The website Fast Food Club named Al’s Burger Shack in Chapel Hill as the best cheeseburger in North Carolina in a new list, which sought the best cheeseburger in every state.

“The beef is locally sourced, the toppings are creative and seasonally inspired, and every burger is cooked with the kind of attention usually reserved for fine dining,” Fast Food Club’s Sofia Delgado wrote, while noting that lines out the door are a “permanent fixture.”

Al’s Burger Shack was founded on National Cheeseburger Day in 2013 and has resided at its location at 516 West Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill ever since. The restaurant changed ownership in 2022, with Charlie Farris and Jason Kesler taking over for founder Al Bowers. Under Farris and Kesler’s leadership, Al’s Burger Shack opened an extension in 2025: the bar Puddin’s Beer Shack, located next to its parent business at 104 North Graham Street.

“We are incredibly proud of this recognition,” Kesler said of the Fast Food Club list. “But honestly, this award belongs to the whole Al’s community — our team members who pour their hearts into every burger, and the loyal guests who have made this place what it is. When you see Al’s standing alongside the best burger spots from across the entire country, it reminds you why we do what we do every single day.”

The Fast Food Club list is far from the first time Al’s Burger Shack has been nationally recognized. Delgado notes Al’s has been honored by Bon Appetit and The New York Times, and in 2018 TripAdvisor named the Bobo Chili Cheeseburger not just the best burger in North Carolina, but the best in the entire country.

“The Fast Food Club feature adds to a distinguished body of national acclaim,” the restaurant wrote in a release, “that has made Al’s Burger Shack one of North Carolina’s most celebrated dining destinations.”

 

Featured image via Town of Chapel Hill

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