Where to Find the Best Burgers in Melbourne

Bar Margaux is one of Melbourne’s best French restaurants and bars for exceptional late-night eats. The underground haunt is a must-visit for any Melbourne food and drink lover — especially if you have a hankering for one of Melbourne’s best burgers.

Bar Margaux’s famous burger consists of two wagyu patties, bacon, cheddar and a house-made bordelaise sauce made from bone marrow, red wine, shallots and a stack of pepper. These bad boys are on the regular menu and late-night menu that runs until 3am on Saturdays. And come Thursday nights, the Margaux crew offers two burgers and a bottle of beaujolais for a very reasonable $95.

Brunswick East’s The Beast has been feeding hungry northsiders with burgers, fries, sides and shakes since it came to life in 2012. Its beef is local and organically farmed, its burger names are cheeky, and its lineup of vegan-friendly eats has options galore.

Alongside a Japanese-inspired katsu pork creation, a southern fried chicken number and some plant-based delights, you’ll find no less than five different burgers centred around the kitchen’s famed beef smash patty. Big appetites will especially love the Holy Cheezus — a hit of beef and double cheddar, sandwiched with hickory bacon, a mac and cheese croquette, ranch and ketchup inside a toasted potato bun.

With a vibe that’s log cabin-meets-house-party and a good ol’ American-style food offering to match, this long-standing spot is a firm favourite for chilled southside burger sessions — our team even voted it as one of the best bars in Melbourne.

Get comfy, order a beer and acquaint yourself with the satisfyingly simple classic cheeseburger, or load things up with the fried chicken burger. Importantly, the house beef patty is an ingenious fusion of short rib and brisket that makes many an appearance throughout the menu. Otherwise, you can ditch the meat in favour of a cauliflower nachos or perhaps the smoked portobello mushroom creation.

The Rockpool brand is about as strong a brand you can find in Australian dining, with the flagship Sydney venue — that’s regularly voted in the top ten steakhouses in the world — opening back in 2009. Inspired by the great steakhouses of North America, Rockpool prides itself on sourcing its beef from the top providers in Australia — and when teamed up with its exceptional wine list, it’s easy to see why its reputation is bulletproof.

When you think about Melbourne hamburger joints, odds are that Huxtaburger is one of the first to spring to mind. Originally a spinoff of Huxtable Diner, this no-frills American-style hamburger grill got its start in Collingwood and now boasts four additional venues in Footscray and Hawthorn.

As a rule, the team behind the counter like to keep things simple: sweet brioche buns wrapped around a wagyu beef patty with tomato, cheese, lettuce and pickles, or southern fried chicken with jalapeño mayo and slaw. Round out your meal with crinkle-cut chips and an ice-cold can of beer, and try not to think too hard about the fact that your lunch is named after a character from The Cosby Show.

As the brainchild of burger boss Raph Rashid (Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck), it’s no surprise Juanita Peaches is slinging some very tasty things-in-buns. Ok, so the star of this show might be the crispy fried chicken, but you’d best bet the burgers put up a solid fight for your affections, too.

It’s a short and sweet lineup that champions simplicity, headlined by a grass-fed brisket cheeseburger with double cheese and pickles loaded onto a cracking house-made bun. If you’re game, you can double up on the patty for an extra $5. Otherwise, ditch the meat in favour of the eggplant sandwich with slaw, or get your chook fix in between bread with the southern-style fried chicken sanga.

Images: Julia Sansone

As far as burger-scoffing locations go, this is one of Melbourne’s most unique, nestled in a train carriage perched high atop the roofs of Collingwood. But novel setting aside, you’ll agree Easey’s menu of burgs, dogs and sides proves impressive in its own right.

Expect options aplenty at this Melbourne burger haunt, with single, double and triple meat variations available for many of the burgers, and a range of plant-based goodies also on offer. There’s a jazzed-up take on the classic cheeseburger, a southern fried chicken sandwich with ranch, and even a barbecue bacon creation teaming a smash patty with cheddar and ‘deep-fried crispy bits’. A side serve of the mac and cheese-topped tots is obviously a must.

Eating Gimlet’s cheeseburger has been deemed a religious experience by many. Only served from 10pm, Andrew McConnell’s burger is made with a thick-cut Gippsland-raised O’Connor beef patty cooked over the wood grill to give it a good kiss of smokiness.

It’s paired with pickles, white onions, butter lettuce, American cheese and a dill-packed burger sauce made by McConnell’s expert chefs. It’s then encased within a fluffy potato bun and served alone on a white plate. Either add some fries or don’t. This big beautiful burger is good enough all on its own.

While you can get a simple and classic cheeseburger at Burger Road, it’s certainly not what the Fairfield shop is known for. That’d be sky-high burgers oozing with cheese in a coloured bun. And ridiculously OTT freak shakes. Between epic beef-filled options and gourmet chicken burgers, there’s a decent offering of veggie and vegan stacks.

The cheesy corn fritter patty is an absolute winner, but those wanting to go vegan best look towards the Green Light burger made with a veggie patty, vegan cheese and vegan mayo. It’s simple, but shows how you don’t need to try too hard with plant-based burgers. There’s no need to add heaps of sauces and such to mask the fact that there is no meat. Veggies have flavour too. As long as the patty is on point, you’re sorted.

You’re going to need two hands and a pile of serviettes for these famed Melbourne burgers. If you’re looking for all the signs of a damn good burger, Preston’s Chew Burger has got ’em. It’s nothing you haven’t seen or devoured before — rather, some tasty textbook burgs, done well.

The Chew celebrates that classic marriage of beef brisket patty, cheddar, salad and pickles, with a genius hit of mustard, aioli and tomato sauce rounding out the fun. There’s also a buttermilk fried chicken number and the towering Commando — starring brisket, fried onion rings, bacon, cheese and two different sauces. Team your pick with one of Chew’s thickshakes for some very happy tastebuds.

Image: Leah Hulst

A laidback gem down the Abbotsford end of Johnston Street, Lulie Street Tavern’s warehouse space is an outright charmer, and also home to some of Melbourne’e best burgers. You’ve got your classic cheeseburger with a beef patty, American cheddar, onions, pickles, ketchup and mustard, or the big and fun whopper-inspired burger that’s heavy on the onion and seasoned with Lulie’s special secret sauce.

Those after bird-filled burgers can go with the fried chicken option or the spicy buffalo chicken burger. Vegetarians are also catered for with a few meat-free creations. Either eat these bad boys downstairs while playing some pool and watching live music, or head up to the rooftop when the sun is shining.

As this Chapel Street burger joint proclaims on its website: “burgers fix everything”. And, well, it certainly can’t hurt to try. Hello Sam serves up a hefty menu, with options galore for burger traditionalists. Try the Simply Sam beef burger or the chicken and bacon bun. For those who like to ‘go large or go home’ — the Spicy Sam teams buffalo-glazed beef with cheddar  candied jalapenos and chipotle mayo, while the Smokey Brisket features a beef and pulled brisket, cheddar, pickles, onion and two kinds of sauce.

Sam’s also slinging a diverse lineup of non-boring plant-based burgers, including the fiery Hot One — sriracha-basted vegan beef, vegan cheese, jalapenos and a spicy sriracha mayo.

If Ziggy’s was a person, it would be that warm, welcoming uncle whose face totally erupts when he sees you. This relaxed burger joint from Israeli duo Moshik Ferder and Assaf Stizki has been around since 2011, earning scores of regulars for its friendly vibe and internationally inspired menu.

Expect to be spoilt for choice on the burger front, with a lineup that boasts tasty things for just about every palate. Crowd favourites include the Recovery Burger – a double-beef monster with twice the bacon, twice the cheese and plenty of Ziggy’s sauce — and the cheeseburger, starring house-smoked cheese sauce, bacon and pickled onion. See also, the fiesty fried chicken burger with jalapenos and a chilli barbecue sauce, a blue cheese-laced beef burger, and the vegetarian-friendly halloumi number sandwiched into a vibrant beetroot bun. With all these damn tasty options, it’s no wonder it has made this list of Melbourne’s best burger joints.