Is A Patty Melt A Burger Or A Sandwich? It's Complicated

Ah, the patty melt — a true culinary paradox. Believed to have originated in Los Angeles in the mid-20th century, the patty melt is a hybrid of a burger and a sandwich, with crispy toasted bread cradling a beef patty smothered in cheese and caramelized onions. However, defining a patty melt is as tricky as perfecting one.

At its heart lies a beef patty, unquestionably the main component of any self-respecting burger. If you consider a burger as defined by the triumvirate of patty, cheese, and bread, the patty melt ticks all those boxes. It's also worth noting that many patty melt enthusiasts make their patties similar to those used in burgers, seasoned and seared until a browned crust forms.

Here's where the complexity starts to sizzle. Unlike a traditional burger that opts for a bun, the patty melt is sandwiched between two slices of bread, often a hearty rye or sourdough. This feature points to its sandwich roots. When you bite into a patty melt, the crunch of the grilled bread is as much a part of the experience as the juicy beef or the oozing cheese. This bread is not a mere structural formality; It's an integral player, providing a nutty, slightly sour character and crisp texture.

Sandwich aficionados may argue that it's not just the type of bread that settles the debate but also how the patty melt is cooked. The sandwich-like ritual of griddling it on a flat top until the cheese cascades like a waterfall is more akin to making the ultimate grilled cheese than assembling a burger.

The truth is that the patty melt sits in a delicious middle ground, borrowing from both the burger and sandwich playbooks. Its construction embraces the sandwich world, with two slices of bread encasing the ingredients. But the starring role of the beef patty leans heavily into burger territory.

So, where does that leave us? Like any work of art, a patty melt exists in its own space, refusing to be boxed into one category or another. Maybe that's what makes it so irresistible. It defies expectations, challenging the boundaries of what we think we know about comfort food. And if you're craving the iconic handheld, you can make your own simple patty melt recipe or enjoy the best patty melts in America at DMK Burger Bar in Chicago, Cassell's Hamburgers in Los Angeles, Bell Book & Candle in New York City, and other great restaurants..