Litton’s

With a catalogue of hamburgers that range from minimalist beef patties to a “Thunder Road” burger (named for the movie about moonshining in these parts) topped with pimento cheese, onions, and a hot pickled jalapeno pepper, Litton’s is burger-lovers’ heaven. For each one, freshly-ground meat is cooked to order, then sandwiched in a made-here bun, preferably with at least lettuce, tomato and onion, and, at most, bacon, pickles, or chili. Hamburgers – and other sandwiches – are available with onion rings, French fries or any number of classic southern sides.

At least as famous as the hamburgers are Litton’s desserts: coconut cream pie, chocolate chess pie (Tuesday only), old-fashioned red velvet cake, banana pudding, and cream cheese-frosted Italian cream cake, a buttery concoction with old-fashioned simplicity that goes perfectly with a cup of after-meal coffee.

All in all, Litton’s is a great place to enjoy a real American burger and a piece of cake in a comfortable and clean environment. It is just a couple of miles off I-75 and 640 on the north side of the city.