We're talking about burgers — or what might be the perfect meal. These handheld, compact sandwiches steal the show at backyard barbecues and take center stage at fast-food restaurants. Why? Because they pack a lot of flavor in the form of customizable creations that can be gussied up with fancy toppings or as basic as meat and bun.
In Miami, burger aficionados have plenty of choices, from simple smash burgers to crafty creations that sport proprietary beef blends or special housemade sauce.
When you're craving America's most popular sandwich, be sure to consult the alphabetical list below for New Times' top picks.
Babe's Meat & Counter
9216 SW 156th St., Miami786-429-1315
babefroman.com
What began as a grassroots side hustle turned into a full-fledged business in 2018 when Melanie Schoendorfer — the self-proclaimed Sausage Queen of Miami — and her husband, Jason, opened the brick-and-mortar Babe's Meat & Counter in Palmetto Bay. In doing so, they expanded the menu of housemade smoked sausages, specialty bacon, and handcrafted artisan sandwiches to include a curated selection of high-end specialty meats. Today, a butcher counter doubles as a breakfast and lunch spot, where the most popular menu item is the “Babe’s" burger. Each week, the house meat blend changes slightly, explains Jason. While each five-ounce patty starts with prime chuck and brisket, an assortment of top-quality trimmings — a hint of prime Angus here, a bit of American Wagyu there — makes for a delicious final mixture. In a nod to zero waste, trimmed fat is set aside for frying oil, creating the ultimate beef-fat fries to go with the burgers. It all adds up to Miami's best, with each patty cooked to order on the grill, then topped with American cheese, housemade pickles, and sriracha mayo, and fitted into a fluffy Martin's potato roll.
Blue Collar
6730 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-756-0366
bluecollarmiami.com
Not all burgers are created equal. Some go the extra mile, whether via customization options, a special meat blend, or that one ingredient that makes all the difference. At Blue Collar, you get all of that. It begins with the USDA Prime dry-aged New York strip/brisket blend patty, cooked to order from blue to rare to well done. Toppings are numerous, but the classic melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion come standard (throw on a latke if that feels right). It's served on a not-so-classic Portuguese muffin, which makes this take on an American staple even better: The muffin absorbs all the juice, so there's no dribbling when you shove this baby full force into your pie hole.
Chug's Diner
3444 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove786-353-2940
chugsdiner.com
When Michael Beltran opened Chug’s, his take on a Cuban-inspired, all-day café, the chef took his famous "Chug" burger off the menu at Ariete and gave it a new home at this Coconut Grove diner. As with everything else, he has mastered the art of hamburger-making as only a chef of his caliber can. You’ll find it unchanged, arriving as a double patty topped with American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles, shaved lettuce, and a secret sauce sandwiched between two housemade sesame-seed buns. Served with fries on the side, the burger is offered for lunch, dinner, and brunch, so you can get your burger fix any time.
The eponymous "Coney" burger is Coney Burger's vegan- and vegetarian-friendly mushroom-based burger.
Photo by Nicole Danna
Coney Burger
2298 SW Eighth St., Miami786-523-2722
coneyburger.com
Coney Burger's recent ascent from a humble pop-up tent at Smorgasburg to a standalone brick-and-mortar restaurant is a testament to how much Miami love it's received. Pedro and Vaness Lara, the powerhouse couple behind this culinary sensation, emerged from the pandemic eager to showcase their combined creativity in a delectable way — and could satisfy both meat-eaters and plant-based patrons alike. While the standalone location’s menu has expanded to include a smash burger, their pride and joy remain their two pop-up top sellers: the eponymous vegetarian/vegan "Coney" burger and the meat lover's "Champ." For the plant-based crowd, it's a made-from-scratch mushroom-based patty that combines Japanese maitake and oyster varieties with sweet potato, black beans, carrot, and a special seasoning blend before it’s outfitted with vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, vegan cilantro aioli and Coney sauce, and “magic” fried onions. For the carnivores, it's a beyond-juicy Wagyu patty procured from a local, family-run ranch in Homestead, seared to perfection, oozing with fatty goodness before it’s topped with a thick-cut slice of tarragon-seasoned pickled green heirloom tomato, a schmear of the chef's egg yolk-based "happy sauce,” a tangy-sweet housemade yuzu mayo, and a sprinkling of chopped chives. While both burgers offer different flavor profiles, they share one thing in common: a vegan brioche bun fashioned after Japanese milk bread that’s squishy and buttery, like a brioche bao, making for the perfect end to a near-perfect burger.
La Birra Bar
14831 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami Beach305-705-2143
labirrabarusa.com
Cofounders and family members Daniel, Roxana, and Renzo Cocchia will tell you La Birra Bar was conceived as an extension of Daniel's parents' rotisserie deli in Buenos Aires. Today, fans of the brand call that hometown location "the temple," with its myriad menu options and the family's self-described obsession with the "perfect burger." It begins with the patty, a proprietary blend hand-chopped from various cuts of beef. Next, the bun is hand-kneaded and baked fresh daily for a light and fluffy texture. As for the toppings, everything is made from scratch, from the pickles to the crispy onions to the sauces. When the first U.S. restaurant opened its doors on Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami Beach, it also delivered one hell of a burger menu. Keep it simple with a cheeseburger, a six-ounce patty topped with American cheese. Go savory with the "Baby Blue," topped with bacon bites, stewed onion, barbecue sauce, and blue cheese, or find out why butter makes everything better with the "Wisconsin," a seven-ounce beef patty with American cheese, stewed onion, and butter.
Masa Craft Kitchen at MIA Beer Company
10400 NW 33rd St. #150, Doral786-801-1721
mia.beer
There's nothing more satisfying than a good burger and a fresh, cold beer. This is why the marriage of Masa Craft Kitchen and MIA Beer Company is so perfect. Masa's burgers start with a locally sourced house blend of brisket, chuck, and hangar, freshly ground and griddled to perfection. Purists will love the "Plain Jane," a half-pound beef patty topped with American cheese on a fluffy Martin's potato roll, but the one to get is the "Smackdown" burger, a double patty topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions, house pickles, caramelized onions, house Woo! sauce on a Martin's potato roll. Masa also makes Beyond burgers for your vegetarian and vegan friends so everyone can enjoy burger and beer night at the brewery.
Pinch Kitchen & Bar
8601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-631-2018
pinchmiami.com
A lot goes into making a burger special. There's the meat, the bun, the toppings — and also the love. When a burger is done right, you just know. At Pinch, that's the type of burger owner John Gallo aims for with his eponymous "Pinch" burger. What you'll get: a custom burger blend, brioche buns made in-house, caramelized onions that are simmered down for hours to extract the perfect amount of umami, melty Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and aioli made fresh daily so the garlic always has just the right bite. The hand-cut fries — cooked to a beautiful golden brown so they're crispy on the outside and hot inside —are this burger's best friend.
Pincho
Various locationspincho.com
South Florida’s beloved burger concept is best known for its numerous, out-of-the-box creations, a roster including a monthly special feature. Of course, fan favorites like "Pipo’s Choice" — smoked gouda, fried sweet plantain bits, applewood-smoked bacon, grilled onions, potato sticks, and guava ketchup — never go out of style. Neither does the "Fritanga," with fried queso blanco, cabbage slaw, and crema. Or, if you're looking for something different, there's the "Toston" burger, that same seasoned patty doused in cilantro sauce and served between two fried plantain "buns." However, of the seven burgers on Pincho's permanent menu, we suggest you start with the eponymous "Pincho." Served on a dense brioche bun, the savory patty is topped with melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, a housemade secret sauce, and julienned potatoes that are fried fresh for a satisfying crunch, much like the ones found on the best fritas in Miami.
Ted's Burgers Pop-Up at J. Wakefield Brewing
120 NW 24th St., Miamiinstagram.com/teds_burgers
In early 2020, former Yardbird Southern Table chef Teodoro Armas decided to start making burgers. The idea was born in his backyard, where his burgers became a hit with friends and family. It quickly turned into a passion pursuit. Today, what began as a pop-up in an O'Reilly Auto Parts parking lot is a smashing success. These days you'll find Armas' weekend-only pop-up as a regular fixture at J. Wakefield Brewing in Wynwood, where hungry patrons line up for a taste of his "American Classic" smash burger, prepared to order with your choice of a single, double, or triple patty. With just a touch of salt for flavor, the hot griddle does the lion's share of the work, creating a beautiful sear that intensifies the flavor, allowing the meat to speak for itself. Finished on a Martin's potato roll, it's a simple — and near-perfect — representation of the smash burger art form. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival judges certainly thought so, awarding Ted's Burgers a Schweid Judges award at the 2021 Burger Bash.
The USBS Burger
Photo by Victor Mayoli/@ThankfulMonster
USBS at the Citadel
8300 NE Second Ave., Miami305-537-6624
usbsmiami.com
Once a no-frills burger, USBS became wildly popular after married chefs Mike Mayta and Keily Vasquez began serving it at their United States Burger Service (USBS) pop-up in Wynwood. The business has since expanded to a brick-and-mortar location inside the Citadel Miami. Here you can still find the couple's classic burgers, including the "Ground" — a single patty topped with "government" cheese and their own "Priority" sauce. Really hungry? Go for the "Two Day," a twin-patty take that delivers double the goodness. Either way, your burger comes topped with the chef's blend of two kinds of melted cheese — spiced with a pinch of salt and mustard seed — and served on a bun that's a cross between a Parker House roll and potato bread. Add a portion of their thick-cut fries, and your meal — and your quest to find one of the best burgers in Miami — is complete.
