your favorite place to frequent for gyros? Any place we shouldn't skip?