Is This Michigan's Best Burger?

The Daily Meal recently published our 101 Best Burgers in America for 2014, and in order to compile our ranking, we assembled a list of nearly 200 burgers from all across the country, from Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Hillsboro, Oregon. We then divided these burgers by region, and compiled a survey that was taken by a panel of 50 noted food writers, journalists, bloggers, and culinary authorities from across the country, asking them to vote for their favorites; limited, of course, to the ones that they'd tried. We tallied the results, and published the 101 stellar American burgers with the most votes.

When a burger hasn't changed in more than 40 years, you know they're doing something right. And at the Redcoat Tavern in Royal Oak, Michigan, that burger is a half-pound beauty, served on a traditional sesame seed-topped bun. Add-ons include shredded lettuce, tomato, and toppings of your choice including cheese and "burnt" onions. The restaurant is packed with hungry crowds daily, and just about all the regulars will tell you that the no-frills burger is the best they've ever had. Don't miss the onion rings and clam chowder, too. 

The Original Redcoat Special Hamburger snagged the #35 spot in our compilation, beating out the Chapman Burger at Laura's Little Burger Joint in Decatur (#80) and the Double Hamburger ay Hunter House Hamburgers in Birmingham (#96), and so claims the title of the best burger in Michigan.

Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant and City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.