Best burger

Some things never change. Harvard Square's Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, packed with students and plastered with posters and bumper-stuck with bumper stickers, is one of them. So is the Best Burger award that year after year goes to Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage. The burgers themselves, however? They change all the time to reflect the restaurant's tradition of naming its sandwiches after current celebrities and political figures -- sometimes as an honor, sometimes as a dig. The Alan Greenspan is loaded with chili, sour cream, and hot sauce; the Dr. A tkins, of course, is bunless; the Mike Tyson and the Saddam Hussein are both turkey burgers. But hey, they're still pretty darn good.

Like the brunch menu that earned it top marks (see Best Brunch), the burger selection at Pour House is a paradigm of good value. It begins with a quarter-pound of beef, served with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles on a sesame-seed bun; on that theme, there are eight variations (including the New York Pourboy, a two-patty house fave with cheddar, bacon, and spot-on sautéed onions) -- and every one goes for under $6, plus a buck for double-decking. And all, of course, come with a mess of fries.

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, 1246 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 354-6559. Pour House Bar & Grill, 909 Boylston Street, (617) 236-1767.