Charleston takes its burgers seriously. This ranking leans on burger-specific coverage, from City Paper's Burger Throwdown to critics' burger lists, then on overall quality.
Updated October 2026
← Back to all rankingsA counter-service smashburger bar in a small storefront where the beef is hand-smashed paper-thin on a flat-top, finished with American cheese, and stacked as a double on a soft potato bun. The menu is short by design: a few burger builds, hand-cut fries, milkshakes. Limited indoor seating; most orders are takeout or eaten at the counter.
Hours, prices and booking details are from our 2026 checks. Confirm with the restaurant before you go.
Left the podium this month: Edmund's Original (formerly Edmund's Oast) (was #1, now #6); Little Jack's Tavern (was #2, now #4).
Where the top-ranked spots in this category are, from downtown to the islands. The number is each restaurant's overall rank in Burgers this month.
Each card shows the evidence behind the rank: critic and local-guide coverage (linked), diner ratings, recent news and staying power. We log every list, award and rating with its date and source, apply the same rules to every restaurant, and refresh the ranking monthly. Arrows compare each restaurant with last month. Read how TasteSignal ranks restaurants.
As of October 2026, Heavy's Barburger is #1 in TasteSignal's Burgers ranking for Charleston, SC, followed by Sesame Burgers & Beer and Smash City Burgers. Why it leads: burger recognition: Charleston City Paper (May 2026, winner), Charleston City Paper (May 2025, winner) and 4 more.
Every restaurant in the category is ranked from named, dated evidence: critic and local-guide coverage, diner ratings on Google, Tripadvisor and Yelp, recent news and how long it has stayed on critics' lists. Our confidence in this category's data is 97% this month. Rankings refresh monthly.