The Fast Food Burger That Andrew Zimmern Puts Above The Rest

TV show host and celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern is no slouch when it comes to good food. Although he may have staked his claim on adventurous stuff through his stint as the host of "Bizarre Foods" (where he got very familiar with unusual types of meat), most of his cooking now involves way less exotic game. It should come to you as no surprise that Zimmern has a strong opinion on fast food, however. For example, he absolutely hated the McRib when he tried it last year (I respectfully butt heads with his opinion, the McRib frickin' rules). 

But there is, in fact, one fast food joint he absolutely admires: Culver's. He's been saying it for years. He revealed that information on an episode of talk show "Hot Ones" in 2022. He starts at the 19-minute mark and goes on for three whole impassioned minutes about how Culver's is his favorite fast food burger place (seriously, it's kind of incredible). Frankly, I agree, and historically always have. 

Zimmern says about Culver's burger, "It's all fresh. Tomatoes come in there and they are cut by someone. Lettuce comes in there whole and it is cut by someone. It's a smash patty of decent beef that comes on a buttered bun." He's since become a Culver's partner, appearing in advertisements for the brand; so I'm guessing the feeling's become mutual.

In case you think Zimmern hasn't been busy, he's actually got a new show out right now called "Field to Fire." It currently airs on Outdoor Channel (new episodes drop on Mondays), and explores the process of catching wild game all the way down to cooking it. Zimmern also has a paid subscription Substack newsletter called Andrew Zimmern's Spilled Milk, where he does everything from posting recipes to fielding reader's questions and answering them on video. 

He's also got a presence on social media, most frequently posting to Instagram, giving you snapshots of his life, where he's been, while also dropping cooking advice along the way. We also recently discovered that Zimmern's a big fan of a very particular Korean snack (I'm Korean, I can endorse this), which involves peanuts and the flavor of a specific sea creature. It's clear he eats well — but when it comes to fast food, he's a Culver's guy, through and through.