When you visit a burger restaurant, your primary focus might be the size and type of burger patty that you get. Even if you're all about the meat, you know that the right toppings can truly enhance your burger. Onions are a popular topping choice for many peoples' burgers, and while fast food establishments often add this ingredient to their products, specialty burger restaurants frequently give you several onion options. Here are three ways to have onions on your burger.

Raw

Many people love the taste and texture of raw onions on their burgers. Several large rings of sweet onion give your burger a pleasant textural change. Whereas other toppings such as tomatoes are fairly soft, raw onion provides a crunch when you take each bite. Raw onion has a pungent flavor, which you may like — but that may flavor your breath for a while after you eat. Some people opt to skip raw onion as a burger topping if they're eating lunch during the workday and have meetings or other work-related events scheduled for the afternoon.

Cooked

If you're concerned about how raw onions might change your breath, cooked onions can be a better choice. They offer the enjoyable flavor of this ingredient, but in a milder form. Cooked onions lack the crunch that their raw counterparts provide but also add a sweetness that you'll appreciate. Restaurants often dice their cooked onions, rather than leave them in rings, which will make them easy to eat with each bite.

Caramelized

Many specialty burger restaurants also have caramelized onions as one of their available toppings. These are onions that are cooked for a long time over low heat. They turn a deep brown color and become very soft. Most importantly, the onions develop a rich, sweet flavor that can truly make them stand out among other burger toppings. You'll often find caramelized onions paired with a creamy cheese such as brie on burgers, as the two tastes complement one another.

Rings

Don't be surprised to see onion rings listed as an available topping at your specialty burger restaurant. While onion rings are commonly a burger side option in the same way as fries or salad, some restaurants give you the option of adding one or two to the top of your patty. You'll get the sweet and flavorful onion that is gently cooked, surrounded by the crunch of the breaded coating.

For more information, contact a hamburger restaurant like The Hilltop.