Andrew Zimmern's Favorite Fast Food Burger Is A Midwest Staple

Despite the best efforts of gastropubs around the world, fast food chains will always rule the world of burgers. Chefs of haute cuisine might not like to admit it, but everyone has their favorite drive-thru burger. Anthony Bourdain loved In-N-Out with a passion, but Andrew Zimmern prefers a different regional favorite. During a Q&A session posted on Zimmern's YouTube channel, the "Bizarre Foods" host was asked what his favorite fast food burger is. He didn't even need a second to think before he said, "Not even close: Culver's".

Andrew Zimmern can find the best restaurant in any city, so an endorsement from him is certainly saying something. So what is Culver's? For some Americans, it is a household name, but for many, it is completely unheard of. That's because Culver's franchises are almost entirely located in the Midwest, with locations in seven states in the Southeast, and in six states in the West and Southwest. If you live on the Pacific or Northeast coasts, however, you won't find a Culver's in sight. For Zimmern, it's a callback to the Midwestern roots of his career, having built himself up from a dishwasher in Minneapolis. Around those parts, Culver's is ubiquitous and in many ways, it embodies the spirit of America's heartland.

Culver's traces its Midwestern roots to the small town of Sauk City, Wisconsin. There, in 1984, George and Ruth Culver opened their first namesake restaurant along with their son Craig and his wife Lea. Forty years later, the family still holds majority ownership of the company, and they are sticking to their roots, with the modern Culver's headquarters being located right next to Sauk City in the village of Prairie du Sac. Now, it's no secret that Wisonsinites love their dairy (the state produces a massive amount of cheese), so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Culver's signature menu item throughout its history has been dubbed the ButterBurger.

The ButterBurger is actually fairly standard in its preparation. The name refers to the fact that Culver's serves its burgers on buttered and toasted buns, with an extra touch of butter on the top bun. In keeping with the restaurant chain's roots, all of the butter is sourced from local Wisconsin creamery, Alcam Creamery. Although the buttered bun is a small detail, it adds an extra layer of richness to the burger. Culver's is also known for its exceptionally juicy patties, so be prepared to use a lot of napkins.

The ButterBurger is Culver's signature item, but what really makes it stand out from other chains, at least in Andrew Zimmern's eyes, is the breadth of the menu. "I think Culver's is the best in class for burgers, fries, malts, concretes, side dishes," Zimmern espouses in the video. Of particular note are the "concretes" he mentions, which combine frozen custard with various mix-ins. If there's any Culver's product that can rival the ButterBurger in popularity, it's the frozen custard, and you can even buy it by the pint to take home.

Aside from their signature burgers and custards, Culver's does a little bit of everything. They've got chicken tenders, Reubens, pot roast sandwiches, fish and chips, and salad. The side dishes are perhaps the most impressive part of the menu, for while Zimmern praises their fries, Culver's goes beyond the standard fast food sides. They've got fairground classics like chili and soft pretzels, but if you really want to lean into the Wisconsin roots of this chain, go for the fried cheese curds, sourced from another local creamery. Pair those with a ButterBurger, and you're eating as Midwestern as it gets.