TNT food writer ate at a lot of Pierce County burger stands. Here are her faves

It was a gorgeous summer day, and I was driving by the Pick Quick. I was hungry. I had time. So I made the split-second decision, as I often do as a food writer, to pull into the crowded lot. Such a neophyte I was that I forgot that the restaurant, then still operated by the Burgi family, only accepted cash, as was tradition. In an unusual move (normally I yield to karma), I got back in the car, drove to the nearest ATM, returned to the grassy knoll in Fife, and placed my order: double cheeseburger, fries, raspberry shake.

Soothed by the rumble of traffic whirring down Pacific Highway, or Route 99 to some, and the repeated staff-to-customer question of “raw or grilled” as it pertains to onions, I eventually settled into a red picnic table with my paper bag.

The vehicular energy and the unfortunate weight of pavement that powers it has surely changed since 1949, but the satisfaction of a cheeseburger and fries never dies. And the Tacoma area has no pittance of pathways to appease the passion.

Thus began a journey that my heart might regret and my cholesterol definitely does but my soul shall not: trying a cheeseburger from just about every burger stand in Pierce County.

I took this journey slowly, in part because I’m a small lady and because I only eat so much beef. Beyond the dietary stress, the climate impact of the commercial cattle industry is not a truth we should ignore. (Some local stands buy from Washington ranches.) So I approached my quest with the same mentality I approach daily consumption: in moderation.

Beyond the midcentury classics, also including Frisko Freeze, Jubilee and Sumner’s Dairy Freeze, younger counter-service shops with burgers at their core dot shopping plazas and thoroughfares from Parkland to Puyallup. A few local families have seized on the idea just in the last 10 to 20 years. Among those newcomers, Burger Seoul, Lucky’s Drive-In, Lefty’s Burger Shack and Out & About have, according to my reconnaissance, succeeded in plucking diehard fans from the region’s stalwarts.

Only one of these stands, Frugals, is a chain, per the generally accepted industry definition of four or more locations. Pick Quick has three outposts but just one in Pierce County, and Jubilee has one brick-and-mortar and two food trailers. Even Dick’s Drive-In hasn’t ventured past the King County border, despite expanding south to Kent and Federal Way. Some posit it’s only a matter of time. I would argue the opposition is too fierce.

The Frisko sale in 2023 also sparked this expedition, accelerated by the original Pick Quick selling to the owners of Auburn and Seattle in 2024. You need not have grown up here to feel at home standing on the Division Avenue curb or the Pacific Highway knoll, in the waning sunset of a warm day or the gloomy drizzle of a winter afternoon, awaiting the fuzzy click of the loudspeaker followed by the shout of your order number.

As these South Sound icons changed familial hands, I learned that the new proprietors were investing more than money into shepherding (and in Frisko’s case, modernizing) these landmarks for another century. They, along with their competitors old and new in the indie burger-shack business, were committing to an idea: That burgers, fries and shakes are affordable luxuries that have and will continue to bring people together in America, no matter where you’re from or what language you speak.

Not every burger is a great burger, though, and if you’re going to eat one, it better be worth it. I have a few rules:

• Always get the double. Most retro and retro-inspired burgers use a precise amount of beef — as little as one-eighth of a pound (just 2 ounces). Even a single, one-third-pound patty can be overcome by the bun, and you’re not here for the bread. A double might seem intimidating, but it’s the most reliable avenue to an optimal bite ratio.
• No substitutions or subtractions (unless you’re allergic). I order the signature double cheese as-is. Occasionally pickles are a free “optional,” in which case I add them.
• If they’re hand-cut, get the fries. If they’re crinkle-cut, skip ‘em. If they’re shoestring (unusual), consider them. If they have, ahem, a golden reputation, carry on.
• One can only have so many milkshakes. Go malt, go berry if local, go coffee if the menu lists a local roaster.
• Enjoy on site, whether outside or in the car. Every hot food is better when it’s hot.

My list of “the best” is, of course, highly subjective. I hemmed and hawed over how to crown one over another. Is it fair to compare a $6 burger to a $12 burger? In some cases, yes — especially if the more expensive option is on par with, or not as memorable as, a cheaper alternative. I attempted to create specific categories (e.g. retro, new-school but still inexpensive, contemporary) but defining the parameters felt forced. I landed instead on price: Top 3 under $10 and Top 3 over $10, before tax, tip, sides or drinks.

Even trimming to just three in each tier left me wanting to spotlight several that are just about as satisfying, especially if you happen to be nearby when the craving strikes.

Let it be known that I returned to my favorites, you know, to double-check. Unfortunately the one that sprung this journey, which I loved at the time, is still enjoyable but has changed. More than 1,300 of you also shared your thoughts in our “best burger stand” poll, the results of which conflict only mildly with my take below. I’m sure many will disagree. Sound off, as they say, in the comments, or send me an email.

Top 3 under $10

Out & About Burgers

• 14214 Meridian E., Puyallup, 253-905-9830, instagram.com/outandaboutburgers
• 5815 112th St. E., Puyallup, 425-923-4259 
• Daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: double cheeseburger $6, fries $3.95

Bob and Jackie LeSage embrace the burger business exactly as it should be: “We want quality burgers, we want fresh, and we want a way that’s efficient,” Jackie explained this fall. “We also wanted a way to give back to the community.”

Out & About’s double cheeseburger, neatly wrapped with a preview of your future, fits comfortably in the hand. At just one-eighth of a pound, the patties are thin yet plump, loosely structured by Tri-Cities Meats, which Bob said sells to many local burger stands. His team grills ‘em up extra-nice as the bun toasts nearby. The build, from bottom Franz up, starts with Cagney sauce and a beefsteak tomato slice, followed by freshly torn leaves of crunchy iceberg lettuce, beef and cheese times two, finished with chopped grilled onions. I absolutely love the lettuce, which sends me straight to my family cookout: messy squeeze bottles of Heinz and French’s next to an oversized platter of sliced tomatoes, white onions and lettuce leaves. Who’s finely chopping lettuce, only to wilt in the sun, for a backyard burger? In another personal touch, the staff happily bop around the line of cars, and hardly anyone these days embraces the multi-step process involved in the proper fry of a potato.

“The secret,” said Bob, “is don’t change what works.”

Frisko Freeze

• 1201 Division Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4800, friskofreeze.com
• Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-1 a.m.
• TNT Diner order: doubleburger $6.45, fries $4.40

Unease permeated the Tacoma populace when the Xitcos took the reins of the iconic Frisko Freeze. Admittedly, I don’t hold a reference point for the good ‘ol days, but in my professional opinion, it could have just as easily ended up with an outsider. A nearly million-dollar renovation catapulted the 1950s-era structure into the 2020s, now comfortably capable of handling the volume it sees — with the same, simple menu.

The fries are as golden-brown as ever. The shakes regularly star local fruit — if you see the tayberry, get the tayberry. The doubleburger, with slightly larger one-sixth pound patties, is wet, simple, nostalgic. It toes the line between retro and smash, with almost-crisped edges. Above all, it hits a rare custom note through Frisko’s enigmatic white sauce. I’m told that founder Perry Smith’s daughter, Penny Jensen-Gerber, didn’t care for tomatoes, and most fry sauces use ketchup or tomato sauce. The subtle tang of the white sauce swirls into yellow mustard and the unusual red relish, together melting into the super-soft beef to form a one-of-a-kind burger flavor. A great burger supersedes the sum of its parts, and Frisko is in its own neon-lit world.

Radnor’s Burgers & Beignets

• 5415 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253-321-4321, radnorstacoma.com
• Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight
• TNT Diner order: South Sound smash burger + LOP $8, fries $5

The baby (in age) of my picks, Radnor’s opened in 2024, a project of event venue Edison Square, the family-owned Theory Real Estate and chefs Lewis and Myra Mageo. To enter the scene and succeed is easier said than done, and Radnor’s does it — through perfectly portioned one-eighth-pound patties, lacy edges and special sauces. I’m addicted to the spicy green one, which is an A+ reason to get fries. You can get it on the burger, too, but like the Mageos, I’m a purist, so Rad sauce it is.

The flagship smash is a double with American cheese. Customize with whichever traditional burger topping you prefer — lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes — for free, or leave it be. I skip the tomato because it adds unnecessary moisture and no flavor, but I add LOP. This burger fits like a glove in the hand, and you’ll be done before you know it. “The secret to the burger,” said Lewis last year, “is you’re full, but you feel like you could have another one.”

Top 3 over $10

Secret Burger Kitchen

• 8402 S. Hosmer St., 253-507-8653, secretburgerkitchen.com
• Monday-Thursday 6:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Friday 6:30 a.m.-1 a.m., Saturday 7 a.m.-1 a.m., Sunday 7 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: classic double ½ pound smash burger w/ cheese + pickles $13

As Secret Burger Kitchen glided onto Instagram last summer, I was skeptical, as I am with anything that seems influencer-hyped. The Holiday Inn? Hosmer? As it grew from a delivery-only model to a full-fledged operation, the hype continued. When I visited, deep in my burger journey, I was surprised — but after learning that the owners took a money-sucking hotel restaurant and turned it into a burger machine for hotel guests and locals alike, I realized I shouldn’t have been.

The SBK factor is assuredly the 12-spice house seasoning, dusted plentifully atop the fresh, never frozen, Angus beef patty as it cooks, with an extra sprinkle just before it’s moved to the bun. They won’t say much about this secret except that it’s “more than salt and pepper” with maharajah, a sweet and earthy Indian curry powder. On patties with nicely burnt edges overhanging the bun, melted American cheese, very thinly sliced raw onions, chopped lettuce and the house sauce, the spice sings. The fries, of the forgettable battered variety, are an acceptable vehicle for the fluffy garlic sauce, but the burger is another example of a successful smash — and of the savvy entrepreneurship that America, if we let her, nurtures.

Spanky’s Burger & Brew

• 601 S. Pine St., Tacoma, 253-327-1111, spankyburger.com
• Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: double cheeseburger w/ fries $13.49

The Spanky’s vibe has always felt a bit corporate, but no corporate burger joint would take nearly as much care with the food as Spanky’s does under owners, as of 2021, Kim and Alex Ha. My double rule almost broke here, but miraculously, this half-pound behemoth manages to remain manageable. I took two napkins but needed seven, maybe more, as juice rolled past my wrists, sitting in the driver’s seat of my car around the corner. This thing is hot! The bun is part-brioche, part-potato-vibe thanks to spent beer grains — key to the sturdiness of this package. The house sauce is gold-standard: chunky, packed with pepper and relish. But in Spanky’s house, the salt-brined fries, dipped in just-right hot oil that never sees breaded foods, support an equal-opportunity relationship.

Burger Seoul

• 1701 Division Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/burgerseoul
• Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
• TNT Diner order (in this case): double smash $12, garlic fries $6

Over eight years in his food trailer, owner Young La never succumbed to the smashburger phenomenon, keeping the focus on his signature half-pound, chuck-short rib patty. At the permanent storefront, opened in 2024, he gave in — and we thank him and his crew. The Seoul smash comes standard with grilled onions, American cheese, the gochujang-spiked Seoul sauce, and house pickled cucumbers on a soft yet stable bun. It’s tough to pick which part carries this double (two quarter-pound patties) to the podium, but I’d say: the cheese, the bun, the sauce, the onions, the pickles, the patties and the people. The garlic fries don’t even need a dipper. La has earned a reputation for an unwavering commitment to details missing from so much of modern American restaurant culture. He hasn’t lost it, and we hope he never will.

Honorable Mentions

Lefty’s Burger Shack

• 8317 27th St. W., University Place, 253-565-0887, instagram.com/leftysburgershack_
• Daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: double deluxe with cheese $7.50, frings $4.50

Among the new-school, retro-style spots, Lefty’s stands out for its affordability and classic burger roots. Props also for the lack of a website or upkept social media page. The meat is soft, the cheese well melted, and the deluxe toppings skip the bland tomato by default. Where it falls short for me is the bun, which crackles under the pressure of your fingers, and the fry sauce, which pales in comparison to Lefty’s vivacious dilly tartar — get it for the frings! But the personality of the place — from an octagonal shack on an asphalt beach with a surfer-dude theme, named after the owners’ late family friend — kind of rules, especially for under $10.

Lucky’s Drive-In

• 13502 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma, 253-4701-8048, tacomaburgers.com
• Daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: The Double Lucky combo w/ shake and fries $15.63 (double burger only $9.16)

This family-owned and -operated Parkland gem seems to have been here forever — or at least since the 1960s — but it just turned 10 this year. Willow Eskridge and Michael Feagins opened a second Lucky’s in Sacramento last March. The burger has a kind of haunting taste, the marriage of fresh beef, raw onions, chopped lettuce that’s not wilted, chunks (not tiny flecks) of onion, thick pickles sliced from whole kosher dills on-site, and a relish-heavy sauce. The bun is also sturdier than most, which some might like and others might not. The shakes are viscous and feel as old-school as the shack and bus, which doubles as a dining room.

Frugals

• 10727 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-535-9775, frugalburger.com
• Sunday-Thursday 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: double cheeseburger $7.48, fries $2.25

Let’s believe in second chances, shall we? Frugals comes closest to the brand that made all of the above possible. The patties, at a quarter-pound each, make for a hefty double, but it works with the sesame-seed top bun, chopped onions, pickles and a combination of ketchup, mayo and fry sauce all over the bottom bun. The line through two drive-thru lanes remains long, maybe because the burgers fulfill that classic Americana flavor, and the price is barely more than its corporate competitors.

Legendz

• 1201 S. Sprague Ave., Tacoma, 253-572-2510
• Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.
• TNT Diner order: double deluxe $7.75, small fry $3.75

Driving by this silver stand so often left it overlooked, until the day I gave in. I appreciate the option of drive-thru or park and order at the window — I always park, so I can eat! This burger is a sleeper-hit, with edges that would make a lot of the burgers around here blush, and cheese melted so much that it nearly collapses into the beef. I would never ask for ketchup and mustard, but the combo works here (it’s no longer standard, though). Maybe it’s the tinfoil wrap that ties the room together. If you need to alleviate the missteps of last night on a budget, Legendz got you.

Shakes & Fries shout-out

While I adored the setting and use of produce from the farm at Jake’s Burgers at Sterino Farms (6006 52nd St. E., Puyallup), the shakes stole my attention. When I asked what made them “famous,” the staffer confidently replied, “Because they’re delicious — we use all fresh fruit.” I now also lust after the Vinyl Coffee shake at Main Street Dairy Freeze (1402 Main St., Sumner), featuring a Sumner-based microroaster, and think often of the rare sight of made-in-house curly fries.

This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM.