Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers

In the past year, the local burger wars have turned into a crazy upscale and downmarket arms race in Greater Boston, with everyone from the ultra-posh Radius, to mid-market Spanish restaurant Toro, to gourmet fast-food chain Five Guys vying for burger-lovers’ attention. Yet for all the foofaraw, MR. BARTLEY’S GOURMET BURGERS — a half-century-old Harvard Square institution where you still have to pay cash, and head elsewhere to find a bathroom— continues to beguile diners with its array of big, local-celebrity-themed, griddled beef burgers and fresh-made rickeys. Clearly, in the eyes of many Bostonians, certain classics don’t need no improvin’ on.

MR. BARTLEY’S GOURMET BURGERS | 1246 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.354.6559 | bartleysburgers.com