Hamburger steaks are usually just a simple dish consisting of ground beef patties and gravy. It sounds very similar to the Salisbury steaks, but it's really just a simplified version of it. Hamburger steaks feature just ground beef patties seasoned with some salt and pepper. The cooked patties are then finished with some brown gravy.  Salisbury steak features a ground beef mixture that is close to a meatloaf mixture because it includes eggs, bread, crumbs, onion, garlic, and a few other flavorful ingredients. The gravy also features seared onions and mushrooms. Overall, there's much more flavor in Salisbury steak and the meat itself is much more tender and juicy.