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Arbory Burger at Arbory Bar and Eatery
Photograph: Supplied

The best burgers in Melbourne

This is the definitive guide to the best things you’ll find between two buns

Lauren Dinse
Written by
Quincy Malesovas
Contributor
Lauren Dinse
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Food fads come and go, but there will always be a place in our arteries for the humble hamburger. For something budget-friendly and old-school, Southsiders swear by Andrew's in Albert Park, while Northsiders are devoted to Danny's in Fitzroy North. You could argue that Huxtaburger reinvigorated the craze when it first opened in Collingwood, but there's been a lot to love since then.

Here are Melbourne's ultimate burgers, from triple-stacked beef and cheese situations to equally decadent vegan alternatives. If they're not enough to satiate you, check out our wraps of Melbourne's best late-night eats and Korean barbecue joints.

Recommended: The 50 best restaurants in Melbourne.

Melbourne's best burgers

  • Restaurants
  • Collingwood
  • price 1 of 4

Order the: Rowdy cheeseburger
Price Range: $13.50-$42

Easey's is one of Melbourne's most notable venues. Where else can you dine from a train car perched five storeys above the ground? It goes without saying that the view rocks, but their burgers are just as big of a draw. James Hurlston (aka Jimmy's Burgers) has designed the menu, which includes a range of super-stacked American-style burgs like the Oklahoma fried onion cheeseburger and the Louisiana fried chicken sandwich. Most come with one patty but can be double or even triple-stacked if you've got a monstrous appetite. 

X-Factor: If you're looking to splash out, go for the undeniably Aussie burger called the Metropolitan Mayhem. It's packed with two potato cakes, two dim sims and all the standard burger fixings for $42 a pop. 

  • Restaurants
  • Brunswick
  • price 1 of 4

Order the: Grass-fed brisket burger
Price range: $16 (or $22 with fries)

Beatbox Kitchen's Brunswick brick and mortar may have closed in 2021, but its legacy lives on through Juanita Peaches. Though fried chicken is the focus here, its cheeseburger has developed its own loyal following. It's not as simple as the name suggests: the base is a coffee-rubbed, grass-fed brisket patty topped with confit shallots and pickles. For a bit of extra decadence, it's made with not one but two slices of cheese (one melted onto the patty and another curled up onto the top bun). 

X-Factor: Owner Raph Rashid is the brain behind some of Melbourne's best eateries, including All Day Donuts and Taco Truck. He also lays claim to kicking off the city's food truck craze, so you can bet his burgers are gonna be good. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Burgers
  • Melbourne

Order the: Cheeseburger
Price range: $10.50-$16.80

If you're after a late-night feed, look no further than Butcher's. The American-inspired diner specialises in all things meaty, from steak and eggs to pork tongue skewers to blood sausages. But the real standout is its burgers, available from noon until midnight, five days a week. Starting at $10.50, the burgers are budget-friendly but don't skimp on quality. As the name suggests, all the patties are prepared in-house by the team's dedicated butcher, and cuts rotate day to day depending on availability. 

X-Factor: In true diner fashion, Butcher's serves filter coffee all day. If you're into breakfast for dinner, we recommend pairing it with the aged cheddar and housemade bacon burger - add a fried egg. 

 

  • Restaurants
  • Burgers
  • Melbourne

Order the: Shroom burger
Price range: $11.90-$17.90, not including add-ons

Betty’s has been the quiet achiever sneaking through the back door to claim some serious burger cred over the last few years. Things are more fun than fancy with options like the surf and turf-inspired Noosa made with a beef patty and battered prawns. There are also veg options galore, including a plant-based beef patty and another made with puffed rice. But we suggest going for the Shroom burger, made with a slab of melted gouda and gruyere sandwiched between two field mushrooms before being crumbed and fried. Warning: it will induce food envy amongst your beef-eating friends. 

X-Factor: For eyes-bigger-than-your-stomach vibes, add a loaded soft serve, which they call a 'concrete', for dessert.  

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars
  • Melbourne
  • price 1 of 4

Order the: Double cheeseburger with bacon and pickles
Price range: $26

Arbory's burgers may be a little pricier than your local takeaway joint's, but they pack a solid punch if you're after a proper sit-down lunch. The double cheeseburger is a sets of buns sandwiching two juicy beef patties, bacon, tart pickles and tomato relish (which will run down your hands in a river of mess if you're not careful), arriving at your table with a generous side of golden crinkle cut chips. There's also a Southern fried chicken burger that's worth a trip to Arbory's riverside bar alone. Best of all, you can bring your vego mates, who'll be sorted with the hearty mushroom and halloumi or fried cauliflower burgs. 

X-Factor: River views, mulled wine and relaxed after-work vibes... what's not to love?    

  • Restaurants
  • American
  • Northcote

Order the: Hot bird
Price range: $13.50-$18.00 (for a double)

300 Grams opened its Northcote doors to much fanfare in 2019. Since then, they've launched a second shop in Coburg to meet demand for its beloved burgers. The secret to its moreish quality is its smash patties, which get pressed onto the grill until they develop a delicious and crispy finish. The 300 Gs burger, which comes with all the classic fixings plus the shop's secret sauce, is a foolproof option. But if you can handle the heat, the super spicy Hot Bird fried chicken burger is also worth a try.

X-Factor: If you know you know that beef burgers aren't 300 Grams' only claim to fame. The team make a delightfully nostalgic fish fillet burger (inspired by a certain fast-food chain), and they even have an Essendon store called Scaleable devoted entirely to seafood. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Brighton
  • price 1 of 4

Order the: Royale with cheese
Price range: $9.50 (for a kid's burger) to $34

If you ever find yourself in Brighton craving a simple fuss-free feed, this hole-in-the-wall shop is your saving grace. Pulp Fiction fans will recognise the reference to the Royale with Cheese, a balanced combination of everything you’d expect from a classic burger: beef, cheese, onion, lettuce, pickles, mustard, mayo and Royale sauce. It tastes like a Big Mac made from real food, and it won’t leave you with that signature sickly feeling often experienced after visiting the Golden Arches. As Samuel L. Jackson would say, “This is a tasty burger”.

X-Factor: There's no funny business here. If a real handmade burger's what you want, a real handmade burger's what you'll get – grilled to perfection, juicy and dripping with melty cheese, and sandwiched between two toasty buns. Oh, and there's also an ice cream parlour on site if you've got room for dessert.

8bit Footscray
  • Restaurants
  • Footscray
  • price 1 of 4

Order the: Altered Beast
Price range: $13.50-$17.50, not including add-ons

They call themselves Melbourne's finest purveyors of burgers, so you'd better believe they're worth a look in. 8bit keeps it simple and sass-free with a range of burgers bound to please the most discerning. You've got the 8bit: a simple affair of 8bit's sauce, beef, tomato, lettuce, red onion, mustard, and cheese. The After Burner takes it up a notch with chilli sauce, jalapeños and chopitle mayo, but go for the Double Dragon if you're starving. As is the case with any good burger joint these days, 8bit offers a vegetarian burger that's great enough to convert any carnivore. 

X-Factor: If you're a sucker for nostalgic fast food, the milkshakes, fries and hotdogs are just as awesome as the burgers.

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  • Restaurants
  • Albert Park

Order the: Hawaiian Five-O
Price range: $10 (for a kid's burger) to $19

Long before we jumped on the burger trend train, we had the humble corner shop grilling the good old Aussie burger with ubiquitous add-ons of egg, beetroot and pineapple, not giving a stuff what the rest of the world thought of us. 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 pretension and support the guys who have been doing it since 1939.

X-Factor: Nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia!

  • Restaurants
  • Fitzroy North

Order the: Hamburger with the lot
Price range: $9.40 -$25 (for a chicken burger with the lot)

Danny's is another old faithful amongst Melbourne's saturated burger scene. The Fitzroy North institution opened in 1945 and has managed to keep its prices incredibly low since then. A standard beef burger with lettuce and diced onion starts at $9.40, and a vegetarian burger (which swaps the burger patty for egg, cheese and an assortment of veg) costs the same. When the whole meal costs under a tenner, it's silly not to tack on a few extras, which range from bacon to beetroot to jalapeños. 

X-Factor: If one burger isn't enough to fill you up, go for a heaping side of hot chips. Even the small size is surprisingly large and always seasoned to perfection.

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  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Bars
  • Melbourne
  • price 3 of 4

Order: Cheeseburger
Price range: $26

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 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.

X-Factor: It's Gimlet. 'Nuff said.

 

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars
  • South Yarra
  • price 1 of 4

Order: Cheeseburger
Price range: $10 (for a mushroom burger) to $15 (for a double).

If the groovy vibes at Leonard's aren't enough to pull you in, the burgers will be. There's a smoky Portobello mushroom burg, a fried chicken and bacon burg, a simple cheesy burg and a double. So all up, four burgers, but four that pack a punch. If you want to taste the classic iteration, opt for the cheeseburger that comes with nothing but a beef brisket and short rib patty, American cheese, special burger sauce, pickles and green oak lettuce. Is it revolutionary? Of course not. But sometimes, a simple cheeseburger is all you want. 

X-Factor: Leonard's is decked out like a 70s-inspired log cabin and bar, and there are also some superb pizzas on the menu if you want to upgrade your humble burger craving to an all-out fast food feast.

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Royal Stacks
  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne

Order: The King
Price range: $9.90 (for a kid's burger) to $19.50

If you’ve ever been to the US, you would have heard of a little burger chain called Shake Shack. Dani Zeini has taken some inspiration from Danny Meyer and isn’t afraid to admit Melbourne’s burger culture has something to borrow from its American friends. He ensures quality control at Royal Stacks with his 100% Australian grass-fed, GMO, hormone and antibiotic-free beef and proudly uses local products across the board. If you must choose just one burger, go for the King. It proves bigger is better with an incredibly cheesy mac and cheese croquette stacked onto a charred single patty with American mustard, secret sauce, butter lettuce and tomato. You may wish you had a bigger mouth. 

X-Factor: Double down on the fried stuff with some potato gems and get a milkshake made with Royal Stack's creamy frozen custard, which they churn in-house. 

The B.East
  • Restaurants
  • Brunswick East

Order: Filthy
Price range: $12.50 to $22.50

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), marking 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, jalapño miso aioli and ketchup – and super hot B.East chilli paste. It'll knock your socks off. 

X-Factor: The B.East's burgers may be grand but so is the energy here. Pop in on the right night and you'll come across some stellar live music to accompany your burger. Oh, and the cocktails slap. 

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Collingwood

Order the: Huxtaburger
Price range: $11 - 18

No list of best burgs in Melbourne would be complete without a mention of dear old Huxtaburger. Although the CBD location is dank, dark and greasy (just the way we like our burger joints), it's always worth paying a visit to the original HQ in Collingwood. In a slightly brighter space, you'll get to taste the legendary take-no-prisoners American-style burgers that see meat, cheese and condiments as king, and all other accoutrements as crazy gourmet tat. Here, you've simply got Pilsner or tinnies of Carlton, fifteen no-nonsene burgers, crinkle cut fries and a list of other dirty (read: delicious) sides. This Northside-dwelling writer may be biased, but Huxtaburger truly is the OG.

X-Factor: The super-soft sugary buns here make the perfect sandwich for a simple burger to rule them all.  

  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne

Order the: Mr Hot
Price range: $12 (for a basic cheeseburger) to $20 (for your choice of fancy plant-based burger)

Mr Burger began as a roving food truck but now boasts several stores and permanent trucks across Melbourne and Hobart. If you haven't managed to spot the bright orange burger mobile on the streets, you can catch it at Welcome to Thornbury or Welcome to Brunswick where it often makes an appearance. The menu is full of winners, but for those who like spice, try the Mr Hot. It pairs the eatery's classic beef patty, cheese and bacon with jalapeños, chilli mayo and a handful of fried onion rings for good measure, all stacked onto a sesame bun. 

X-Factor: For something hearty, go for the Mr Double. It packs double the beef, cheese and bacon into one bun. It's also got a healthy dose of Trucker Sauce, Mr Burger's top-secret condiment made with McClure's pickles from Detroit.

Still hungry?

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