Get The Best Culver's Burger Using These 4 Ordering Tips

Get in the drive-thru or hop in line at any of the 1,000-plus Culver's locations across the country, and you should notice the slew of burgers the fast food chain has to offer. The eatery is known for using fresh beef patties and cooking burgers to order, but that doesn't mean you can't make them even better. A perk of fast food is that you can upgrade items, such as burgers, to satisfy your cravings. 

Tasting Table scoured the menu at Culver's for four simple ways that can seriously upgrade your next hamburger. Culver's' popular ButterBurger is known for its lightly toasted, buttered kaiser bun, for example, but there are other carby vessels for your burger to easily switch it up. There are also ways to upgrade the burger by swapping out the cheese, or adding additional toppings. Some of these upgrades cost a small fee, but satisfying your hunger in a tasty manner is certainly worth it.

The first way to upgrade your burger at Culver's is to switch up the bun. Depending on which burger you order, it comes with a specific type of bun (or other bread), but you aren't stuck with what it comes with. You can get either a brioche or kaiser bun at no extra cost. The chain also offers a gluten-free bun, which comes packaged separately, for an extra $1.20, though this cost may vary by location. Customers also say you can order your burgers in person with sourdough bread, if a traditional bun isn't your thing. Avoiding carbs? You can also get the burger without a bun and save 30 cents.

In case you're wondering what the difference is between kaiser and brioche, kaiser rolls are different from hard rolls in that they have a crusty exterior, but are still fluffy when you take a bite. In comparison, brioche buns are a softer, buttery, French-style bread. They're a good choice if you want a squishier bun for the burger. Either comes lightly toasted and buttered at Culver's.

If you can't enjoy a fast food burger without cheese, you should be happy to know that you can choose from different varieties of cheese at Culver's. Some burgers, including its ButterBurger Cheese, come with American by default, but you can order any of Culver's burgers with American, cheddar, or Swiss. Plus, there doesn't seem to be an upcharge to ordering your burger with a different type of cheese.

For a limited time, Culver's is also slinging a Jalapeño Jack Pub Burger with pepper jack cheese, if you like spice. You can't order the other burgers with pepper jack online, but you might be able to pull it off in person. You can also try ordering several types of cheese for a fusion of flavors. For example, the nutty cheese and earthy mushrooms on Culver's' Mushroom & Swiss burger are a classic combination because they complement each other, but adding cheddar is an option for a sharper bite to your sandwich.

In addition to swapping the bun or the type of cheese, there are various toppings you can add for an extra cost, or even free of charge in some cases. However, "The Works," which adds ketchup, mustard, pickles, and raw onions, covers the bases. It's like when you go to a cookout and add every topping on the picnic table to your smash burger. You get tangy, sweet condiments, crunchy onions, and zesty pickles with the simplicity of one click when ordering online, and there isn't even an extra cost.

Keep in mind that some of the fast food chain's burgers, such as The Culver's Bacon Deluxe, already come with most of the ingredients included in "The Works." You can always remove the toppings if you don't like them. Online, there's also "The Works, No Onion" if you don't want raw onion breath after your lunch or dinner.

Our last tip for ordering the best burger at Culver's is all about the mushrooms. Out of all the toppings you can add to a burger at Culver's, the mushrooms stand out. In general, a beefy, fatty burger can always benefit from the funky earthiness of mushrooms, and the same goes for a fast food sandwich.

The eatery uses white button mushrooms sauteed in butter according to its menu, so it doesn't have intense flavor if you don't love all varieties of the fungi. It costs an extra 50 cents to add mushrooms to burgers, but it's worth it to upgrade your fast food meal. You can also just order the Mushroom & Swiss Burger, which comes with the sauteed mushrooms by default.

Of course, there are other deluxe toppings, such as thick-cut bacon (for $1.50) or grilled onions. When ordering in person, try to get other toppings, such as sauerkraut or Thousand Island dressing, which is normally reserved for its Grilled Reuben Melt.