American Steamed Cheeseburgers — Restaurant in Wallingford

A small, intensely local joint that knows how to work their steamer. Central Connecticut is known for their steamed cheeseburger oddity, but American Steamed has branched out to a variety of different steamed sandwiches to cater to a variety of tastes.

I had their double steamed cheeseburger with their cheese and spicy mustard. The protein was juicy and full of flavor, despite it being medium well from the cooking process. They also provide a healthy serving of cheese (which is a bit saltier and sharper than other steamed hamburger mainstays) that locked in the juice and the flavor. There are a few options for kaiser rolls that help soak in the flavor from the burger and copious amounts of cheese which were appreciated. brought three friends from out of state and all of them agreed that it was the best cheeseburger they've ever had.

What was surprising was the sheer amount of local sodas they had available. Foxon Park and others were represented. (Even my favorite, white birch beer.) Not Ally, I wouldn't be excited about soda, bit they even had classic Surge in their cooler.

A great addition to the town, for sure. I just wish they were closer to me and hat a bit more dining space. Otherwise, the service was fantastic and I hope to get back...

I was exploring town and had this place on my list to try since reading good reviews. I've never heard of steamed burgers so I was excited. Apparently, steamed burgers were invented in Connecticut! The place was a little hole in the wall with a couple of tables. It reminded me of someone's living room and the person who helped us was friendly; it felt like a friend cooking us lunch in his kitchen. I got almost like a dive bar vibe even though it's not a bar. The service was great, quick and cordial.

I had a coupon on Yelp for 10% off for checking in; he said he didn't know about it but honored it. I had the single steamed cheeseburger on a poppy seed roll; with lettuce, tomato, cheese, ketchup, mustard, and pickles. The burger was actually really good and moist. I think the cheese made it a little bit too salty but all in all, it's not bad. I housed the whole burger and was super full. I also had the tuna macaroni salad as a side which was delicious also. They had Foxon Park soda; I had the root beer. My son had chips and a hot dog and my husband had the double burger; they seemed to enjoy their meals. Overall, a good place to try out some...

Ok so let me give a review to save you some money and your sanity.

The people are nice and I don't mean to rag on a local restaurant, but the food is genuinely not good, especially for the price. I can't in good faith see all these 5 star reviews and not speak up, they're likely doing friends a favor. I like supporting local places, but you need to at least have an acceptable product.

This isn't some whiny privileged review where I berate or whine over something trivial or me not being pampered, this is me warning you not to go on a late night dinner trip here.

Its unseasoned ground beef put into a steamer and slapped on a burger bun with an absurd amount of cheese and bacon.

Ill let you be the judge of if that sounds like a good experience. Yeah it might be edible, but it is by no means worth the price (I paid $16 and it still haunts me). You would get a similar experience cooking a 1lb of ground beef in your dishwasher and slapping it on a bun.

The atmosphere was a little odd...