Every town has one: the little spot the regulars would almost rather not tell you about, because the last thing they want is a line out the door at lunch. On West Division Street, that place is Burger Basket & Grill, and the locals are done keeping quiet.

The building is nothing fancy. It is the kind of old-school Arlington drive-in joint that looks like it has been feeding people the same way for decades, because it has. What it does have is a kitchen that cooks everything to order, prices that stay under ten bucks for most of the menu, and a fan club of people who say they have literally never had a bad meal here. One regular put it plainly: it hits every single time. Another says they have been eating there since it opened. That is the kind of loyalty you cannot buy with a marketing budget.

The menu reads like a greatest-hits of classic American comfort food, and the regulars have strong opinions about what you should order.

The Philly cheesesteak is the headliner, served as a combo on a perfectly toasted roll, hot and generous enough to have people calling it the best Philly in Arlington. The double bacon cheeseburger is the other signature, made from scratch and greasy in the way a real burger is supposed to be. Do not skip the gyro either; people name it right alongside the Philly and the burger as the trio to beat.

If you go in the morning, and you should go in the morning at least once, the move is a breakfast burrito with a side of home fries. The burritos get name-checked constantly, and the home fries come up in the same breath. Fried zucchini is the sleeper pick from the appetizer side, and for drinks, order the cherry lemonade. The slushy ice alone has its own defenders. Top it off with a shake if you have any room left, which you probably will not, because the portions are honest.

“Go this weekend. Arlington has plenty of burger spots, but this is the one the neighborhood actually eats at.”

Arlington Network