The 5 Best Burgers In South Florida
No matter where the location, meat eaters everywhere can agree on the greatest carnivore's dilemma: Where to find the best burger in town? It's true that hamburger lovers can spend years looking for their dream-come-true burger joint and even sometimes to no avail. Even in respectable foodie towns like Miami, a truly awesome burger joint can be tough to spot. But the fun of course lies in trying out every great place and even the not-so-great places in search of that perfect burger. Well, we've saved you the not-so-great places and have put together a list of our hot five picks for burger places in South Florida. Even if you happen to not live in sunny South Florida, these burger palaces are worth the site-see; of course the beaches and beautiful people won't hurt either.
With burger names like "Stairway to Heaven," "Hotel California" and "Sympathy for the Devil," it's no wonder why men flock to this rock-themed burger joint in the Purdy Ave area, which is a locals-favored 'hood not far from Lincoln Road. The burgers range from $10 to $75 (more on that later) and come with generous helpings of clever toppings like buffalo chili, red onion marmalade, homemade stuffing, walnut pesto and Hudson Valley foie gras. Top all that with duck fat fries and a good beer, and you can see why this has become Miami's go-to burger joint. If you're up for the ultimate man challenge, BnB offers a massive 10-pound Angus beef MotherBurger, that if consumed within 2 hours, is free for the taking — and if not, well now you know why there's a $75 burger.
Speaking of rock and burgers.... Located on the busy thoroughfare of Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Rok Brgr offers a wide range of specialty burgers like a popular D. Wade burger (yes, named after Dwyane Wade, it's a 10 oz. Black Angus burger topped with Vermont cheddar, chili, grilled jalapeños and cilantro sour cream). The concept behind Rok Brgr is that it's a burger bar where you create your own burger experience starting with your choice of Certified Black Angus or American Kobe beef, turkey, chicken, or Ahi tuna as the base. Next you can choose between cheeses, grilled toppings, vegetables, sauces and even "burger bling" like a fried egg, truffle oil or foie gras.
Named 2010's Best Burger in Broward and Palm Beach Counties by New Times, this Deerfield Beach burger joint even has a fan club. Its groupie-like following is not hard to believe thanks to a mix of classic burger joint offerings and burger/sandwich mashups like the "Mobster," an Italian sausage burger with peppers, onions and provolone cheese, and "Banh Mi," an Asian pork and shrimp burger with Kimchi slaw. Charm City's famous "Emperor" burger takes the (beef) cake with 8 ounces of American Kobe beef, sautéed mushrooms, aged Gruyère cheese and truffled aioli. It's no wonder why Floridians travel across counties to try Charm City Burger.
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink is about way more than burgers; chef Michael Schwartz is a master of local, organic, seasonal foods, and his restaurant is atop the must-visit restaurants in Miami (despite its location far from the Beach, out in the Design District). This doesn't stop Schwartz from having truly notable burgers, recognized annually at the South Beach Wine & Food Fest Burger Bash. The Harris Ranch Black Angus Burger, house ground beef served on a buttery brioche bun, is bettered only by the White Oak Pasture Grass-Fed Double Burger, with house smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. Both burgers are made fresh and hold true to the "Genuine" name. Pair these burgers with one of their famous cocktails, like their Patron Reposado "Caballero" or their Basil Hayden Bourbon "Sonny Rollins" and you'll be in Genuine food heaven.
No burger pilgrimage to South Florida is complete without a visit to the very famous Le Tub in Hollywood on a kind of dismal stretch between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Le Tub's no-fuss handwritten menus and Tiki-decorated patio seating off of the Intracoastal Waterway set the mood for this down-to-earth monster burger experience. This go-to burger joint is widely known for its sirloin burger, which is 13 oz — nearly a pound — of perfectly cooked, savory ground top sirloin. It's made fresh-to-order so the wait can be long (as the wait staff will tell you, almost rudely) to taste this famous meat patty, especially if in a large group. But these burgers are definitely worth the wait; they've been voted the best hamburger in the US by GQ and have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show.