Fried chicken burger with chips
Photograph: Supplied | Besser Brew Bar
Photograph: Supplied | Besser Brew Bar

The 8 best burgers in Darwin right now

From the gourmet to the greasy, here’s your guide to the tastiest burgers in the Top End

Alley Pascoe
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Juxtaposition – that's what makes a good burger. A juicy patty sandwiched between a lightly toasted bun, gooey cheese paired with the tangy crunch of a pickle, the freshness of lettuce combined with a house-made burger sauce...  

If your mouth is watering just thinking about burgers and you happen to be in Darwin, you’re in luck. We got local foodie Alley Pascoe to compile a list of the very best burgers in Darwin right now. Yep, she selflessly tried, tested and rounded them up for you – all in the name of research.

Editor’s favourite burgers in Darwin

  • 🍔 Best beef burger: Patty Shack Burger Bar
  • Best luxe burger: De La Plage
  • 🐓 Best chicken burger: Besser Brew Bar

For more about how we curate our reviews and guides, see our editorial guidelines.

🍕 The best pizza joints in Darwin
🍻 Darwin's top bars for a night out
🍽 Darwin's best Indian restaurants

Best burgers in Darwin

1. Frying Nemo Fish and Chippery

When in the Top End, having a good barra burger is a rite of passage. Tick it off your bucket list at the Frying Nemo Fish and Chippery, overlooking the marina at Tipperary Waters. This casual al fresco eatery is famous for its fish and chips, and the barra burger is just as renowned. Made with local NT wild-caught barramundi, the fish is beer-battered and best paired with the homemade tartare sauce. Add a schooner of Great Northern to your order and you’ll be an honorary local. 

Order the: Barra Burger 

Address: 10/90 Frances Bay Dr, Stuart Park 

Price: $21.50

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor
  • Darwin

You know you’re in for a hit of spice when your burger at Laneway Coffee is served with a watermelon chaser. Game on. The spicy marinated chicken in Laneway’s signature burger packs a punch with some help from the sriracha mayo. Add golden halloumi and purple slaw on a toasted milk bun and you’ve got one hot combination. Embrace the heat at Laneway Café in Parap, which also does a mean juice of the day that pairs excellently with a burger. How fitting. 

Order the: Sriracha Chicken Burger 

Address: 4/1 Vickers St, Parap 

Price: $26

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor
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3. Patty Shack Burger Bar

It was either Theodore Roosevelt or an inspirational quote on Facebook that said: "It is always better to be an original than an imitation". In either case, the saying is true for the OG burger at Patty Shack Burger Bar in Nightcliff. The 100 per cent Aussie beef smashed patty is topped with all the classics: cheese, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and the secret Shack sauce. It’s simple, but it works. The chefs at Patty Shack know what they’re doing; you don’t mess with a good thing. But you can make a mess with it. Fair warning: you’ll need napkins for this one. 

Order the: OG

Address: 38 Progress Dr, Nightcliff

Price: $16

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor
  • Darwin

The NT is buffalo country. You can spot wild ones roaming free in the bush, some hanging out in the lake at the Corroboree Park Tavern and a taxidermied beast standing proudly on the bar of the Adelaide River Hotel. All that to say, you could be forgiven for thinking a buffalo burger in the NT included buffalo meat. This is not the case at Besser Brew Bar, where the burger has crispy fried buttermilk chicken that's seasoned with buffalo sauce – hence the name. The cayenne pepper kick is tempered with sour cream, pickles and cos lettuce, and it goes down a treat with fries. There’s a reason Besser won Best Burger gold at the NT Hospitality Awards in 2024. 

Order the: Buffalo Boss'n Burger 

Address: 6/116 Coonawarra Rd, Winnellie 

Price: $27

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
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  • Darwin

On the burger spectrum – from servo takeaway to five-star restaurant – this burger by the chefs at De La Plage café lands at the top end of town. Served with a side of chips, the beef burger is made with Eva Valley beef, camembert cheese, pear, walnut, caramelised onion and vegan mayo on a coconut charcoal milk bun – and the flavours harmonise like a soulful symphony. Plop down on one of their colourful beanbags, drink in those ocean views of Casuarina Beach and take a bite. Bliss!

Order the: Beef Burger

Address: Surf Life Saving Club, Lot 9316 Darribah Rd, Brinkin

Price: $27.50

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor

6. Café Central

In the backstreets of Rapid Creek is a local favourite, Café Central, with a relaxed energy and ripper menu. The star of the show? The pulled pork burger featuring slow-cooked meat, crispy bacon, avocado, slaw and – most importantly – chipotle mayo. Trust us, you’ll want to order extra chipotle mayo to go with your side of chips. Come for the burger, and stay for the great service and dog patting opportunities at this charming café. 

Order the: Pulled Pork Burger

Address: 1/29 Rossiter St, Rapid Creek 

Price: $22

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor
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  • Cocktail bars
  • Darwin

Ah, the age-old debate: does a slider count as a burger? For the sake of this article’s title, let’s argue that they do. The Wagyu cheese sliders on the menu at Charlie’s of Darwin are a stand-out, which is impressive when you consider the menu also includes NT crocodile dumplings and kangaroo tataki. Some people may hesitate to order a burger at a fine dining establishment such as Charlie’s – don’t be one of those people. Order the sliders (three in a serve), lick your fingers and drown your chips in sauce. Psst! The door to this upmarket cocktail bar is via a hidden entry on Austin Lane. 

Order the: Wagyu Cheese Sliders 

Address: 56 Smith St, Darwin

Price: $24

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor

8. Bustard Town

It can be risky ordering a vego burger, but you needn’t fear with the halloumi burger at Bustard Town, a retro joint in Darwin's CBD. The halloumi burger is layered with pickled chilli and relish, dressed with greens and sandwiched between toasted brioche. It’s proof that a good burger doesn’t require meat. The team at Bustard Town have a way with flavour. The venue is a brunch café by day and a tropical garden bar by night, so you can enjoy a burger in the heat of the day and return for an after-hours beverage later on. Cheers to that! 

Order the: Halloumi Burger

Address: 15 Knuckey St, Darwin

Price: $18

Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Contributor
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