The Washington Post has once again named Steeze Burger in Gaithersburg the best burger in the D.C. area, more than three years after food writer Tim Carman originally ranked the Montgomery County-born concept No. 1 in the DMV.
Carman revisited Steeze for a new feature titled “The best burger in the D.C. area is in a Gaithersburg strip mall,” checking in on the restaurant after its transition from a traveling pop-up to a permanent location at the Shops at Potomac Valley at 12141 Darnestown Road.
When Carman first put Steeze atop his rankings more than three years ago, founder and Laytonsville resident Hunter Karametos was still cooking burgers on a portable Blackstone griddle at breweries and other pop-up locations around suburban Maryland.“My love for a double-meat Steeze burger is a matter of public record,” Carman wrote in the new feature, recalling his original selection of Steeze as the area’s top burger.
The question this time around was whether Steeze could maintain the same quality while operating a permanent restaurant five days a week and serving significantly more customers. According to Carman, the answer is yes.
After five visits to the Gaithersburg restaurant since it opened, including a packed opening day that featured a line stretching down the sidewalk, Carman concluded that Steeze remains his favorite burger in the region. “Every time I finish a Steeze burger, I just want another. It still owns my heart,” Carman wrote.
Founded by Karametos, Steeze Burger launched as a pop-up in 2022 and quickly developed a devoted following across the DMV. That momentum carried over to the opening of its first permanent location at the Shops at Potomac Valley, where customers packed the shopping center for their first taste of Steeze Burger’s new home.
The restaurant specializes in smash burgers made with a custom blend of beef sourced from farms in northern Montgomery County. Carman’s feature details the work Karametos has put into developing the burger, from the beef blend and addition of bone marrow to the steamed onions, American cheese, dill pickles, signature Steeze sauce and sesame seed bun.
The concept itself grew out of Karametos experimenting with burgers at his Laytonsville home after receiving a Blackstone griddle as a housewarming gift. He eventually began recreating and studying different regional burger styles before settling on the smash burger that became the foundation of Steeze.
The permanent restaurant carries over the menu that helped make the pop-up popular, with single, double and triple smash burgers alongside chili cheese dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, fries, soda and multiple Mountain Dew flavors. The restaurant has also offered rotating regional burger specials.
Steeze Burger is located at 12141 Darnestown Road at the Shops at Potomac Valley in Gaithersburg. The space was formerly home to Neal’s Bagels before the bagel shop relocated to Kentlands and had later been expected to become Kong Dog. Steeze is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am-9pm, and Sunday from 11am-8pm. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.
