Somewhere between the buns and beef, the magic of a burger happens. Bite in and you have a complete meal and a piece of Americana between your fingertips.
Miami has all kinds of crazy patty varieties, with salmon, turkey, and shroom burgers. And like everyone else, we have named the best ones before, but it has been almost three years, and this list is so much richer. A gift for the holidays, here are the Magic City's ten best classic burgers.
See also: Miami's Five Most Outrageous Burgers
10. Miami "Heater" Burger at American Social
American Social may be new to Miami and Brickell, but we are very familiar with this burger and grateful that we no longer have to drive to Broward to get our hands on it. This epic burger has its beef blended with caramelized onions and stuffed with boursin cheese (!). Then the patty is wrapped in jalapeño bacon (!!) with shiitake mushrooms and to-die-for aioli (!!!) on toasted challah. Can we get a challah-lujah?
9. Keg Burger at Keg South
Some burgers are perfect after you've had far too many drinks (Cheeseburger Baby) and burgers you seek to go with beer (Burgers & Beer). However, it's delightfully surprising when you stumble upon a great, underrated burger at a neighborhood bar. The Keg Burger starts at a third-pounder and goes up in size and price, but the mystique remains.
8. SmokeShack at Shake Shack
Miamians may not be quite as Shake Shack-obsessed as New Yorkers, but that doesn't stop the burger from winning countless awards here (remember the Munchies). The SmokeShack is on another level with applewood smoked bacon and chopped cherry peppers. It's a small burger that packs a punch and leaves you wanting more.
7. The Latin Macho at Latin Burger & Taco
Whether you're chasing Latin Burger & Taco's food truck or venturing to its brick-and-mortar location, the Macho Burger is the must-order item. This one comprises a half-pound of freshly ground chorizo, chuck, and sirloin topped with Oaxaca cheese and caramelized onions. Just try messing with it; you'll get dirty and end up fully satisfied.
6. Really Juicy Cheeseburger at Blue Collar
The name of this burger says it all. It is juicy — really juicy — and has cheese. The patty, made from prime dry-aged New York strip steak, comes topped with the classics — cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and onion — served on a not-so-classic Portuguese muffin. The muffin provides some cushion for your finger-pushin' as your shove this baby into your mouth.
5. DB Burger at DB Bistro Moderne
This one is so epic we can almost justify the hefty price. A simple sirloin burger is souped up with braised short rib and stuffed with a piece of melt-in-your-mouth foie gras. Add some black truffles and serve it on a Parmesan bun, and there you have it. This is the thing burger dreams are made of.
4. Lokal Burger at Kush and Lokal
You can now get the famed Lokal burger without having to venturing all the way to the Grove. The Lokal burger has made its way to Wynwood with a new Kush "tat." This classic favorite starts with a patty made from Florida grass-fed beef and adds Jack cheese, local tomatoes, avocado, sliced red onions, arugula, and honey mustard .
3. Cypress Burger at Cypress Tavern
Michael's Genuine may have been upstaged in the burger department by its new and classy sister restaurant, Cypress Tavern. Its namesake burger, which used to be available only for lunch, is now a mainstay on both the lunch and dinner menus. This burger comes with onion marmalade and artisanal cheese from Jasper Hill Farm.
2. Outside Is In at JR's Gourmet Burgers
Any old burger joint can slap bacon and cheese onto your burger, but only a special place like JR's stuffs the goods into the patty. The Outside Is In burger has innards with bits of bacon, oozing cheese, and pink, juicy beef. The char on the meat and the cornmeal on the bun add the perfect exterior texture.
1. Swine Burger at Swine Southern Table & Bar
Run, pig, run to Swine for this most excellent burger. The double patties come packed with short rib, brisket, and smoked pork and are sandwiched with American cheese, thick slices of bacon, homemade dill pickles, pickled onions, lettuce, tomato, and that special secret Swine sauce. This glorious burger does everything right and is ideal to pig out on.
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