Restaurants

The Best Burgers In Melbourne Right Now

By Urban List Writers
5th Mar 2024

There was a time when the best burgers in Melbourne came from your local fish and chip place, usually with a slice of beetroot and a couple of extra dim sims. Actually, now we think about it, those are still pretty bloody good.

Burgers have evolved over the last decade and into 2024. Melbourne/Naarm has embraced the burger to its dark and fickle heart. Milk buns were big, then came the Brioche. We've had doughnut buns, grass-fed beef, double stacks, triple stacks and waffle burgers, and burgers cross-bred with meat pies. For the best burgers Melbourne is serving up right now, Urban List has done the hard yards:

The B.EAST

80 Lygon Street, Brunswick

These Brunswick East burger specialists live for the three fundamental human needs of burgers, booze, and bands. The B.East is a rock n roll patty grilling outpost, home to a couple of the best burgers Melbourne has on offer. Try your hand at the ‘Sexy Beast’, a double beef, double cheese, hickory bacon, jalapénos loaded burger—or mix it with the vegan burger options like The Smiths frontman homage the ‘Morrisey’, fried mock chicken, sweet corn relish and special sauce.

Gimlet

33 Russell Street, Melbourne CBD

A fancy burger on a white plate at Gimlet, which is considered one of the best burgers in Melbourne as of 2024Image credit: Gimlet | Supplied

Feeling fancy? One of Melbourne's best restaurants also happens to serve up one of the best burgers Melbourne has to offer. The opulent fine diner's cheeseburger comes with an opulent price tag at $26, but given it's served up using prime O'Conners beef, it makes sense. This elusive Gimlet burger is up for order after 10pm on Gimlet's late-night menu—nothing wrong with a second dinner if you're so inclined.

Danny’s Burgers 

358 – 260 St George Road, Fitzroy North

An institution, worthy of a spot on any 'best burgers Melbourne' list, this tidy little store in the depths of Fitzroy has been flippin’ patties for decades. Open until midnight seven days a week, Danny’s brings a self-described ‘veteran’ approach to their burgers, which means you’re getting a classic ungentrified bun with the traditional fillings in a no-frills environment. A classic when they opened, and a classic into 2024 and beyond.

Leonard's House Of Love

3 Wilson Street, South Yarra

Two hands picking up a juicy burger from Leonard's House of Love, which is considered one of the best burgers in Melbourne. Image credit: Leonard's House Of Love | Supplied

Regularly at the top of our best burgers Melbourne list, the burger-gods have you sorted with Leonard's House of Love wide range of options. The double cheeseburger is your go-to, but they've also got great vegan burger options for you to tear into as well if you’re more of a plant-based persuasion. 

FAT (Fried And Tasty)

360 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

You know what you're going to get at F.A.T when you read the sign. Fried and tasty food, and done well. F.A.T Fried & Tasty specialises in southern fried chicken burgers and American burgers Melbourne style. At F.A.T you can get everything from buckets of chicken, waffles, salads, sides, and sensational burgers stacked with their special fried chicken. 

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JollyGood Diner

27 Johnston Street, Collingwood

A single burger plated up on a bar with a beer next to it—one of the best burgers in MelbourneImage credit: JollyGood Diner | Supplied

Anyone that loves a Melbourne burger would know the JollyGood name. If not, let us tell you—you're in for a treat. After operating out of their long-term pop-up at Near & Far, the crew recently opened their new digs in Collingwood, and the burgers are next level. Our favourite is the GoodBurger. It's massive, packed with a beef patty,  the perfect amount of pickles, layers of burger suace, and good ol' American-style cheese.

Andrew's Hamburgers

144 Bridport Street, Albert Park

Andrew's Hamburgers has been dishing out some of the best burgers Melbourne has to offer from their Albert Park store for over 85 years, making it one of the oldest burger joints in town. And in 2024, Melbourne burger lovers are still feeling the same affection—even English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran agrees. You can't go past the classic Andrew's Burger with the lot, as many Melburnians have sampled over the years. In it, you can choose from beef, chicken, or steak and you'll get lettuce, cooked onions, egg, bacon, tomato, double cheese, and tomato sauce.

Good Good Burger

128 Mitchell Street, Maidstone

The exteriors of one of the best burgers in melbourne at Good Good BurgersImage credit: Good Good Burgers | Supplied

A food so nice they named it twice. Good Good Burgers is a joint venture between owners George Tawil and Isaiah Inocencio, both native to Melbourne's west. The pickles and sauces are made in-house, and every ingredient is considered right down to the precise amount of tomato slice for each burger's surface area. The menu taps into a lot of the usual suspects that we've come to love from a modern burger store including grass-fed double beef patties with cheese oozing down sandwiched between a golden-topped milk bun. It’s a modest operation, though the quality truly does the talking here, and that’s why they’re considered some of the best burgers in Melbourne.

Goldieboy Burger Co

Various Locations

A double patty burger from Goldbieboy, one of the best burgers Melbourne is serving up in 2024.Image credit: Goliboy Bruger Co | Supplied

One of the more elusive buns around town, Goldieboy has earned its stripes as a cult figure in Melbourne’s burger world. They don't have a permenant outpost, but instead jump from residence to residence, gracing Melbourne with the best burgers. Keep an eye out on their Instagram for pop-ups and their next kitchen takeover location.

Juanita Peaches

12 Edward Street, Brunswick

A tall burger in a red tray from Juanita Peaches, one of the best burgers in Melbourne.Image credit: Juanita Peaches | Supplied

Burgers and so much more, Juanita Peaches is part of the Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck empire and its local outpost in Brunswick has a slew of diner-based goods like fried chicken burgers (one of the best in Melbourne), burritos and burgers.

Their pride and joy is their cheeseburger, with 120 grams of grass-fed brisket, shallots, double cheese, and pickles on a house-made bun it’s one best burgers Melbourne has ever seen. This spot tops best burgers Melbourne around town year after year, and for good reason.

Bar Margaux

111 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD

A burger stuffed with double beef patties, bacon, cheese and sauce oozing out, making this one of the best burgers in MelbourneImage credit: Bar Margaux | Supplied

It might not come to mind when you're thinking burgs, but search 'best burgers Melbourne' and Bar Margaux will likely be right up top. Bar Margaux is a french-chic bistro nestled in a basement right on Lonsdale Street and is the home of the most simplistic yet memorable burgers.

Their mixture of late-night wine and cocktails with french comfort food couldn’t more be more enticing and the ‘MGX Burger’ with a wagyu beef patty (for beef it up with two wagyu patties), cheese, bacon, their famous burger sauce and fries is one of the best burgers in Melbourne, especially after a hard day in the big smoke.

Smithburg

116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne

A stack of fried food from the Smithburg, considered one of the best burgers in Melbourne in 2024.Image credit: Smithburg | Supplied

Owner Dehne Bingham has spent just shy of two decades in the game, from dishwasher to burger big boss, and through his time he’s learned a thing or two—and that shows in the burgs. Head into Smithburg for a double pasture-raised cheeseburger to end all cheeseburgers, or, try something more experimental, like the garlic bread meatball sub. Definitely one of the best burgers Melbourne’s south has to offer.

St. Burgs

Various Locations

A burger with doughnuts for buns, stacked with bacon and bright yellow cheese, at one of the best burgers in Melbourne St.BurgsImage credit: St. Burgs | Supplied

St. Burgs is covering off the suburbs with some of the best burgers in the west side of Melbourne—quite the mouthful, and when you pay either of their locales a visit, you’ll know exactly why.

The beef burgers are the real heroes here, using Gippsland grass-fed beef patties across the considered offering. Go classic with the Cheese D, or take on one of the heavier numbers like the Bacon D—bacon mayo, two slices of crispy bacon and a double beef pattie, you get the idea.

300 Grams

Various Locations

A stack of crispy fried chicken burgers from 300 Grams, one of the best burgers Melbourne is serving up for 2024.Image credit: 300 Grams | Supplied

Joe Farah and team have been going from strength to strength with 300 Grams, so much so that we've now got a Richmond locale on our hands. The menu blurs the line between burgers of your childhood—like the ones you'd find at your local F&C shop—and more modern iterations of the meat and two buns. They also have killer meat-free options if you're so inclined, and they're just a few reasons why they've made the cut for Melbourne's best burger list in 2024.

Butcher's Diner

10 Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD

Pickles sticking out of one of the best burgers Melbourne at Butcher's DinerImage credit: Butcher's Diner | Griffin Simm

Largely takeaway, Butcher's Diner nods to traditional American and Melbourne diners, down through the ages. Classic cheeseburgers (seasoned with salt and pepper) with big tongues of pickle hanging out the sides, Coney Island chilli dogs, steamed dimmies and more make this late-night spot a favourite among many. Head in (almost) any time for one of the best burgers in Melbourne.

Royal Stacks 

Various Locations

A table full of burgers, shakes, onions rings and chips at stellar joint serving some of the best burgers Melbourne has on offerImage credit: Royal Stacks | Supplied

Now operating over twelve locations in Melbourne, Royal Stacks has grown with its popular American diner-style burgers. Royal Stacks is an Australian riff on the ever-popular U.S-based Shake Shack— where the focus is on keeping it simple.

The menu is varied and features staples like the single and double-stack cheeseburger—to the more inventive ‘The King’ which features a deep-fried mac n cheese croquette. stuffed inside. Alongside burgers, they also have plenty of sides like chilli cheese fries and a mix of shakes that include flavours like Nerds and Golden Gaytime. And if you didn't catch the news, Royal Stacks is opening a huge two-level flagship store on Bourke Street—watch this space.

BeatBox Kitchen

12 Edward Street, Brunswick

Two extra large burgers from Beatbox Kitchen, who serve up some of Melbourne's best burgers.Image credit: Beatbox Kitchen | Supplied

After starting out life as a food truck, Beatbox Kitchen also dish out their amazing burgers from their hamburger shop on Brunswick’s Sydney Road. Now considered some of the best burgers Melbourne has to offer, Beatbox Kitchen does all the basics right. The Cheeseburger is top-notch, their Shroom Burger is also a great option for one of the best vegan burgers, oh and they also nail the Chicken Sanga. 

8Bit

8 Droop Street, Footscray

A Melbourne mainstay within the burger community, 8Bit has been at it for a while now and cemented itself as one of the best burger purveyors in Melbourne. The Double Dragon (which is basically double everything) has been a go-to for many, but there’s a wildcard on the menu that shouldn’t be overlooked, either—their hotdogs. Try either, or both.

Fat Bob's Bar And Grill

80A Cochranes Road, Moorabbin

A perfectly made burger, and one of the best burgers in Melbourne, from Fat Bob'sImage credit: Fat Bob's | Simon Shiff

When Fat Bob's opened some time ago, it was said they're serving up one of the best burgers in Melbourne, and in 2024, that sentiment rings true. Moorabbin isn't the first location you'd think of when looking for American burgers in Melbourne, but once you happen upon Fat Bob's your opinion will change straight away. Inspired by U.S diners and set in an industrial area, Fat Bob's Bar & Grill is serving up their classic foil-wrapped burgers to hungry crowds from all around.

Try the Jack-O with a 180gm beef pattie, tomato, red onion, fontina cheese, cos lettuce, mustard, and a slathering of Fat Bob's sauce. They’re also offering one of the best-pulled pork burgers Melbourne has ever tasted, which is without a doubt worth the drive alone.

Full Moon Fever

225 Johnston Street, Abbotsford

A rooftop packed with people that also serves one of the best burgers Melbourne has to offerImage credit: Full Moon Fever | Jake Roden

Lulie Taven has long been a favourite of the Johnston Street strip in Abbotsford, and the friendly team gave us another reason to visit around a year ago when they opened their rooftop, Full Moon Fever. The burgers here are some of the best in Melbourne, but not just because their classic cheeseburger goes hard. On Wednesday, all burgers come in at a modest $12 a pop—and you can wash it down with a jug o' beer at $18. 

Easey’s

48 Easey Street, Collingwood

A massive best burger Melbourne with a beef patty, American-style cheese and the most perfect bread bun.Image credit: Easey's | Supplied

Everyone knows Easey's, it's the burger joint in Collingwood with three retired Melbourne trains on the roof, pretty iconic really. Their inventive and testing nature has led to some of the best burgers Melbourne has seen, whilst their main menu features a line of burgers, sides, hot dogs, and desserts. On the meat and bun front you'll find American burgers Melbourne style, and you’re going to want to order something along the lines of the Double Bacon BBQ Cheeseburger.

Krispy’s

Various Locations

Another elusive burger purveyor that pops up around the city’s inner ‘burbs, Krispy’s has earned quite the rep for their killer smash burgers as some of the best Melbourne has to offer. More often than not, you’ll be able to find Krispy’s somewhere in Melbourne, you just need to keep an eye on their Instagram for the next location.

Five Guys

3 Freshwater Place, Southbank

A burger wrapped in foil, one of the best burgers in MelbourneImage credit: Five Guys | Supplied

Not just some of the best burgers in Melbourne, but some of the best burgers in world. If you’re not yet acquainted with this U.S-based burger chain, Five Guys is known for two things: burgers and fries. But these burgers are unlike anything you’ll find at a typical fast-food joint.

Five Guys operate on a “no freezer” promise—their brioche buns are freshly grilled, the ground beef patties are shaped by hand and their hand-cut chips are fried on demand, skin-on and straight to your table.

Leading image credit: 300 Grams | Supplied
 
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