If one is looking for a tasty hamburger, one need not search far, as Lexington offers a variety of options for the hungry carnivore. Unfortunately for Lexington’s herbivores, such as me, finding tasty veggie burgers can be a challenge.

Tired of eating dry, frozen veggie burgers from the supermarket, I set out on a quest to find which Lexington restaurant offers the best veggie burger. Stop one: Sweet Treats Bakery.

The friendly service at Sweet Treats always makes me feel at home; but while their service was amazing, their veggie burger disappointed. The vessel in which it was served was a greasy, slightly burnt soggy bun. A bun should tie together a burger by providing a warm and soft pillow for the burger to rest. It was hard to enjoy my meal when the burger kept slipping from my hands.

The burger was topped with lettuce, tomato, diced green bell peppers, and sautéed onions, with a few packets of ketchup and mayonnaise on the side. The vegetables were refreshing, and the onions were a tasty addition. However the lack of condiments made the burger dry.

My favorite part of the meal was the homemade chips. Unlike the bun, the chips were not greasy. They were lightly salted and perfectly peppered. The crisp potatoes were a nice twist on the traditional burger and fries.

The burger itself crumbled and fell out of the bun, mainly because it lacked moisture. While the burger was a rather basic black bean combination, it had a good flavor and a great combination of spices. However, the parched patty and sad bun brought Sweet Treats’ veggie burger down to a rating of five out of 10.

Pure Eats was voted Best Burger in the Shenandoah Valley by Virginia Living, but I was curious as to how their veggie burgers compared. A rather simple No Bull Lentil burger, but nonetheless tasty.

The burger was served on a soft white roll and topped with lettuce, tomato and onions. The bun was a little too big and overpowered the flavors and texture of the burger.

The patty itself was a perfect portion and left me feeling satisfied but not over filled. Unfortunately there was not much in terms of exciting flavor. The burger was nice but it was slightly bland.  The burger was paired with perfectly crisp sweet potato fries. The fries were cooked to perfection with a crunchy outer shell and warm soft middles. While the burger was not as flavorful as I would have liked, there was nothing terrible about the experience: seven out of 10.

The Palm’s serves a slightly different burger than other Lexington restaurants; rather than being made of black beans or lentils, it was made of delicious falafel.

This behemoth burger was served on a warmed and slightly oily bun and topped with arugula and onion. While the bun was light and airy, it had a thin coating of oil from warming it. A side of potato chips partnered with the burger well but were nothing extraordinary.

This burger itself was enormous. I was concerned that it would be too thick for the center of the burger to be properly cooked but I was wrong. The outside was crisp and crunchy, while the inside was warm and soft chickpea blend. The outer shell of the patty prevented the burger from crumbling as veggie burgers are prone to doing. The burger was seasoned delightfully but slightly heavy on the garlic. Overall, the falafel was delectable and earned a score of eight out of 10.

Taps, the penultimate restaurant on my list of Lexington’s best veggie burgers. The No Bull Veggie Burger was a fantastic lentil burger cooked to perfection.

The bun was soft, warm and provided a perfect vessel for the burger. Most buns are warmed on a grill and become greasy, however Taps’ succeeded in having a perfectly warmed bun without the oiliness.

The lentil burger was soft and only slightly crumbly. I enjoyed that this burger was topped with a large portion of avocado and flavorful pickled red onion. Red wine based ketchup was served on the side and when added to the burger made a delectable meal. The tones of red wine paired perfectly with mild burger and pickled onions. One of my favorite parts of the meal was the French fries. They were cooked perfectly to a crisp. I prefer my French fries to be as crunchy as possible and Taps delivered. The perfect combination of ingredients and well prepared meal earned taps an eight and a half out of 10.

Blue Phoenix Cafe’s Garden Burger was the next meal on my list. What makes Blue Phoenix different is that it exclusively serves vegan and vegetarian food. I had high hopes for the Blue Phoenix; it would make sense that a vegetarian restaurant would have a great veggie burger.

There was no bun, but instead a lightly toasted wheat bread. While I prefer a bun, the toast was surprisingly great. It allowed the variety of flavors in the burger to shine rather than being overpowered by bread.

The toppings for this burger were delectable, unique, and worked in perfect harmony with the burger. The fresh tomato, red onion and lettuce was complemented with Dijon mustard and homemade fresh herb aioli. The mustard was delectably piquant; the aioli was subtle and refreshing. It was great to have more than lettuce, tomato and onion on my burger.

A colorful slaw made of rainbow carrots and radishes was served alongside this burger, but I also purchased a side of chips and homemade hummus. The hummus was simply fantastic. It was creamy, and infused with savory herbs and spices.

Delicious does not begin to cover this burger. The patty was made from tofu, brown rice and a rich variety of seasonings. The burger was soft, moist, flavorful, and all around perfect. The patty held together, unlike the previous burgers. The mustard, aioli, and fresh veggies worked well together; all of the flavors were well-balanced. The Blue Phoenix Cafe was phenomenal and my taste buds rank the experience a 10 out of 10.