If you like a classic cheddar burger with a homemade bun then try Portofino in Thalwil. REALY GOOD! And you can't be the view while enjoying it, especially on a hot summer day with a beer.
A new restaurant opened in Gundeli, in Basel, a few days ago: La Manufacture . Very good burgers; they make their own buns, great sauces, superbly cooked patties (medium-rare). Their range isn't huge, but what's on the menu is worth eating (I recommend the "BBQ"). Not the cheapest in town (CHF 15-18), but they are good -- and the hand-cut chips are great too!
The only problem is that the restaurant has been booked out since it opened and the management and staff seem a little overwhelmed. I'm sure that either demand will soften or they'll put on some extra staff to deal with all the customers.
Getting a burger here is really hit n miss. Most have bread crumbs added to cut down on costs. Burger King is always an old dependable stand in (at least its grilled). Best are my own from the barbecue.
Nope, German "Frikadelle" do indeed usually get some bread crumbs mixed into the mince. Not just to save on meat, but to get a very different texture than a burger. Many restaurants here are not aware of a burger being not the same... that's clearly not the places that should be part of this thread.
I did a tryout day in Paddy Reilly's kitchen when I first moved to Zürich, I can say they are the best 20.- frozen burgers you can get anywhere in Switzerland
If I really feel like spending 20-30 CHFs on a burger in central Zurich do I go to James Joyce but for sure not Paddy's. It's good and consistently good, but not so grand as to mention it here either... it might be the best in Switzerland but I hope it's not.
Paddy's is awful. James Joyce is OK but frankly one is better off having a few black ones then walking 5 minutes to Stauffacher for a McDonalds, the trick being you ask for a fresh burger and not an old slipper which has been sitting in the counter for an hour.
basic burger without any chips or drink is 10 chf, hard to beat this price. probably best price/value+quality+quantity ratio in whole suisse.
tried roughly 10 burger joints in geneva, holy cow still easily beats them on taste & amount. plus fries are probably the best I ever had (no expert in fries though, since they are pure junkfood which I try to avoid)
All this burger talk today, I'm salivating. And i usually eat vegetarian.
I've tried a Pickwicks burger and a Shamrock's burger in Luzern - and wasn't dissapointed with either. Shamrock's came with a good homemade coleslaw and seemed a little higher quality than Pickwicks IIRC. Each around CHF 20-22
Surprised that the Loft 5 burger hasn't been mentioned. The patty itself is actually extremely tasty. I would put it above Holy Cow, Helveti and for sure the Butcher.
I liked the Butcher in Zürich. But last week I eat in the Butcher in Zug, in the Metalli chooping center and ... oh my. Those are really good. Much better than the ones in Zürich near Hardbrücke. This means that not all Butchers are born the same, be aware whenever you go to one of those that quality is not the same in each location.