Gourmet burgers have hit the big time so that everyone is jumping onto the connoisseur burger bandwagon, where a bun, meat patty and salad can appeal to the corporate critic or the tradie’s tastes.
We’ve explored the top burgers in Brisbane. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
| THE ORIGINALS |
Grill’d and Burger Urge first led the charge as quality gourmet burger characters and they are still up there with quality ground sirloin. Grill’d makes lotsa love, their meat sourced from happy farms while giving back to the local communities to support groups through the unique community program Local Matters. The Hot Mama of grilled grass fed lean beef, roasted peppers, dill pickle, tasty cheese, tzatziki, salad and harissa paste is the bomb.
Burger Urge in Fortitude Valley still stands with their amazing burgers. Not one to shy from controversy – the Clive Palmer anyone? – they’re now delivering. While their Beef injections and Lamb Phetamine are gastronomic delights, their Chick Fix Tandoori Chicken is a melt in the mouth
| v |
The CBD is teaming with gourmet Salisbury steaks. Below e’cco as the lunchtime brainchild of Philip Johnston, Howzat presents burger goodness from $10 with chippy chips. You’ll be hit for six with the pork belly heaven of the Mexican Wave.
From the Riverside Centre, Pony Dining Express dishes up the Pony Double Cheeseburger and goes down nicely with a lovely La Gioiosa Prosecco, while below from The Riverbar & Kitchen, you can’t go past the freshness of Matt Moran’s Chicken Breast Burger washed down with a cider. The Laneway’s Wagyu Beef Burger just off Spencer Lane is the CBD’s worst kept secret, while across the road, The Pav Bar at The Stamford Plaza Hotel serves up a fine Italian Beef Burger. At Vintaged Bar + Grill from The Hilton Hotel Brisbane, the Vintaged Burger goes all out. The best of the best though, would have to be Miel Container’s Miso Smoked Pork Belly Burger.
| THE VALLEY |
From the Valley, Alfred & Constance’s Chicken Schnitzel Burger is the shiznit with a freshly squeezed juice from the café, while Greaser’s Greaser Cheeseburger does more than comfort the stomach, especially when washed down with an apple whisky. But you just can’t go past Ribs & Burgers on James Street with The Original, featuring R&B’s infamous pink and BBQ sauce. It transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary and adds a fine rap to the patties.
| SOUTH |
From South Bank, Cove Bar & Dining dishes up glorious views and their rather fine Rib Fillet Steak Burger with chips. From Burrow in West End, quirky names get you into mah belly with I Am The Egg Plant or Jack Rabbit Slim Burger served up with crinkly fries. Genuine awesomness comes with the Bill Murray Burger and breaks all the rules. The Burrow Brews are a must drink with these burger buys. The best of the best comes from The Fox Hotel in South Brisbane from The Longbar. The tempura soft shell crab on a brioche bun with miso mayonnaise and wakame salad goes down well with a glass of bubbles, and at just $15 (including beverage) from 12 – 3pm daily, this is champagne life on a beer budget.
| WEST |
From Petrie Terrace, FAB Fish & Burger Grill at The Barracks brings The Mary special: herbed lamb, lettuce, tomato, grilled haloumi, capsicum relish and aoli washed down with a Little Creatures Pale Ale to make you moo. Just up a bit further, Statler & Waldorf go gastronomic with the Beef Cheek Cheeseburger. Down with a Stone & Wood off the tap. But the shining gem is in Jindalee with Kym Machin’s brand new and shiny café comes Bare Bones Society: the Breakfast Burger of double smoked bacon and hash browns simply means double delight.
| EAST |
The best in Brisbane unexpectedly comes from Coorparoo, care of Carolina Kitchen. While the house made BBQ is the cherry on top, the avocado and swiss cheese makes the Gourmet Burger a treat worth taking a trip out to the suburbs for. The world’s hottest burger can be found with The Megadeath Burger at Off The Wall Diner in Wellington Point and deserves an honourary mention. Wearing gloves just to handle it, a legal waiver to be signed to eat it and a sauce 650 times hotter than an average jalapeño, this Off The Wall challenge has reduced grown men to utter tears and the people watching them, to utter mirth.
