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Burger-making has become something of a competitive sport in Brisbane. Here in the Sunshine State’s capital, where we bask in the warmth of balmy days almost all year round, burgers are the go-to bite of choice for meals devoured alfresco — or, you know, from the couch. These aren’t just any burgers, okay? We like them piled high with all the extras (beetroot, a fried egg, a charred ring of pineapple, you name it). Good-quality burgers — goodbye to the subpar patty slapped on a bread roll — can now be found all over the city. From no-frills Ben’s Burgers to towering Bema Burgers, I’ve rounded up all the burger places that best define Brisbane.
Yolk
If you, like me, believe a burger can be a perfectly well-rounded brekky, the bacon and egg roll at Yolk is destined to lure you from your slumber. (Vegetarians are looked after with a mushroom and egg riff.) Though it might be best known as a fully-stacked burger-slinging spot, sandwiched in the Gasworks pocket of Newstead, some of Yolk’s sides have become the stuff of legend, too. Cases in point: the crispy truffle hash brown, doused in extra truffle oil, and the buttermilk chicken Yolk Strips dipped in kiev mayo. Be sure to order a chunky Gold Coast Cookie — a random lucky dip selected by the Yolk team — for later (or now).
Benz on Miller
What began as (and continues to be) a cult-followed food truck, Benz on Miller now has two brick-and-mortar stores, in Tingalpa and Eagle Farm. Of all its burgers, the Sweet Baby Jeebus is a firm favourite among regulars. One sizable bite of this hefty fried chicken number — with bourbon- and maple-glazed fried chicken, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and spicy mayo — and you’ll know why. Vegetarians will love the VG Mack with Special Sauce. And vegan and gluten-free burger lovers are well catered for too.
Broken Hearts Burgers Club
If you live in suburban Brisbane, you might feel as though these burger-flipping mates came out of nowhere. Since the first location opened in 2020, eight more have popped up in Brisbane and its close surrounds alone: New Farm, Ashgrove, Springwood, West End, Morningside, Mango Hill, Victoria Point, and a little further down the highway, Yatala. Constant demand has fueled BHB’s astronomic growth. Having sampled its American-style smash burgers with crispy French fries on many occasions, I’m a card-toting convert to the club. Don’t skip the lime shake.
Bens Burgers
When brothers Ben and Nick Chiu opened the doors to their blue-and-white burger shop in Fortitude Valley’s Winn Lane in 2013, I was among the first to line up and try the “no substitutions” menu. I instantly declared the veggie option — with mushroom, parm, Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and aioli on a soft milk bun — the best burger I’d ever eaten. It’s now more than a decade since Ben’s opened, and I still consider the burgers (and vanilla milkshakes) among the very best in town.
Stack’d Burgers
High-quality, fresh ingredients make this Sherwood local a favourite. Here, sourcing makes all the difference to the flavour of its succulent burger patties. Perhaps best known for its grandest creation, The Tower — complete with jalapeños, spicy chorizo, and golden onion rings — my pick of the burger bunch is The Blue, which includes a ladleful of creamy, umami-rich, blue cheese sauce.
Betty’s Burgers
While Betty’s diner-style burger restaurants are certainly American-inspired, the chain’s menu (and decor) is steeped in nostalgic Australian surf culture. The Noosa Classic Surf burger, which pairs lightly battered prawns with Angus beef, is Betty’s take on our beloved surf and turf (or reef and beef, depending on where you come from). With kitchens in the CBD, Bulimba, Kedron, Teneriffe, Indooroopilly, and the West End, these high-volume kitchens continually pump out classics, solid vegetarian and vegan burgers, and satisfyingly thick shakes.
Pattysmiths Burgers
I’ll be honest: I was disappointed to learn this burger chain had no affiliation with songwriter and artist Patti Smith. Hard truths aside, Australia has gone wild for smashed patties in recent years. And Pattysmiths — with locations in Browns Plains, Strathpine, Waterford West, and Murrumba Downs — delivers the goods, alongside a range of other straight hits. The Smokin’ Chicken, a favourite on the menu, features a choice of golden-fried or grilled chicken fillet, topped with cheese, slaw, and a one-two punch from chipotle and BBQ sauce. To finish? Order the churros and chocolate-hazelnut sauce.
Dalgety Public House
Well-loved among the afterwork crowd, this gastropub occupies a prime spot along Macquarie Street in Newstead. And yet some (I) might argue that there’s no better place to enjoy a classic pub meal than on your couch after a long day. The Angus beef burger is a wonder: a succulent patty, cheddar, mustard, tomato relish, and salad stacked between two halves of a fresh milk bun. Part of the appeal for me lies in the selection of side dishes at Dalgety, which includes chargrilled Cajun corn ribs loaded up with coriander, grated parmesan, and chipotle mayo.
Big Buns Burger Ribs & Shakes
With locations in Browns Plains and Upper Mount Gravatt, this Brisbane burger joint is not for the burger purists. I mean, one of its most beloved is called the Eshay Burger, a beef patty stacked with caramelised onions, pineapple, beetroot, liquid cheese, and fries. Of course, the generously stuffed burgers are the biggest lure at Big Buns, whether it’s the messy mac-and-cheese-topped variety or the pulled brisket variety. But it would be remiss not to highlight the noteworthy Philly cheese subs, steaks, ribs, hot dogs, loaded fries, and lush shakes. Save your second stomach for dessert, too — those decadently dressed crepes aren’t going to eat themselves.
Hashtag Burgers & Waffles
A Fortitude Valley favourite that’s long-fueled the nightlife enthusiasts of Brunswick Street, Hashtag Burgers & Waffles has expanded beyond the city’s edge and is now in Ashgrove, South Brisbane, and Capalaba too. These are the comfort-inducing burgers you want to eat the morning after the night before. Step left-of-centre and sink your teeth into a P-BJ, featuring two beef patties with double cheese, bacon pieces, crunchy peanut butter, and chilli jam. The Dutch Fries with Kewpie mayo, onion, and Dutch curry sauce are so delicious they’re worth doubling up on. Better yet, order a Toffee Apple shake, where soft serve meets cinnamon-infused apple puree and toffee shards.
Blue Skies Burgers
This surprise package in Clayfield has all the Australian seafood shop offerings: dagwood dogs, Chiko Rolls, and stand-out burgers. Its Reef Break is a beach holiday in a burger; panko-crumbed hoki fillet is topped with melted cheese, iceberg, marinated onions, dill pickles, and housemade tartare sauce on a milk bun. Team it with a pineapple fritter for the full seaside picnic effect.
Grubbies Burgers & Hawaiian BBQ
Hawaiian food and Brisbane’s sub-tropical climate go together like chargrilled chicken and a coconut cream-based, leafy green Samoan Palusami sauce — which is precisely what’s on the Big Luau Burger at Grubbies. Served across three Brisbane sites (Redbank Plains, Strathpine, and Underwood), Grubbies’ smash burgers have garnered a loyal following. But it’s the super popular Japanese katsu chicken burger, the Big Samurai, with sweet and sticky tonkatsu sauce, Japanese mayo, and a fried egg that keeps its fans flocking back for more.
Burger Nation
The menu at this Coorparoo joint reads like a choose-your-own-adventure novel that’s full of unexpected twists and turns. Take, for instance, its Loaded Tandoori Chicken Fries, where Indian flavours collide with Aussie chips and gravy. The Ring of Fire burger, another favourite, features any patty you like topped with melted cheese, jalapeño cheese bites, lettuce, more jalapeños, onion, hot sauce, and chipotle southwest sauce, all served on a toasted milk bun. Room for a brownie? The correct answer is yes, trust me. There are four flavours to choose from, but sorry to all of the others, the Biscoff is the best.
Burgers by The Garage
When Queensland’s punk sons The Chats sing, “All I crave is a good pub feed,” I know exactly the feeling. And the cause: I’m probably overdue for a burger and fries from The Garage in Fortitude Valley, where proper pub grub is the order of the day. A simple yet satisfying Royale with Cheese is an easy choice, yet it’s The Mounty burger — a Canadian-style stack featuring a smashed beef patty, American cheese, bacon jam, grilled halloumi, maple mayo, and a battered onion ring — that always hits the spot.
Yums! Chicken
No detail has been overlooked in the planning of Yums! Chicken’s menus. Beginning with free-range, humanely raised chicken that’s never frozen, every ingredient that enters the kitchen has been meticulously chosen from top suppliers. Hard-working founders Chukwuemeka ‘Julius’ Azubuike and Alison Reid have opened multiple sites across Brisbane since 2020 — in Woolloongabba and Graceville and at Griffith Uni’s Nathan Campus — which are all frequently mobbed. Meat eaters must order the Bacon Cheddar with crispy buttermilk chicken, pickles, American cheese, and special sauce on a butter bun. Veg-heads, don’t despair: the halloumi burger is on par with the chicken options.
Plant Patty Burgers
While some burger connoisseurs may be surprised to see an entirely plant-based burger joint on a list of Brisbane’s best, those who’ve sampled the menu at Plant Patty Burgers will not. The proof is in the proliferation: these casual burger spots are now all over Australia, with four locations (Kelvin Grove, Strathpine, Murrumba Downs, and Browns Plains) in Brisbane alone. The Spicy Mumma, with a plant-based beef patty, jalapeños, and onions is my preferred burg’. Fries are obviously mandatory.
Bema Burgers
There’s every chance you’ve been to the sunlit Paddington brunch hub known as Cafe Bema, on Latrobe Terrace, but let it be known that the creative team behind the counter are now flipping burgers too. These things are towering masterpieces that’ll fill any hole. The Parmigiana Burger, stuffed with crumbed chicken and Neapolitan sauce, is a can’t miss. And the Classic Caesar salad and freshly-squeezed juices (it’s called balance) are also surprising standouts.
OzHangar Aussie Burgers
Australia’s hodgepodge of homegrown and adopted dishes mean we don’t have a clearly defined cuisine. And yet, for many, the concept of national dishes would include exactly what OzHanger Aussie Burgers in Waterford West has on offer. Picture burgers with beetroot, pineapple, fried onions, and drippy eggs alongside potato scallops, battered sausages, barramundi burgers, dim sims, and chips positively drowned in gravy. A word to the wise: when the OzHangar team says something comes “with the lot,” it really means it.
Jimmymax Burger and Coffee
I’m not sure there are many places in this world where you can get a battered saveloy with your iced long black, but the menu at Jimmymax reminds me that anything’s possible. If you’re carnivorously inclined, you’ll be delighted to learn that this Slacks Creek joint is known for its wood-fired Wagyu chuck rib fillet, steak burgers, and beef rolls. You can also do away with the bun entirely and order a steak box deal, with chips, gravy, and a soft drink of choice.
Mad Burger
If you’re looking to try some of Brisbane’s best burgers, look no further. Hunger-curing hero Mad Burger has locations in Capalaba, West End, Fortitude Valley, and Redcliffe, and a menu that ranges from the stripped-back to the seriously indulgent. On one end of the spectrum: it's a classic cheeseburger with prime Aussie beef. And on the other: the Mad Burger, with double beef patties, cheese, pickles, and truffle mayo. And yet, I’d pay a visit for the gleaming, golden fries alone. The thin-cut, shoe-string potatoes boast extra crunch that can hold up to a dunking in the unctuous house blue cheese sauce. It’s giving main character energy and you just love to see it from an underdog side dish.
