The classic Aussie hamburger is a soft white roll loaded up with a beef patty, a slice of canned beetroot, some iceberg lettuce, a ring of pineapple, some onions and perhaps a runny fried egg with a strip of bacon.
Today, eateries across the country are putting their own spin on the iconic meal, from a corner takeaway shop into a fun dining experience, and in Brisbane there are plenty of burger joints doing things differently.
A classic burger and European vibes, riverside
First Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell bought his upscale Asian-inspired restaurant Supernormal (famous for its New England lobster roll) to Brisbane, and next came Bar Miette on Eagle Street, right on Brisbane River.
A European-inspired casual yet classy restaurant with seating for 70, Bar Miette offers premium charcuterie boards, chilled seafood, and awesome sandwiches such as a wagyu pastrami melt, with a well-considered beer, wine and cocktail list.
If it’s a top-tier burger you’re after, on Mondays from 4pm it’s all about juicy Angus patties and potato buns. Add melted cheese, Westmont pickles, and a secret house sauce, and you have a classic burger that you can tuck into while you sip on a beer or a dry martini, all while soaking up gorgeous river views.
Americano diner at Ben’s Burgers in Winn Lane
The graffiti-covered alleys of Fortitude Valley are known to be home to great places to shop and dine. While in this super-cool pocket of inner Brisbane, make a beeline for Winn Lane – where Brisbane’s creative types hang.
In this vibrant community of local and independent artisans, fashion designers, hair stylists, and foodies, you’ll find Ben’s Burgers – a bright blue and white American-diner-style space that has spent over a decade dishing up classic beef burgers, cheeseburgers and crispy fries with thickshakes that’ll have you thinking you’re drinking ice cream.
Ben’s Burgers operates on a strict ‘no modifications’ policy, as the chefs want them delivered as intended. Grab a dinner deal of two burgers, fries and two soft drinks for $33. It’s a buzzing, fun place to be.
A NYC-style burger joint with a side of champagne and fries
Inspired by 90s New York diners, DUMBO is on Portside Wharf in Hamilton, which is a bustling waterfront lifestyle precinct brimming with great places to eat. DUMBO is a new venture for Bonnie Shearston and Tom Sanceau of the Happy Fat Group, who sadly closed much-loved burger joint Red Hook in 2025. But that means that loyal burger lovers then flocked to Dumbo for a taste of Brooklyn.
The menu is like a love letter to NYC street food, with burgers, hot dogs, bagels and wings being the main draw cards, but you can also order a drink to go with your feast.
The Brooklyn Cheeseburger is a crowd-pleaser – the juicy beef patty is cooked to perfection and topped with melted American cheese, ketchup, and an iconic special sauce, all served on a soft milky bun. Pair it with some buffalo wings and a bloody shiraz gin spritz or a milkshake for a great mid-week dinner out, American-style.
On Monday nights there’s $10 cheeseburgers, and on a Wednesday night you can tuck into 24 wings and a bottle of Taittinger Prestige Brut NV for only $90. Now that’s some up-market burgering right there.
Fast-casual LA perfection, like the good old days
During the lockdown period of the Covid pandemic, Jay Gordon spent his days and nights focused on creating the perfect LA-inspired smashed patty burger. He set up an Instagram page, Peer Reviewed Burgers, and opened a burger pop-up shop for his willing and able taste-testers after gaining a following.
The next step was opening the now hugely popular Broken Hearts Burger Club, where you’ll find high-energy cooks slamming beef patties on to hot grills, great tunes and a crowd of locals waiting for burgers and fries.
You can order a single smash patty made with a blend of chuck steak, high-end steak cuts and bacon, and then double or triple it. You’ll also get a generous serving of melted American cheese, pickles and a dollop of house-made sauce all loaded on to a soft toasted bun.
Then kick back in the 50s-diner-style burger joint and enjoy the results of Jay’s quest for smash patty perfection. Add an old-school chocolate, strawberry or peanut butter milkshake, and you’ll feel like you stepped back into the good ol’ days.
Bringing some Nashville spiciness to Australian burger joints
If clucking good chicken on a bun is what you’re after, in the Brissie suburbs of Underwood and Slacks Creek, you’ll find 2 Bros Nashville Hot Chicken & Burgers.
The franchise-ready company first opened its doors on the Gold Coast in 2020, with a mission of bringing authentic Nashville hot chicken to fried-chicken-loving Aussies. It’s all about bold flavours, quality ingredients and fun times in bright blue and sunflower yellow fast-casual burger joints.
You can also order classic beef burgers, and if you’re after beef and chicken, check out The CHEEF – a monster of a burger with a fire-dusted Nashville hot chicken patty on a premium Angus beef patty with melted American cheese, pickles and a Nashville-spiced sauce. If you’re really hungry, pair it with some Nashville loaded fries, and if you have a sweet tooth, a strawberry matcha or Nutella milkshake.
Whether you fancy raising martini glasses by the river, tucking into a classic LA-inspired burger, or sipping on champagne while tucking into wings and burgers, Brisbane’s burger scene has something for everyone to get excited about.
If you enjoyed reading our wrap-up on burger joints in Brisbane, check out our guide to some of the best places for a coffee fix in Brisbane.
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