Been there, bun that: Two girls try 10 Franklin Street burgers

For The Daily Tar Heel’s 2025 food edition, we had a vision. A burger crawl, inspired by last year’s hot dog review by former editors Carson Elm-Picard and Lucas Thomae. Unfortunately, we're just two working girls, and Sarah Monoson can only eat so much red meat in a week (Laney Crawley is vegetarian and didn’t have this problem). 

We collectively tried 10 burgers since March 6, restricting ourselves to Franklin Street spots during The Daily Tar Heel hours of operation. Sarah opted for medium rare burgers when given the choice, and tried to get each venue’s classic dish. Laney, while more limited, was happy to try the one (1) veggie burger option found on each menu. We humbly (belatedly) offer this guide to the burgers of Franklin Street. 

Al's Burger Shack

Laney: The Kaarin burger — subbed with an Impossible patty, of course — might be the best veggie burger in Chapel Hill. The toasted bun held its own (no soggy bottom here), and the burger itself was packed with flavor. I’ve never had an actual burger, but I imagine this is the closest fake meat can get to the real deal. It’s classic, unfussy and makes vegetarians feel like they’re getting the real burger experience. That said, it’s definitely on the pricier side. Grade: A-

Sarah: Al's classic burger lived up to its name. The meaty patty — perhaps overzealous in its adherence to my "medium rare" request — basic toppings and tasty sauce transported me back home. With each bite, there I was, sitting at the my kitchen counter as my dad brought in burgers from the grill. It's nostalgic. It's the kind of burger you see people eating at a backyard barbecue in a movie. Grade: A-

Buns Burgers and Fries

Laney: None of Buns' signature creations really impressed me, which meant I had to put a little work into my burger, but it was absolutely worth it. Their veggie patty isn’t an Impossible patty, but it’s made in-house with beans and veggies and might just be the best of its kind in town. I usually prefer fake meat to bean burgers, but this one pleasantly surprised me with how flavorful it was, even if it did easily fall apart. The toppings were generous (none I got cost extra, except for avocado), and the caramelized onions are easily the best burger topping on Franklin. Grade: B+

Sarah: Buns blew my mind the first time I visited. Brie cheese — on a burger? Incredible. Show-stopping. Never been done before. When it comes to customization, you can't do better than Buns. I keep it simple with brie, pesto mayo and grilled onions. Something here always tastes a little weird; I suspect the onions, but University Editor Ananya Cox traitorously thinks it's the brie. However, the true downfall of almost every Buns burger is how soggy it is. Grade: B+

Four Corners

Laney:  I’m not saying Four Corners hates vegetarians, but nearly every single one of their in-house burger creations had meat on top of more meat. So I went with a basic bean patty, cheddar and avocado, but I was sadly not impressed. The burger was weirdly soggy and completely flavorless, so much so that I genuinely wondered if I had COVID-19. I had to add ketchup just to enjoy it. Maybe I messed up by keeping the toppings simple, but a good burger should be able to stand on its own. This one didn’t. Grade: C+

Sarah: I ordered the eponymous burger, which boasts bacon, cheddar, pickles, bistro sauce and an onion ring. Sounds awesome, right? Unfortunately, it lacks flavor. I could see the sauce, but none of the taste hit me. Like Laney, I was tempted to add ketchup, which is the first horseman of the nothingburger apocalypse. The pickles were the highlight of the dish, just for a little burst of something interesting. Despite all that, this was my second-most expensive burger. Grade: B-

Top of the Hill

Laney: Top of the Hill gets points for creativity—their veggie burger is made with edamame, which sounds questionable but actually works really well. It was soft, but not in a bad way, and the patty itself was very big, although it could have been more seasoned. The bun held up well, and I can’t stop thinking about the sweet potato waffle fries. Easily the best side I’ve had so far. The one thing I can't get over is that they charge $4 to add avocado. My total came out to $19 for a burger and fries, which is borderline criminal. Interesting concept, but very hard to justify at that price point. Grade: B-

Sarah: Again, I ordered the burger that bears (part of) the restaurant's name. The Top Burger was basic, with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and an aioli sauce. Much to my dismay, it had every problem of the Four Corners burger, but without the pickles to offer some respite. It had no flavor. The ketchup that came with my fries taunted me: Dip the burger, it said. I folded. Maybe the second horseman of the nothingburger apocalypse is being pricey, because TOPO took the cake for most expensive burger. And for what? Grade: C+

Sup Dogs

Laney: Last and least (price-wise) was the veggie burger from Sup Dogs. It was a solidly average burger, but not disappointing. Their veggie burger is made with a smashed bean patty which wasn’t all that filling, but the Sup Dog sauce added a lot of flavor. The fries were forgettable, and the whole meal itself is definitely more of a drunk food burger than anything else. Still, it was one of the cheaper options on the crawl, which earns it some points. It also is probably the best vegetarian drunk food on Franklin, which is harder than it should be to find. Grade: B

Sarah: Oh, Sup Dogs. Twice, I have watched the clock turn from 2 a.m. back an hour while sitting at an outdoor Sup table. The beauty of this establishment is that it's also good during the day. I always order a smokehouse burger with cheese, grilled onions, bacon and Sup Dog sauce. They were generous with the onions, but the true star is, of course, the sauce. I also appreciate how Sup burgers are less meaty than others, being more of a smash burger. I suppose you're getting less bang from your buck, but it's too delicious for me to care. Grade: A

Special thanks to The DTH Executive Director Will Lingo for funding this passion project. Haters said it couldn’t be done. 

@DELCRAWL | @sarah_monoson

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com

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