You Can Find Georgia's Best Burger In A Humble Gas Station

Georgia is full of culinary creativity. While it has its share of award-winning fine dining establishments, the best burger in the state is far from fancy. On the side of the road in Dunwoody, Georgia, lies a humble Chevron gas station that looks like any other — pumps in the front, people bustling in and out, and ... a bunch of people eating burgers in the back. Packed on a weekday afternoon, the line nearly circles the inside of the building for one purpose: affordable and satisfying food.

This gas station is home to NFA, a small burger restaurant with some big accolades. Recognized as the best burger in Georgia by Reader's Digest and Food & Wine, it's garnered quite a reputation despite its unassuming exterior. NFA is the passion project of businessman and burger aficionado Billy Kramer, who wanted to ditch the corporate slog to make food for the community. Does anything scream Southern hospitality more than fixing up delicious food in a gas station?

NFA keeps it simple, having only two burgers on the menu with the option to customize the patty amount and toppings. Ordering "The Classic" gets you two smashed beef patties with American cheese, mustard, pickles, and sassy sauce between two potato bread buns. The ingredients by themselves aren't anything too spiffy, so the magic lies in the cooking technique. The biggest mistake people make with burgers is making them taste like charred, watered-down chunks of beef and hoping the toppings are enough to distract from it. NFA has higher standards — the griddle-cooked patties are tender and well-seasoned with the toppings working as a supplement more than distraction. Oh, and it's only $8 for a double.

The "Smashed, Scattered, Covered and Smothered" burger comes with smashed tater tots and grilled onions smothered with beef tallow, which is the fat used to cook all of NFA's fries and tots. The sassy special sauce that comes with the burgers and sides is a tangy, vinegary mix not too far from barbecue sauce. Half of the proceeds for this burger go to The Giving Kitchen, a charity supporting struggling workers in the food industry. Between the casual atmosphere and serious eats, it's not hard to see why Georgians love NFA.