Dribbles Burgers

The Verdict

Dribbles does two things well: basketball and burgers. This is the place you come in Essendon to watch the world’s greatest athletes…while eating a week’s carbs in a single sitting. It’s cute how Dribbles commits to the whole B-Ball theme too: the burgers are named after the game’s biggest stars (think Jordan Royale, Shaq Stack and the Birdman), slam-dunking silhouettes cover the walls, plus there’s a wall-mounted TV where you can watch the latest NBA showdown.

Of course all the kitsch goodness in the world doesn’t matter if your food sucks. But we’re happy to say Dribbles isn’t all show ­– these are some of the best American-style burgers we’ve had anywhere in Melbourne, and that includes on-trend classics like 8-Bit and Royal Stacks.

Dribbles’ patties are juicy on the inside, gnarly and fried on the outside. Each one comes with gratuitous cheese oozing out the sides, and a few favs like lettuce, pickles, tomato and caramelized onion, plus Dribbles zingy special sauce (which is probably triple-distilled from Michael Jordan’s sweat or something). The ingredients are familiar, but the execution is insanely good. There’s also a gluten-free option if you’d rather swap your buns for a lettuce leaf. Pair your epic stack with a box of loaded fries (the chilli beef, jalapenos, cheese sauce and spring onions combo is a winner) and a cold craft beer on-tap. It’s the stuff hoop dreams are made of.   

Image credit: Michelle Jarni