Like a craft beer or tasty cocktail with your burger? These places are for you.

Did I miss your favorite? Let us know at eat@pioneerpress.com.

Dark Horse Bar and Eatery

Drive Thru burger at Dark Horse Bar and Eatery in Lowertown, St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

One of our favorite bars, period, Dark Horse offers a great tap selection, and of course, a delicious burger, which got an update this year. The Drive Thru burger features patties that are coated in mustard before hitting the grill (a la the In-N-Out Animal Burger), which gives them a little tang and crisp. American cheese blends in, without overwhelming, and there is caramelized onion for sweetness, shredded lettuce and pickle for freshness and lots of special sauce on a good, squishy, buttery brioche bun. Four napkins, five stars. And the chip-like fries that accompany it are worth the calories to boot.

Dark Horse Bar and Eatery: 250 E. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-313-7960; darkhorsebarandeatery.com

Inver Grove Brewing

I love this busy brewpub, which is really just what this south metro suburb needed. Everything, including the beer, is made from scratch, here, and the house burger, made from a brisket/chuck blend, is straightforwardly delicious. A single juicy patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, house-made dill pickles and a zippy little house sauce make everything I need to make a tough day brighter.

Inver Grove Brewing: 9051 Buchanan Trail, Inver Grove Heights; 651-370-1565; igbrewing.com

Tipsy Steer at High Pines Brewing

East metro brewery High Pines wisely partnered with kitchen outfit Tipsy Steer, which serves a pretty giant menu of scratch-made bar food. We had a few burgers here, but are partial to the Fairibault Pride, a juicy, beefy patty made from Swanson Reserve beef and topped with aged cheddar and Gorgonzola as well as sweet caramelized onion and thick-cut bacon and nestled in a well-buttered bun. It’s greasy — but in the best way, and pairs perfectly with a crisp beer.

High Pines/Tipsy Steer: 2704 N. Snelling Ave., Roseville; 651-200-3581; highpinesbrewing.com; tipsysteer.com

A-Side Public House

A-Side Burger: Brioche bun, double smash patty, bacon, carmelized onion and garlic, gorgonzola dolce, cherry aioli. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

This brewpub in St. Paul’s West Seventh neighborhood has everything it needs to make it a must-visit for us: House-brewed beer, but also wine or cocktails, and a super tasty double-smash burger. The Station 10 burger is two juicy patties, gilded with melty muenster cheese and a few pickles. The house sauce has a sweetness to it that’s appealing — ask for some on the side so you can dip the tasty, thin-cut fries in it.

A-Side Public House: 754 Randolph Ave., St. Paul; 651-756-1351; asidepublichouse.com

Brunson’s Pub

I love the beer list (and the affordable craft cocktails) at this East Side pub, which has a whole menu of craveable, upscale bar food at very downscale prices. There are three burgers, but we are partial to the classic double, which consists of two juicy patties, lots of melty American cheese and enough classic toppings that getting our mouth around the thing is a challenge. This is one of the only spots where we skip the fries and go for the house-made potato chips instead. Order a side of the restaurant’s onion-dill dip to go with them — you won’t be sorry.

Brunson’s Pub: 956 Payne Ave., St. Paul; 651-447-2483; brunsonspub.com

Red Cow

This burger-centric restaurant has wisely also taken up the flag for craft beer, and its list is something to behold. Cocktails here are great, too, and wine-nerd owner Luke Shimp has curated a fun and very global selection. The burgers here are all decent, but we’re partial to the mushroom swiss. The fungi here are cooked in a glug of merlot for extra richness, and melty swiss and a swipe of garlic mayo are the perfect accompaniments.

Red Cow: 393 Selby Ave., St. Paul (and three Minneapolis locations); 651-789-0545; redcowmn.com

Pat’s Tap

Much has been written about the Bacon Burger, in which bacon is ground into the (admittedly delicious) thick patty, which is topped with Swiss cheese and fried onions. But the burger that has this Wisconsin native’s heart is the Big Cheese Burger, topped with a fat slab of tangy cheddar that is flipped and griddled so the cheese is caramelized on top. The burger comes with house-made pickles and luscious, acidic heirloom tomatoes that serve as the anti-ketchup. Just thinking about that burger still makes me swoon. And the full-page beer list isn’t too shabby, either.

Pat’s Tap: 3510 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-822-8216; patstap.com

Surly

Surly has a burger which features two burly patties, just enough sharp red onions and some tangy dijonaise. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

The destination brewery knows that burgers and beer belong together. Two smashed patties, plenty of melty American cheese, crisp pickles, just enough red onion for bite and a swipe of “fancy sauce” keep things interesting. The brewery recommends pairing it with Furious, its flagship IPA, but you can’t go wrong with just about any of the brewery’s well-made, tasty beers.

Surly Brewing Company: 520 Malcolm Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 763-999-4040; surlybrewing.com

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