Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we give our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)

In the age of endless options, Twansburger’s menu is refreshingly small: a smashburger ($13) with the option of an extra patty ($4) and fries ($5). That’s it.

The burger’s toppings are tried and true — potato bun, double American cheese, house pickles, white onion, lettuce and creamy sauce over a double patty of perfectly fried Colorado beef, edges crisped to absolute perfection.

Owner Antoine “Twan” Villaume is not reinventing the wheel with this burger — currently served from a food truck parked on the patio at Finn’s Manor on Larimer — but that’s what makes it great. It’s just quality ingredients, local beef and no pretense, which is why this burger has been so hyped up, from best-of lists by local food writers to glowing praise in online spaces like the Denver food subreddit or Denver Foodies Facebook group.

Let’s get the common complaints out of the way first: Yes, it’s a $13 burger, and the fries aren’t cheap. No, there’s nothing about this burger — on paper, anyway — that makes it stand out beyond being made with local beef and quality components by people who care about the finished product. And, yes, you will have to show your ID to gain entry to Finn’s patio since it’s a bar; but what’s an extra few seconds of effort when you can sit at a high-top on a beautiful day and eat the perfect burger?

With Twansburger, Villaume is attempting to tap into our nostalgia for things like “childhood, summertime, cooking burgers with your family in the backyard,” he said in a 2024 interview with The Denver Post. “If I can somehow recreate that emotion, I want to.”

Mission accomplished.

Twansburger at Finn’s Manor, 2927 Larimer St., instagram.com/twansburger.