Picture this. It's a Friday night in early 2016. You're standing outside The Annandale Hotel in a line that snakes down Parramatta Road. The object of your desire? A culinary cardiac arrest from the hallowed Burgers by Josh. You read about one of the burgers called the Primo on a Facebook page titled 'The Fatties Burger Appreciation Society'. Two crispy wagyu patties stacked with double American cheddar and a sheet of bacon. It made a Mary's cheeseburger look demure.
Almost a decade ago, years after Dan Hong blew Sydney's brain with his Lotus burger and before Biggie Smalls murals were the butt of a joke, the city was fixated on American-style burgers. There were endless pub takeovers, a food truck festival called Burgapalooza, and at one point, public outcry when the NSW Food Authority got involved, ruling that burger patties must be cooked through entirely – no pink centre allowed. "This is quite serious and could potentially change the dynamic of the Sydney burger scene," proclaimed Josh Arthurs, the chef behind beloved Burgers by Josh.
Alas, the shifting sands of time! Things have moved on since then and we lost a lot of vendors on the way. (Rest in peace Burger Head, Chur Burger, Down N' Out, Pub Life Kitchen, and so on.) But if the pendulum careened from a burger drought to inundation, I'd say it's finally hit a healthy sweet-spot. Anyone hunting for a decent burger need not look far nor will they be overwhelmed. Sydney has mastered the greasy American one-hander, but also a Greek milk bar-style option too. Everyone agrees that Frangos is the authority on Portuguese chicken burgers, while Josh Niland is revolutionising fish then sticking it between two buns. Want our take on the best burgers in Sydney? Keep scrolling.
Best Breakfast Burger
Piña
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Where: Potts Point
It might say "sausage and egg roll" on the menu, but when you pick up that sexy little number, the first thing you'll register is that so, oh so soft, burger bun. Not a bakery roll, not focaccia or thick and slightly-stale sourdough that slices up the roof of your mouth. If you're after a breakfast burger in Sydney, nothing else compares to Piña's. You've got the choice of a sausage patty or thin and crispy rashers of bacon. Both arrive with an orange square of American cheddar and a perfectly-cooked fried egg. It's also worth a mention that Piña do an equally-memorable cheeseburger and chicken burger for lunch.
Soulmate
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Where: Newtown
After a big night, Newtown's Soulmate is there to dust you off and help your return to the land of the living. You can opt for the classic BAE roll, which like Piña's is sandwiched between two soft milk buns. However, the real star is Soulmate's breakfast burger: a swine patty laced with fennel, flaky hash brown, American cheddar, a glob of BBQ sauce, and a neat fold of egg.
Happyfield
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Where: Haberfield
A trip to Happyfield in Haberfield can be a little overstimulating. Not only due to the butter-coloured interiors, but because the menu will leave your stomach divided. What's it to be? A stack of diner-style pancakes or the broken egg burger with its streak of runny yolk? We say go big. Order 'The Happiest Meal', which delivers both with a side of two hash browns. You won't regret it, though you won't need lunch either.
Best Fish Burger
Fish Butchery
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Where: Waterloo
Josh Niland may have shut down Charcoal Fish and the OG Fish Butchery in Paddington, but the Waterloo outpost is still open to the public on weekends. There's always a silver lining! Tuna, ground and seasoned, gets the cheeseburger treatment. While Blue Eye Trevalla is tossed in a buttermilk batter, fried and wedged between iceberg lettuce, garlic mayo and cheese. We'll miss the dusty rolls topped with rotisserie Murray Cod and gravy but these options are just as good.
Out of the Blue
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Where: Coogee
A beach trip to Coogee is never complete without a pit stop at Out of the Blue. It really, really hurts when the closed sign is up. Not just your typical fish-and-chipper, this spot is pumping during the summer season, and is a favourite of locals. Take the traditional route and get your battered cod or fried calamari. Or don't. The burgers are special, with top choices being chicken schnitzel and sustainably-sourced Hoki from Aotearoa.
Burger Park
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Where: Bondi Beach
Like what Nathan Dalah and Nic Pestalozzi did at Bondi's beloved Fish Shop? Well, get a load of this. The pair teamed up with chef Joel Bennetts to construct a burger that doesn't leave guests feeling "deceased", says Bennetts. While the cheeseburger is the main focus on the Burger Park menu, we think the fish option – a crumbed barramundi with green goddess tartare – deserves a shout out too. While you wait for Burger Park to reopen for spring, you can always head next door for a barra burger at The Fish Shop.
Best Beef Burger
Clam Bar
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Where: Bridge St, CBD
Like New York, the burger here is towering and audacious. You can tell Clam Bar means business by the steak knife that's stabbed through layers of thick-cut bacon, a pickle, 250g of grass fed beef, American cheddar and a sesame bun. A cathartic release, I'm certain, for whichever chef is in charge of the spearing. If Bistrot 916 (one of two other venues from Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson and Mikey Clift) hadn't closed recently, it'd be on this list too.
Rockpool Bar & Grill
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Where: Hunter St, CBD
Rockpool Bar & Grill are known to keep it classic. For a burger that leans opulent, ignore the dining room and head straight for the bar. There's the bacon, gruyere and zuni pickle burger, a stage for David Blackmore's full-blood Wagyu beef patty. Alternatively, go simple with the Rockpool bacon cheeseburger.
Paul's Famous Hamburgers
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Where: Sylvania
The systems at Paul's Famous Hamburgers are tight. Everyone knows their role, bench tops are spotless, the queue (there's always a queue) has rehearsed their order ahead of the register to keep things moving. It's unsurprising given this neighbourhood institution right below Tom Ugly's bridge has been making milk bar-style burgers since 1957. The walls are plastered with accolades, special guests (yes, that's Elle Macpherson) and a menu where everything is cracking. The chips are neon yellow and loaded with chicken salt and the thick shakes are whisked with ladles of icy fresh milk. You'd be regretful if you didn't leave with a bottle of the chunky, house-made pineapple juice. It's cash only, though there's an ATM conveniently placed inside. Eat with pleasure at the boat ramp nearby.
BL Burgers
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Where: Darlinghurst, Parramatta, (Bar Luca) Phillip St, CBD
A relic of The Great Late 2010s Sydney Burger Boom, Bar Luca has stuck to its special sauce and it's working. There's an abundance of options but the one that originally got everyone talking is Blame Canada. It's a diabolical and undeniably delicious combination of maple streaky bacon, a beef patty, American cheese, maple aioli and, the real kicker, poutine. If you're not willing to get your hands dirty, the Mini Mac takes cues from the Maccas staple without the height.
Mary's
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Where: Newtown, Castle Hill, Entertainment Quarter, Circular Quay, Victoria Cross.
See also: Mister Gee (North Strathfield), Betty's Burgers (various locations), Next Door (Double Bay), Vic's Meat Market (Pyrmont).
The enfant terrible of Sydney's fast food scene. But behind Mary's potty mouth and hard on for heavy metal, is one of the city's most enduring burgers. Quality beef, American cheese, a whiff of lettuce to ward off scurvy, tomato, chopped onion, all smooshed together with Mary's sauce. Ask anyone, I've been running on them for years. As it is for Christian teens, your first time is a holy experience.
Chicken Burger
Frango
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Where: Concord, Drummoyne, Edmondson Park, Gregory Hills, Marrickville Metro, Marsden Park, Penrith, Moorebank, Petersham, Sydney City, Smithfield.
What else can be said about Frango that you don't already know? Since opening in Sydney's Inner West in 1989, the Portuguese chicken joint has cemented itself as a household name – so much so there's a knock-off Frango in Glasgow. Who hasn't dreamed of swimming in a vat of their signature chilli sauce? Or found God while chowing down on that butterflied charcoal chicken.
Lox In A Box
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Where: North Bondi, Marrickville, Coogee.
Since earning the title of Sydney's best bagels, Lox In A Box is vying for a claim to the city's best chicken burger too. After 5pm, the vendor moonlights as a burger bar, swapping its zesty herb schmear and cured salmon for chicken katsu and peri peri.
Valentina's
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Where: Marrickville
Every item on the Valentina's menu deserves its own spotlight. The breakfast burrito, tina classic, huevos rancheros, and pancakes make it my favourite breakfast in the city. But if you're looking for a Southern-style chicken burger, it's hard to beat this one. Golden, bubbly and juicy with the tang of thick-cut McClure's pickles. They call it a sandwich. Potato potato.
Belle's Hot Chicken
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Where: Barangaroo, Circular Quay, Bondi Beach.
This Nashville-inspired chicken chain has become a favourite of Sydney-siders, outstripping all other Southern-fried competitors. There's something about the dry spice rub that just hits different. Once you've graduated from ordering tenders and fries, get your mouth around the spicy chicken sandwich. The only hater is your wallet.
See also: Bar Ume (Surry Hills), Butter (Surry Hills).
