People get strangely defensive about burgers.

Mention somebody’s favourite and suddenly you are no longer discussing dinner.

You are questioning their judgement.

Their loyalty.

Possibly their entire personality.

Which is why asking for “the best burger” usually ends badly.

Everybody has one they swear by.

So instead of starting another argument, let’s give it a proper test.

Five categories.

Five points each.

Twenty-five points total.

No giant marketing photo.

No word like “loaded” doing all the upselling.

Just the burger in front of you.

1. The Bun

This matters more than people admit.

A good bun holds everything together.

A bad one gives up halfway through and leaves you eating the rest with a fork while pretending that was always the plan.

Soft enough to bite.

Strong enough to survive.

That is the job.

If it turns into wet paperwork after three bites, points are coming off.

2. The Burger

This is where the burger earns its money.

Juicy is good.

Greasy enough to require a change of clothes is not.

If it is smashed, grilled or charred, can you actually taste that?

Or has it been buried under so much sauce and cheese that the meat might as well have stayed at home?

Five points if the actual meat is the reason you remember it.

Fewer if the toppings are doing emergency rescue work.

3. The Balance

There is a point where a burger stops being dinner and becomes architecture.

Cheese.

Pickles.

Onions.

Sauce.

Bacon.

Something crispy.

Something spicy.

Another sauce because apparently we had not reached maximum danger yet.

All good individually.

The question is whether you can still taste the burger underneath it all.

The best ones do not need you to dislocate your jaw to eat them.

4. The Chips or Fries 

Yes, they count.

Of course they count.

Nobody wants a great burger sitting next to chips with the personality of packing foam.

Crisp outside.

Fluffy inside.

Hot when they arrive.

If they are oven chips you don't give them a healthy point!

That should not be controversial.

And yet here we are.

5. The Price

This is where true loyalty gets tested.

Not:

“Was it nice?”

Ask yourself this instead:

Would I happily pay the same again next week?

Because a burger can be excellent right up until the bill arrives.

If you spend the journey home explaining why it was “probably worth it”, that may ben vital information.

Your Final Score

Add it up.

Bun: /5
Burger: /5
Balance: /5
Chips or Fries: /5
Price: /5

Total: /25

Now comes the interesting bit.

Tell us the independent place, the burger you ordered and the score.

And be honest.

If you said McD's , BK , Wendys you clearly need to broaden your horizons we want tasty , cooked fresh and just mouth wateringly awesome burgers not mass production.

If your favourite gets 17 out of 25, we will not tell anyone.

Well.

Probably not.

Once we have enough scores, we can build a burger guide from people who have actually eaten them rather than declaring a winner because one photo looked particularly shiny.

So, what gets your highest score and how many points are you giving it? Send us your photos also!