The combination is classic Americana – an ice-cold beer, and a big, juicy burger, enjoyed while you kick back in your favorite pair of blue jeans.
Of course, what you actually wear is up to you, and since this is Wine Country, we’ll remind that burgers go really great with a rich, peppery Zinfandel, too. But we’re ready with the rest. For the best burgers made-to-order, we suggest you dig into these beauties. Go nuts with the toppings, whatever you could dream up, from melted bleu cheese and hickory bacon, to roasted Anaheim chile, pepper jack cheese and sweet jalapeño sauce.
We’ve even got non-carnivores covered, with veggie burgers so good you won’t miss the meat. And hey, don’t forget the fries.
Sonoma: HAPPY DOG
How could you not heart a place that has happy in its name? This cash-only roadside stand has been around for decades (that’s forever in dog years), and while wieners may seem like the main reason to visit, we’ll challenge you to find a better burger, too. That cheerful yellow and white, chef hat-wearing hound painted on the front of the building is licking a window, likely because he is studying the tiny kitchen cranking out big cheeseburgers, rich milk shakes, and crisp-sweet onion rings, for such rock bottom prices that even the poorest pup can afford to indulge. One top pick is a double French cheeseburger drowned in signature barbecue sauce (keep the sandwich in its paper sack as you eat, or risk drips).
18962 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma, 707-935-6211.
Sebastopol: SLICE OF LIFE 
It’s “The Natural Choice” for vegetarians, but don’t let that worry you if you love meat. Serving tasty eats since 1974, the focus is on flavorful vegetarian and vegan alternatives to your favorite foods. That means no animal products except dairy cheeses, and many fat-free, low-fat, dairy-free and lactose-free choices. Burgers, for example, come on organic whole wheat buns, topped with grilled onions and mushrooms, sprouts, dairy-free mayo and pickles. Inside the bun, you can tuck into patties fashioned from nuts, seeds and grains; tempeh, wild rice and barbecue sauce; sunflower seeds, brown rice and carrots; or a surprisingly tasty blend of wheat gluten and soy protein best topped with “fakin’ bacon” and guacamole. How’s this for a delicious bit of clever, by the way – the owners call the French fries “hot airs” since they’re oil-free, fat-free and guilt-free – try ‘em in sweet potato style, too, or coated in fresh garlic.
6970 McKinley St., Sebastopol, 707-829-6627, thesliceoflife.com.
Bodega Bay: DOG HOUSE
After three decades of business, the owners must be doing something right with this tiny place that sits right next to the Post Office. That would be the righteous burgers of fresh ground chuck, mountains of hand-cut French fries, and, oh yeah, hot dogs. Depending on how big your belly is, you can get a third-pound or half-pound burger piled with what you like for fixin’s. If you’re feeling healthy, there is a turkey burger or a garden burger, and it all tastes even better paired with a thick, creamy, honest-to-goodness real milkshake in classic chocolate, strawberry or vanilla.
537 Hwy. One, Bodega Bay, 707-875-2441, doghousebodegabay.com.
Sonoma/Carneros: THE FREMONT DINER
We know the diner doesn’t look like much from the outside, as kind of a rickety seeming shack on Hwy. 121/12 amid fields and vineyards. But step inside, and it’s a super cute farm-style café, and more important, chef-owner Chad Harris rocks in the kitchen. He’s a boutique-ingredient fanatic, so burgers are based on Marin Sun Farms grass fed beef. Sink your teeth into a Fremont Burger, a 7oz. monster slathered in secret sauce and scattered with fennel-red onion pickles, plus fries on the side. Or for a little daintier nibble (who are we kidding, an order comes with three and we’ll scarf them all), there are Fremont Sliders, sprinkled in grilled onions on Parker House rolls. Hint: they go great with hush puppies, hot and crisp-fluffy and dotted with green onions and Vella Daisy cheddar.
2660 Fremont Dr., Sonoma, 707-938-7370, thefremontdiner.com
Cotati: Mike’s at the Crossroads
It can take a little navigation to get into this place, tucked as it is off a twisting intersection at Old Redwood and Gravenstein highways. But risk it, since you’ll be rewarded with more than a dozen burger options, each loaded with a half pound of chuck (or mmm, the double burger, weighing in at a ravishing full pound of meat). It can be hard to find a seat, since the crowds converge on the 10 tables and a dozen bar stools set on vintage checkerboard flooring. But pay heed to the bull’s head mural snorting “One Mean Burger,” cause honey, that’s what you’re in for. You can get fries, and they’re delish, thin cut crisp-edged, fluffy-inside spuds. Some of our favorite beef treatments include the Stinky Breath with sweet roasted garlic, the Great Western with homemade barbecue sauce and bacon, or the Krush of sautéed mushrooms, onion and garlic in a Zinfandel glaze – as the menu promises, it’s foot-stompin’ good.
7665 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati, 707-665-9999, mikesatthecrossroads.com.
Windsor: Kin
Maybe all you need to hear is the recipe for the Kin Burger: 8 oz. of spice-rubbed coarse-ground beef grilled to order with smoked Gouda and homemade barbecue sauce, topped with lettuce, onion, tomato on a sesame ciabatta bun with your choice of spuds. Or maybe the Y.B.C. Burger does it for you, griddled on the flattop and buried under melting cheese. Whatever your preference, this new restaurant from two former general managers of the Guy Fieri empire put punctuation on the first-rate burger. There’s nothing fancy, but who needs it, for such juicy goodness that requires two hands to maneuver to your mouth, and plenty of napkins for cleanup? Don’t miss those spuds, either –served as garlic fries, Parmesan fries, sweet potato fries and sweet potato tater tots.
740 McClelland Dr., Windsor, 707-837-7546, kinwindsor.com.
