Why Ardmore is the burger capital of the Main Line

Take a walk around Ardmore and what you might hear above the hum of traffic on Lancaster Avenue are burgers sizzling.

This 2.3-square-mile pocket of Lower Merion is the burger capital of the Main Line: a mix of pub burgers, smashburgers, diner burgers — even a burger topped with shrimp. In recent weeks, two burger specialists — Bikini Burger and Gouldsburger’s — opened in town, taking our census to 16 establishments. (It’s 19 if you count the ubiquitous chains McDonald’s, Shake Shack, and Wonder.)

What is it about 19003? The town — which The Inquirer’s Jenn Ladd last year dubbed “the Fishtown of the Main Line” for its overall trendiness — packs unusual advantages into a small footprint: There’s a walkable downtown, a Regional Rail stop, and a mix of shoppers, families, and hungry college students that can support casual, high-turnover food businesses all day.

In that setting, burgers are an easy bet — familiar, relatively affordable, strong for takeout and delivery, and flexible enough to work as a quick lunch and a night-out option. Then add what Peter Martin of Ripplewood Whiskey & Craft calls “the anticipation of the boom in population as the new apartment projects come on board.”

What looks like saturation is a sign that restaurateurs see Ardmore as one of the suburbs where a straightforward, mass-appeal concept still has room to grow.

Though Ardmore’s newcomers are burger specialists, they are staking out different lanes. Neither owner seems especially worried about Ardmore’s already-crowded burger field.

Philadelphia native and caterer Mia Robertson is aiming for simplicity at her new shop on Rittenhouse Place, which she named in homage to the beach, her happy place.

“I just wanted to bring a really good burger to the area,” said Robertson, who lives in Penn Valley. “A lot of places pile on sauces and extras, and I think that covers up the meat. My burger is simple and it speaks for itself.”

Robertson’s burgers aren’t smashburgers, either. “I don’t like them,” she said. Her 3½-ounce standard and 5-ounce “Fat Daddy” patties are made of never-frozen, double-ground 80/20 beef from a Lancaster County butcher. Standard toppings include lettuce, tomato, pickles, raw and caramelized onions, as well as Cooper Sharp cheese, and they come out on Martin’s potato rolls.

There are turkey burgers, black bean burgers, and surf-and-turf burgers topped with two fried shrimp. Milkshakes are simply milk and ice cream, no mixes.

44 Rittenhouse Place, 610-649-3903, instagram.com/bikiniburger

Samantha Sandoz came to open a franchise location of the South Jersey hot-sandwich specialist in a most professional way. A real estate agent, she helped another franchisee find the Sicklerville location. “Then everything fell into place,” she said.

Sandoz got a call from Gouldsburger’s: “They said, ‘We have a space that could be a good fit,’ and it was in Ardmore.” She enlisted her husband, Mike O’Leary, a detective with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, as co-owner. They saw the space in spring 2025, signed the lease in June, and spent months building it out.

So far, she said, the biggest seller has been the Gold Standard burger and the build-your-own burger, available in 7-ounce steakhouse-style or two 3½-ounce patties, plus a beet version. Truffle fries are optional but recommended.

Gouldsburger’s, 4 Station Ave., 484-412-8381, instagram.com/gouldsburgers_ardmore

Available only on the bar menu, DePaul’s burger befits the steakhouse motif: a plump half-pounder, cooked to temperature, topped with Vermont cheddar, steak sauce, and roasted tomatoes, and served on a brioche bun with a side of fries or salad.

7 E. Lancaster Ave., 610-589-0500, depaulstable.com

Avram Hornik’s greenhouse-themed bistro at Suburban Square offers a classic double smashburger — crisp-edged, cheesed-up, pickled, and sauced — as well as a lamb burger topped with garlic-feta spread, pickled red onion, and arugula.

51 St. Georges Rd., 484-412-8011, lolasgardenrestaurant.com

The casual comfort-food chain’s Suburban Square location offers four burgers on toasted brioche: a veggie, a classic half-pounder with “special” sauce, the Cajun-spiced “That’s Fire Burger,” and a wagyu burger topped with bacon jam, blue cheese, tomato, and arugula.

49 St. James Place, 484-708-1500, notyouraveragejoes.com/ardmore

This true neighborhood Irish pub’s King Jack’s smashburger is simplicity defined: a single patty beneath pickles, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and mayo.

34 E. Lancaster Ave., 484-416-3547, jackmcsheas-ardmore.com

After more than eight decades, you’d be right to assume that they do burgers right at this landmark Irish pub. The lineup starts with a basic house burger and then moves into toppings-centered iterations, including bacon and cheddar; black and bleu, with cracked black pepper and blue cheese; honey-chipotle with an onion ring, chipotle sauce, and cheddar; and a Southwest with cheddar and jalapeños. There’s also a patty melt with Swiss and fried onions on multigrain, plus a Guinness burger topped with cheddar, bacon, and Guinness-bourbon glaze.

17 Cricket Ave., 610-642-9280, mccloskeystavern.com

This Irish sports pub with the lived-in feel and 30-plus beers serves straightforward smashburgers, including a classic double with American cheese, special sauce, lettuce, and pickles, plus a spicy-smoky smash with bacon and jalapeño on a potato bun (both served with chips). There’s also a single smashburger for kids (unless they’d prefer a fried Uncrustable).

2330 Haverford Rd., 610-642-1370, themcsorleysalehouse.com

The house burger at this whiskey specialist is a rich, stacked double-patty build with melted Gouda, pickled onion, special sauce, and chef Biff Gottehrer’s signature twist: a slice of fried Lebanon bologna for a smoky-salty edge.

29 E. Lancaster Ave., 610-486-7477, ripplewoodbar.com

Served on a pillowy brioche bun, the DDH double smashburger — one of the more indulgent burgers in town — is topped with Cooper Sharp, lettuce, red onion, and special sauce.

35 Cricket Terrace, 484-413-2983, tiredhands.com

Though breakfast and brunch fare are the more typical moves at this bright, bustling cafe across from the train station, you can get a beef burger on a bun or a turkey burger wrap with romaine, avocado, and cheddar cheese.

6 Station Rd., 610-642-3889, ardmorecafe.com

The owners of this bright drop-in on Cricket Avenue are open to riffing on a cafe breakfast-burger crossover: Besides seeded buns, Bored Trading’s smashburgers are available on a bagel or croissant.

43 Cricket Ave., 484-412-8055, boredtradingcafe.com

Old-school deli, old-school lineup: The thin patties are offered on kaiser rolls as a hamburger or cheeseburger. That’s great for a snack, but at mealtime you may opt for a double, perhaps as a bacon cheeseburger or patty melt.

2 E. Athens Ave., 610-896-8995, jeanniesdeli.org

This chain bruncherie’s cafe-style burgers — made from grass-fed beef and served with fries and a pickle — can be topped with avocado, blue cheese, prosciutto, barbecue onions, or even egg and hash browns.

11 Cricket Ave., 610-649-4163, nudyscafes.com

This classic pizzeria serves 8-ounce Angus patties on brioche with standard hamburger and cheeseburger builds, plus a bacon burger and pizza burger with sauce and mozzarella.

10 Rittenhouse Place, 610-569-9512, ardmorepizzamenu.com

Bella Italia Pizza

Though the flat top at this long-running pizzeria on Lancaster Avenue is better known for turning out steak sandwiches, you can find a crusty-edged luncheonette-style burger on a kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

12 E. Lancaster Ave., 610-649-1700, bellaitaliapizza.com