• Slice Of Life
  • THE DISH
    • Dining
    • Drinks
    • Reviews
    • Recipes
    • Restaurant Guide
      • Best Restaurants 2024
  • CIRCLE CITY
    • Longform
    • Opinion & Columns
    • Politics
    • News
    • Business
    • Crime
  • THE TICKET
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Books, TV & Radio
  • GOOD LIFE
    • Indy Business Spotlight
    • Shopping
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Travel
    • Health
  • Best of Indy
    • Faces of Indy 2025
    • Top Doctors
    • Readers’ Choice
    • Best Of Indy – 2024
    • Best Restaurants 2024
    • Indianapolis Gives
  • ABOUT
    • Purchase Single Issues
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Work With Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Where to Find
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • Media Kit
  • EVENTS
    • 2025 Dream Home
    • Best Restaurants
    • Indulge
    • Fall Savor 2024
    • Global Eats 2024
  • SUBSCRIBE
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Create an account
Sign up
Welcome!Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Create an account
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Indianapolis Monthly
  • Slice Of Life
  • THE DISH
    • Dining
    • Drinks
    • Reviews
    • Recipes
    • Restaurant Guide
      • Best Restaurants 2024
  • CIRCLE CITY
    • Longform
    • Opinion & Columns
    • Politics
    • News
    • Business
    • Crime
  • THE TICKET
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Books, TV & Radio
  • GOOD LIFE
    • Indy Business Spotlight
    • Shopping
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Travel
    • Health
  • Best of Indy
    • Faces of Indy 2025
    • Top Doctors
    • Readers’ Choice
    • Best Of Indy – 2024
    • Best Restaurants 2024
    • Indianapolis Gives
  • ABOUT
    • Purchase Single Issues
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Work With Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Where to Find
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • Media Kit
  • EVENTS
    • 2025 Dream Home
    • Best Restaurants
    • Indulge
    • Fall Savor 2024
    • Global Eats 2024
  • SUBSCRIBE
Home Food & Drinks Taste Test: Big Mac Knockoffs
  • Food & Drinks

Taste Test: Big Mac Knockoffs

By
Julia Spalding
-
April 9, 2019
188
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
    A double stacked cheeseburger with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles sits on a plate of fries.
    The Brewery Cheese Burger at Daredevil Hall

    Photo by Tony Valainis

    Daredevil Hall
    2721 E. 86th St., 317-757-2888
    The new beerhouse inside Ironworks Hotel adds some gastropub finishes, like a toasted bun and crispy porter-soaked pickle chips to its Brewery Cheese Burger. The telltale Mickey D’s ingredient is the tangy-sweet burger sauce that pulls all of those flavors together.

    Grindstone Public House
    101 N. 10th St., Noblesville, 317-774-5740
    A holdover from Grindstone’s parent restaurant, the Clancy’s Topper dates back to the chain’s original burger stand in Noblesville. Visually, it’s a dead ringer for the one sold beneath golden arches, complete with a three-part bun. But this version gets a swipe of house tartar sauce, and has the sturdy construction of a plated (not bagged) restaurant burger.

    The Historic Steer-In
    5130 E. 10th St., 317-356-0996
    Everything about this carefully preserved eastside diner triggers food memories, from the crunchy ice in the drinks to the epic laminated menu to the regulars at the horseshoe-shaped counter. The Twin Steer has its own nostalgic charm, layering two burgers with a slip of sunny American cheese. The only thing that could make it more perfect is a side of thick crinkle-cut fries.

    Punch Bowl Social
    120 S. Meridian St., 317-249-8613
    Not every Big Mac doppelgänger wears its resemblance quite as brazenly as The Knockoff Burger. Its ingredients might come off as slightly fancified—the beef patties are grass-fed and hormone-free, and the pickled onion garnish takes some liberties. But with American cheese and Thousand Island–like Comeback Sauce, this hefty burger gets the flavor profile just right.

    Burger Study
    28 W. Georgia St., 317-777-7770
    You might think that a tony burger restaurant that shares DNA with Indy’s red-meat patriarch, St. Elmo Steak House, would steer clear of anything resembling fast-food grub. One bite into Burger Study’s Double Major, and the detour from coffee-rubbed Wagyu beef makes perfect sense. Two patties, seared to lock in a good crunch around their lacy edges, bulge from beneath a properly squishy bun, with melty American cheese and a dollop of Study Sauce.

    • TAGS
    • Steer-In
    • Punch Bowl Social
    • Historic Steer-In
    • Grindstone Public House
    • Daredevil Hall
    • burgers
    • Burger Study
    • Big Macs
    • Big Mac
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
      Previous articleImportantville: What We Learned About Mayor Pete In New Hampshire
      Next articleThe Feed: Condado Tacos Comes To Mass Ave
      Julia Spalding
      Julia Spalding is the features editor at Indianapolis Monthly, a lifelong Hoosier, east side advocate, and Indy enthusiast. She covers big stories but also loves to discover new places to explore in her city. Follow her on Instagram @juliaspalding317 to see what she's up to.

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      a dish is set on a plate

      Swoon: Salt Opens Up In Carmel

      pizzas rest on a table

      Slice Of Life: Chef’s Picks And Warm Up Practices

      Slice Of Life: Hottest Pizza Styles

      ABOUT US
      Indianapolis Monthly, the city’s authoritative general interest magazine, provides its loyal monthly readers with compelling narrative stories and smart, lively service pieces
      FOLLOW US
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
      • Careers
      © 2025 - Indianapolis Monthly
      Near me
      200 miles