The Double Char burger from Habit Burger & Grill has topped USA TODAY’s 2026 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. This fan-favorite burger, though not accessible in every state, has become a popular choice among Americans. Habit Burger & Grill was also recognized as the best fast-casual restaurant for the second year.
Charring burgers over an open flame since 1969, Habit Burger & Grill started in Santa Barbara, California, and has grown to include over 350 restaurants.
The Double Char features two freshly chargrilled beef patties, caramelized onions, fresh lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo on a toasted bun, with an option to add cheese. Although it shines with its Charburgers, Habit Burger offers a wide range of menu items like chicken clubs, Caesar salads, and ahi tuna filets.
The annual readers’ choice contest is based on categories nominated by a panel of experts and voted on by USA TODAY readers. In-N-Out’s Double-Double burger took second place, known for its freshly baked bun and unchanged proprietary spread since 1948. Freddy’s Original Double came third, noted for its savory steakburger patties with cheese, onion, pickles, and mustard.
The Papa Burger from A&W took fourth place, featuring two beef patties with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and A&W Papa Sauce. Culver’s Double ButterBurger Cheese rounded out the top five with fresh beef seared to order and topped with Wisconsin-made cheese.
Other top burgers included Shake Shack’s SmokeShack cheeseburger, Five Guys’ cheeseburger, Burger King’s Whopper, Wendy’s Son of Baconator, and Whataburger’s Double Meat Whataburger.
Habit Burger, owned by Yum! Brands—the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, has over 380 locations across 14 states and internationally. These include Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
Teresa Mull contributes to the Lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.