The 20 best burgers in Australia

Order the: Gidley Burger

Order the: Brod Burger

With four locations across Canberra, Brodburger’s variety is unbeatable. Their classic Brodburger is a 200-gram flame-grilled beef patty stacked with lettuce, tomato, red onion, house-made aioli and tomato relish. Choose between brie, blue, cheddar or Swiss cheese for extra goo. Brodburger puts every thinkable protein in between their buns, from steak to lamb patties to salmon fillets, and a large selection of burgers have mini options available. We recommend pulling up to their Fyshwick location tucked inside Capital Brewing Co, where their brews with a burger are a match made in heaven.

Order the: Classic burger

Tucked down a little lane in Fortitude Valley, this American-style burger joint proves that less truly is more. Take their signature cheeseburger. It’s not one to overthink: beef patty, cheese, pickles, mustard and ketchup. That’s it. No frills, just flawless execution. Vegos can swap their beef patty for a veggie option at no extra charge, and wash it down with a house-made cherry cola or ginger ale. 

Order the: Smokin’ Mike’s BBQ

At this stage of the game, Bad Love Burger Co is a Perth institution when it comes to the saucy buns that we all know and love. From humble beginnings as a pop-up to their now West Leederville home ground, Bad Love is here to stay, and for good reason. Wafer-thin beef patties are smashed to near a crisp, forming a laced edge of sorts that keep crowds coming back for more, alongside their famed fried chicken and vego burgers alike. Get around the Smokin’ Mike’s BBQ burger with two smashed beef patties, double cheese, bacon, pickles, crispy onions, smokey barbecue sauce and a slathering of tangy chipotle mayo – holy smokes!  

Order the: Hawaiian Five-O

Long before Melbourne jumped on the burger trend train, it had the humble corner shop grilling the good old Aussie burger with ubiquitous add-ons of egg, beetroot and pineapple. This home-grown burger style has become a niche and is all the more reason to seek out the guilty pleasure of a crusty white roll encasing a super-caramelised patty topped with canned pineapple and beetroot, tomato, shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped white onion and bottled tomato sauce. Set aside your pretensions and support the guys who've been doing it since 1939. The classic Andrew's burger order is The Lot, of course, but we really love the Hawaiian Five-O. It comes with pineapple, double cheese, fresh tomato, onions, beetroot, lettuce and tomato sauce. Word of warning: this is the kind of burger that warrants plenty of napkins (and not a white shirt). Fun fact: even Ed Sheeran took the time to pay these legends a visit! 

Order the: Old Blue

There are mighty good burgers down in Adelaide, more specifically, at a 2024 addition to the city's food scene, Good Burger. The upmarket diner churns out American fare with a flair, from Philly cheesy fries to hot honey fried chicken, and the burgers are no exception. The Old Blue is bound to appease with its smashed beef patty from Marino, crispy pancetta, caramelised onion, oozy blue cheese and a sharp blue cheese mayo, tucked between a pillowy potato bun. The 28-seater puts on an extensive drinks list too, and welcomes both casual and nicey-spicey diners all the same.

Order the: OG

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 Darwin. 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: Le Burger

In Adelaide's Mount Lawley hive, there’s a quaint bar and bistro that transports you to a bygone era of ‘Gay Paree’ combined with the present-day charm of New York haunts – Le Rebelle. The intimate night café takes things up a notch with its European fare, along with its thoughtful wine list to match any dish that takes your fancy. By no means is Le Rebelle a burger bar, however, one bunned offering can be found on their menu. The Le Burger bleeds two types of French cheese in all their glossy glory, a punchy tomato relish, and features a melt-in-the-mouth wagyu patty that seeps with its grilled juices – simple yet effective, rebellious by nature. 

Order the: Beast

From humble beginnings in a travelling food van, Billy has settled into his waterfront position on Hobart’s Constitution Dock with an epic menu including boozy shakes. But it’s burgers where Billy excels and The Beast burger is unapologetically huge. Triple beef patty. Triple cheese. Double bacon. Double bun. Yes, you read that right. Smothered in Billy’s special sauce, with a punch from pickles, caramelised onions and a surprising sweetness from beetroot, this burger is for the brave and the ravenous. The Beast isn’t just a meal – it’s a commitment. Also, don’t miss their jalapeno cheese corn poppers – spicy, crispy and perfect for nibbling while you wait for your mountain of a burger to arrive.

Order the: Parmy

Grease Monkey, or Greasy’s as it’s affectionately known, is flipping gourmet burgers in three locations around Canberra. Their burgers are served with chippies and the menu has something for everyone, be it a simple cheeseburger, an earth-shattering fried chook, or crumbed portobello mushroom. We love their Italian(ish)-inspired parmy, where chicken schnitzel meets Napoli sauce and melty mozzarella sticks. Grease Monkey also sell one of the country’s best Philly cheesesteaks. Once you’ve tried every burger on the menu, return for their burger special of the moment. Swing by on a Tuesday for their ‘Tightarse Chewsday’ special, when burgers come with a free beer.

Order the: Cheese and Bacon Burger

Order the: Garlic Parm

Motherlode 142 is Adelaide’s boozy fried chicken joint that takes up residency in a former nightclub. Lil’ nods to the cool space’s chaotic past life are scattered around the dining room while roadside seating is a tribute to days spent lining up for entry into the R’n’B hotspot. Truth be told, Motherlode’s bold menu states that ‘we call burgers ‘sandwiches’ here’, for reasons unbeknownst. Do what you will with that information, but the hefty numbers are worthy in our eyes. Opt for the Garlic Parm with none other than garlic butter fried chicken, parmesan, slaw, onion, sweet pickle-back sauce and roasted garlic aioli on a fluffy potato roll.

Order the: Classic Smash

The Broken Hearts team went from pop-up to permanent fixture, and for good reason. The Classic Smash here is a tribute to the art of smashing meat, featuring a patty blend that reads like a who’s-who of beef cuts (chuck, porterhouse, sirloin, oyster blade and yes, bacon), topped with American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles, and a house-made pink sauce that flirts with addiction. You’ll almost always spot a line out the door, but the payoff is one of Brisbane’s fastest and most delectable burgers. 

Order the: Cheeseburger

Fancy pants Gimlet might be the last place you think of when you want a good old-fashioned cheeseburger but think again. On late nights in the CBD when you're craving a cheesy beefy monstrosity, there are only so many spots that will welcome you in – and deliver. Gimlet's $28 cheeseburger is a fluffy potato bun sandwiching plenty of housemade dill sauce, pickles, onions, a succulent patty of Gippsland beef and, of course, a generous smoosh of American cheese. You can only get it two nights a week after 10pm. Well worth a midnight trip into the city, we reckon.

Order the: Halloumi

Whether you pull up a pew in the decommissioned bus, claim a seat in arguably one of Hobart’s best beer gardens, or cosy up inside, Preachers is always a solid performer. They’ve nailed the vegetarian burger game with The Halloumi. Grilled halloumi brings a salty, creamy bite, balanced by roasted sweet potato and the zing of pickled onion. Add to that a crunchy mix of lettuce and tomato, and it’s all held together with a sweet chilli mayo that takes it to the next level. It’s a textural masterpiece.

Order the: Godfather Deluxe

There’s a wood-centric small bar over in Adelaide's Osborne Park that takes drinkers and diners on an adventure to the Balkans through the medium of bites, burgers and beverages. The team at Chich do things a little differently, and it surefire shows in the best way possible. With a secret pljeskavica family recipe (that’s the grilled beef patty) hailing from Macedonia and going strong since the 1970s, it’s safe to say that you’re in for a treat. And although gnawing into the plain pljeskavica is tempting, the Godfather Deluxe is mighty irresistible with the addition of cheddar, coppa (pork cold cut), gherkins, red onion, tomato, lettuce and godfather sauce. It’ll have you saying, ‘wow, just like baba’s’.

Order the: Classic Burger

Order the : Spicy Chook

A burger and a waffle had a love child at Hashtag, and it’s as glorious as it sounds. Their famous Spicy Chook burger is about as subtle as a sledgehammer – a messy-but-worth-it masterpiece featuring a crispy chicken patty coated in Nashville spices, mac ’n’ cheese, pickles and chilli mayo between two waffle buns. Sweet? Check. Savoury? Check. Unlikely to be eaten neatly? Absolutely. Whatever you do, do not sleep on the waffle sticks.

Order: Filthy

There are people who love burgers and then there are people who love tear-your-tongue-out spicy chilli cheeseburgers. The B.East caters to both. This rowdy and disarmingly casual joint's burgers come with premium Mayura Station Wagyu beef cooked medium (unless otherwise specified), making it a worthy addition to this list alone. But if you love the hot factor on top of your burger fun, you're in luck. B'East does a mean one. Try the Filthy burger with Wagyu beef, Jack cheddar, pickles, lettuce, tomato, jalapeño miso aioli and ketchup – and super hot B.East chilli paste. It'll knock your socks off. 

Order the: Buffalo Chicken Burger

The NT is buffalo country. You can spot wild ones roaming free in the bush, a pair 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 crispy fried buttermilk chicken is seasoned with buffalo sauce. Hence, the name. The cayenne pepper kick is tempered with sour cream, pickles and cos lettuce. A feast fit for a buffalo!