colorado cheeseburgers i love

A couple of 50/50 burgers, a Six Shooter and a Bug Eyed Blonde at Horsefly Brewing Co. in Montrose.

Happy National Cheeseburger Day! In honor of this national holiday (it is a holiday, right?), here are my five favorite Colorado cheeseburgers, in no particular order.

Fatbelly Burgers in Carbondale

The 50/50 Burger at the Horsefly Brewing Company in Montrose — It’s 50 percent beef, 50 percent bacon and 100 percent delicious. The Bug Eyed Blonde craft beer was cold and refreshing. I’d heard about spot for a couple of years before we made it there to try it. It is worth the drive, especially right now when the fall colors are so beautiful.

The Standard at Fatbelly Burgers in Carbondale — Made to order from local, grass-fed beef, it’s pretty hard to pass up a Fatbelly at this popular grab-and-go burger joint on Carbondale’s Main Street. The fries and shakes are delicious, too, and big enough to share.

Richie’s Lunch at GRIND

Richie’s Lunch at GRIND in Glenwood Springs — GRIND has become quite the burger go-to spot in Glenwood. The burgers are ground to order with locally sourced, grass-fed beef, and they also offer ground chicken, turkey, buffalo, lamb and vegetarian choices. My favorite is Richie’s Lunch, with caramelized onions, bacon, lettuce, gremolata mayonnaise, and smoked provolone cheese.

The BBQ Burger at Park Burger in Denver — Yum is the word for everything at Park Burger, but my favorite is the third-pound BBQ Burger made with cheddar, bar-be-cue sauce and haystack onions. Pair it with the parmesan and truffle fries, and add a Mudslide Milkshake (grownups only) for good measure, and you’ll want to come back and do it again the next day.

Freddy’s Original Double with fries and a shake.

Freddy’s Original Double at Freddy’s Steakburgers — This is the only chain restaurant on the list and it originated in Kansas, but there are several Colorado locations. The burgers are so delicious that we will drive out of our way to find a Freddy’s. I’ve heard that it’s possible to order one without fries and a shake, but I cannot personally attest to it.

There are many more delectable burgers in Colorado, but these five are my personal picks. Now that we’re traveling the country for a year, I’m sure I’ll come up with some new favorites. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more Tales From the Empty Nest.