Chicago, Illinois: Kuma's Corner

You don't have to like heavy metal to appreciate this dark, headbanging corner bar; you don't even have to like alcohol. No, the main thing is that you're into burgers, because Kuma's, unlikely as it seems, serves the best in Chicago. Take a look at that menu of 20 intriguing half-pound black Angus burgers named for the owners' favorite bands: Dark Throne (with chipotle peppers, goat cheese, pico de gallo); Melvins (basil, prosciutto, mozzarella); Motorhead (goat cheese, kalamata olives, oregano, tzatziki, onion, tomato). They're all well thought out and carnivorously debauched beyond words—but the centerpiece is the Kuma burger, a masterpiece piled with bacon, cheddar, and a fried egg on a puffy Labriola pretzel roll. Ask for yours rare, and rest assured there will be blood. Once you get past the ear-splitting music and cartoonishly raunchy bathrooms, you'll notice a pretty diverse crowd: families, foodies, burger geeks, indie beer geeks and, yes, metalheads. And the tattooed, pierced staff may look pretty ragged but, like the burgers, they're softies on the inside: One day a month, a bartender gives all his tips to a different local charity.

Photos: James Trevenen