NORTH CAROLINA -- Dozens of burger joints around North Carolina are facing off in a heated battle to claim the coveted title of "Best Burger in North Carolina."
Travel blog Strange Carolinas has launched a contest in the style of March Madness, with brackets and rounds.
The first voting round, which ends on Tuesday at 8 p.m., includes 64 burger restaurants around North Carolina.
The best 32 of the 64 will then move on to face off against one another. That will then be whittled down to 16, then eight, two and finally the winner will be chosen.
Restaurants in the running include:
Charlotte region:
- The Hot Dog Shack (Granite Quarry)
- The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar (Charlotte)
- Brooks' Sandwich House (Charlotte)
- Medical Center Pharmacy (Cherryville)
- Diamond Restaurant (Charlotte)
- Hap's Grill (Salisbury)
- Bang Bang Burgers (Charlotte)
- What-A-Burger (Concord, Kannapolis, Mooresville)
- South 21 Drive In (Charlotte)
- Tony's Ice Cream (Gastonia)
- Zack's Hamburgers (Charlotte)
- Smashburger (Charlotte)
- Moo & Brew (Charlotte)
- Duke's Grill (Monroe)
- Bad Daddy's Burger Bar (Charlotte, Huntersville, Mooresville)
- Bebop's Diner (Spencer)
- Crossroads Grill (Taylorsville)
- Ray's Smokehouse (Gastonia)
- Pinky's Westside Grill (Charlotte)
- Cowbell Burger & Whiskey Bar (Charlotte)
Mountains:
- Rankin Vault Cocktail Lounge (Asheville)
- Juicy Lucy's Burger Bar And Grill (Asheville)
- Farm Burger (Asheville)
- Riverwatch Grill (Chimney Rock)
- Park Vista Inn & Restaurant (West Jefferson)
- Clyde's Restaurant (Waynesville)
- Carolina Burger (Lenoir)
Triad:
- Food Freaks Of NC (Winston-Salem)
- Big Burger Spot (Greensboro)
- The Loaded Goat (Mount Airy)
- Zack's (Burlington)
- Pete's Burgers & More (Reidsville)
- Everything Under The Bun (Asheboro)
- Emma Key's (Greensboro)
- Hops Burger Bar (Greensboro)
- The PorterHouse Burger Company (Greensboro)
- Bad Daddy's Burger Bar (Winston-Salem)
- The Old Sharkey's Grill (Burlington)
- CIN CIN Burger Bar (Winston-Salem)
- Local 27101 (Winston-Salem)
Central NC:
- The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar (Raleigh)
- MoJoe's Burger Joint (Raleigh)
- Chuck's (Raleigh)
- The Bakehouse (Aberdeen)
- King's Sandwich Shop (Durham)
- Only Burger (Durham)
- Relish Café & Bar (Raleigh)
- Johnson's Drive In (Siler City)
- Al's Burger Shack (Chapel Hill)
- Smashburger (Durham & Raleigh)
- Corbett's Burgers & Soda Bar (Cary)
- Bad Daddy's Burger Bar (Fayetteville, Morrisville, Raleigh)
- Will's Gril (Fayetteville)
- Lou Reda's (Rocky Mount)
- Bull City Burger & Brewery (Durham)
- Best N Burgers (Wilson)
- The Burger Shop Of Wake Forest (Wake Forest)
Coastal NC:
- Beaches Burgers (Ocean Isle)
- Melvin's Hamburgers & Hotdogs (Elizabethtown)
- The Fork N Cork (Wilmington)
- P.T.'s Old Fashioned Grille (Wilmington)
- Big Oak Drive In & BBQ (Salter Path)
- Tazy's Burgers & Grill (Wilmington)
- El's Drive In (Morehead City)
- Winnie's Tavern (Wilmington)
- Ward's Grill (Whiteville)
- Copper Penny (Wilmington)