Dave Spencer’s 5 Favorite Cheeseburgers in Owensboro

Here it is National Cheeseburger Day, and I'm in a quandary. I'm writing about my five favorite cheeseburgers, it's almost dinner time, and now I'll have to flip a five-headed coin.

I'm ranking my Five Favorite Cheeseburgers in Owensboro, but, honestly, I'd be happy to eat ANY ONE of them for lunch today.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I prefer hamburgers to cheeseburgers only because my absolute favorite way to eat a burger is with pickle, onion, ketchup, and mustard. And I don't like condiments touching cheese. So if I eat a cheeseburger, it will always be plain. And that's fine. If you have the right burger, eating it plain with cheese totally works.

Here we go:

1. Old Hickory

I'm learning that I'm not the only who discovered something ELSE that was incredibly delicious on the Old Hickory menu besides barbecue. This is the first of three consecutive restaurant choices where the amazing burgers aren't my favorite things on the menu. That's how good they are.

2. The Big Dipper

Do you know how long it was before I actually HAD a Big Dipper burger? I was an adult...in my 30s. Yep. I've always been a grilled tuna sandwich/pig in a blanket guy. I've since added "burger" to that nickname.

3. JD's

When I go to JD's, I'm typically there getting a plate lunch special. But their hamburgers and cheeseburgers are NEVER to be overlooked. Absolutely delicious.

4. Gary's Drive-In

I grew up not too far from here and used to ride my bike over and get cheeseburgers. That's back when it was Carl's. When it became Gary's several years, it didn't miss a beat.

5. Wonder Whip

Thank heavens for Wonder Whip if I'm on the east side of town and start craving a burger. Bonus points for the picnic tables on a nice day. (Just like the Dipper.)

HONORABLE MENTION (from WAY outside the tri-state area):

There's a national chain called Cookout that I saw all over North Carolina and Tennessee. Come to find out they are also located in Paducah and Bowling Green. Their burgers are AMAZING and their meal deals are incredibly reasonable.

There are also some great burgers that WOULD'VE made the list, but the places that made them no longer exist.

I'm looking at you, Dennis & Akers Drugstore lunch counter, Kresge's, and Ferrell's (well, it's not here in Owensboro anymore.)

Enjoy National Cheeseburger Day!