Adelaide’s best burgers ... with a twist

THIS list is a must read if you want to ketchup (yep, see what we did there) with the best burgers in Adelaide that offer something a little more than your traditional mince patty and sauce on a bread roll.

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BURGERS have come a long way since the days of a mince patty and sauce slapped between a white bread roll. Now, burgers are getting all dressed up, with mouth-watering relishes, fancy breads, gourmet ingredients and even vegetarian twists. Our reporters discovered Adelaide’s best:

CITY

Sophie Perri

Cheeseburger

The Cheeseburger here looks like a standard cheeseburger, but the twist is that here, you can actually choose the type of cheese that goes inside. The Al-Sweedy family (who also run the fabulous Levant Eatery and Not Guilty Blends juice bar) decided to stick to the classic but mix things up with a range of cheeses such as Danublue and Smoked Dutch. They’re constantly adding more varieties, but the funny thing is that Swiss cheese is still the top choice. People don’t like change. $8.90

207 Hindley St

Raw and Real Cold-pressed Juicery and Kitchen

With the Vegan Burger the vegetables aren’t condensed into a patty but thrown in just as they are, so this burger is probably best tackled with both hands.

The ingredients of beetroot, black beans, kidney beans, cucumber, greens and tomato relish are all crammed inside a gluten-free bun, making it one of the healthiest burgers in town. That doesn’t mean it’s boring though — people love this thing.

$6.50, 10-20 James Place

The Curious Squire

You’re going to feel stupid ordering this burger out loud, but all will be forgotten once you sit down and see it plonked before you.

The Mother Clucker is so good. A little different now though, as fans may have noticed.

When the Squire folk changed the menu recently, the classic southern fried chicken burger with tomato, lettuce, pickles and onion got a shake-up with the addition of guacamole, bacon and American cheddar cheese.

These are all good things, though I still think the burger was just fine before.

I just appreciate not having to go through the ‘you know guacamole costs extra’ malarky.

$16, 10 O’Connell St, North Adelaide

Kinetto

The menu has changed a few times since Kinetto opened several years ago, but the owners know how much customers love the grilled chicken burger, so on the menu it has remained.

What makes it so special is the addition of haloumi and avocado — it’s like a brunch burger. I’ve enjoyed this burger many times and taken many photos of it. $19

$19, 70 Franklin St

Kinetto chicken burger

NORTH

Gold Burger & Steak

This Golden Grove burger restaurant has the right name, with the Gold Double Deluxe Burger ($14.90) a golden experience for all.

Their special gold sauce is a pleasant twist on this dining favourite.

Restaurant owner Eddie Salah prides himself on using the freshest ingredients.

“We wouldn’t serve anything we wouldn’t eat ourselves,” Mr Salah says.

“We don’t use any artificial colouring — to make it as organic as possible.”

Gold Burger & Steak caters to a wide range of needs, with gluten-free chips and a vegetarian burger on offer.

Located on the corner of Aeolian Drive and The Grove Way, Goldburger & Steak provides a quick delicious meal or an enjoyable dining experience.

New experiences to try there are the Barramundi Gold Burger or the Triple Gold Burger with Gold Sauce.

1 Aeolian Dr, Golden Grove, 8251 4183, goldburger.com.au

The Double Deluxe from Gold Burger.

Eddie Salah in his Golden Grove shop, Gold Burger.

Cafe Settebello

While traditionally a pasta and pizza restaurant, Cafe Settebello does a mean burger. It has beef, grilled chicken and chicken schnitzel options but a personal favourite is the hearty Vegan Burger ($16.90), filled with falafel, beetroot, avocado, lettuce, tomato and soy mayo.

84 Newton Rd, Campbelltown, 8336 5599, cafesettebello.com.au

Fancy Burgers

Fancy Burgers originally opened before the gourmet burger trend really took off in Adelaide. It launched in Blackwood in 2010, then expanded to Welland Plaza and Kensington Park. There’s a lot of creative meal options here including a lamb burger, filled with a field mushroom, caramelised onion, Woodside goat cheese, herby mayo, leaf salad and fresh avocado ($14.90).

402 Magill Road, Kensington Park, 8331 4000, fancyburgers.com.au

Coopers Alehouse Gepps Cross

Not sure whether to grab a beef or chicken burger? Meatlovers rejoice, the Coopers Alehouse Gepps Cross has you covered with the monster Jawdropper burger. It has crispy fried chicken, Wagyu beef, double bacon and is smothered in Monterey jack cheese. Garnished with red onion, rocket, tomato and pickles, the burger is worth its $24 price tag.

560 Main North Rd, Blair Athol, 8262 2413, coopersalehousegeppscross.com.au

The Pickled Duck

This gourmet restaurant at Modbury is a must for burger fans.

The Pickled Duck provides a fine dining experience with inventive and delicious meals.

Some of their special burgers are The American Gangster ($14.90), You Got To Be Vegan ($13.90) and Silence Of The Lamb ($14.90).

993 North East Road, Modbury SA 5092, 8265 0203, thepickledduck.com.au

WEST

Michelle Etheridge

E’nuf Burger Bar

This small suburban eatery is always busy with locals popping in to grab a casual dinner or pick up some take away. It’s also open early and has four brekky burgers on the menu. Our lunch or dinnertime pick is the “Squeeky Cheese” with crumbed haloumi, red onion, cucumber, carrot, alfalfa sprouts, baby spinach and paprika mayonnaise. They offer a range of buns, too, including sesame white, wholemeal, damper and gluten free. The eatery opened up about seven years ago, before specialty burger venues started popping up all over Adelaide. Manager Ben Dawson says the business has kept its original philosophy of making “homemade food, fast”.

563 Anzac Hwy, Glenelg North, and 2/83 Jetty Rd, Brighton

8376 4185 (Glenelg North) or 8358 4472 (Brighton). Visit enufburgerbar.com

E’nuf Burger owner Ben Dawson.

Nordburger

If you grab a burger here ahead of seeing a gig at the Entertainment Centre or The Gov, they’ll even have the music turned up club-style to help you get into the right headspace for a night out. This modern venue has loads of booths for diners and is a hit particularly with younger locals. With 15 burgers on the menu, plus a range of fries and shakes, you’re bound to find something that tickles your fancy. The panko-crumbed portobello mushroom burger is a winner, served with coleslaw, mustard and NORD sauce.

259 Port Rd, Hindmarsh, nordburger.com or email [e-mail]

Barry’s Burgers

Manager Chris Ratnike says his sister Alinta opened this eatery in 2015 to offer locals a place “close to the beach where you could get good food, leaving you feeling good”. The restaurant also focuses on making sure its ingredients and drinks are all sourced locally. “Every single thing about this place has SA stamped all over it,” Chris says. He says the eatery’s most popular burger is the Baz deluxe, with beef, onion jam, cheese, double-smoked bacon, rocket and mayonnaise.

1/13 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore South, 7226 3241 or visit barrysburgers.com.au

Relish’d Burger Bar  

If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a tasty, quick meal or takeaway, this small eatery comes up trumps — right down to the playing cards used as table numbers. Grab a table or a possie at the counter, or order your burger to go and watch the sun go down over Glenelg beach. We love the Relish’d Popeye with a spinach and chickpea pattie, lettuce, tomato, Spanish onion, roasted capsicum and chilli and lime aioli.

730 Anzac Hwy, Glenelg, 8294 2777 or search Relish’d Burger Bar on Facebook

Grill’d

Grill’d took over the former first floor Hungry Jack’s restaurant about a year ago and has become a popular place for families and for mates to meet before a film or wind down after a shopping trip. The eatery offers a range of healthier burgers, including vegetarian and vegan options, and burgers made with RSPCA-approved chickens, free range pork and beef from organic cattle farms. Try the “Field of Dreams”, with grilled field mushroom, roasted peppers, basil pesto, tasty cheese, salad and herbed mayo. There are also a number of salad options available — sometimes difficult to find in burger joints — including the delicious “Clean and green” mix. It has zucchini noodles, kale, cabbage, Spanish onion, coriander, roasted nut mix, cherry tomatoes, avocado and lime.

Westfield Marion, Oaklands Park, 8296 7977 or visit grilld.com.au

SOUTH

Erica Visser

Agatha’s Cafe

Spicy jalapeños may intimidate some customers, but the peppers are what sets off the All Jacked Up Burger, Agatha’s Cafe manager Daina Haines says.

The cafe’s bestseller takes its name from the house-made Jack Daniels smoky barbecue sauce the burger is best known for.

“It’s a ‘blokey’ burger with a real kick to it,” Ms Haines says.

The $15 dish, created by cafe owner Dave Racher, includes an Angus beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese, caramelised onion, smoked bacon, roasted garlic aioli, lettuce and, of course, jalapeños.

1 Gawler St, Port Noarlunga, 8384 4393

David Racher at his Noarlunga cafe Agatha's.

Nic’s Gourmet Burgers

When Chris Downer moved to SA from New Orleans, he brought with him his love of the US city’s famed southern cuisine.

The manager of Nic’s Burgers says dishes, including his favourite, Nic’s Nightmare, reflect the values of southern food, which he describes as food that taste good but does not necessarily look good.

“The Nightmare (burger) is for people seeking a monster on a plate,” Mr Downer says.

“The patties are made using a blend of brisket, pork and beef.”

Customers are challenged to eat the burger in under 10 minutes to get their name on the wall, but after an influx of successful competitors, Mr Downer is ready to up the ante.

“We are going to introduce the Man versus Boarchallenge in the next two to three weeks,” he says.

“That will combine pork and beef patties, apple and pear coleslaw, caramelised onion with a pear and apple reduction sauce.

“A southern US specialty.”

Burgers are all priced under $20.

Seaford Meadows Shopping Centre, T13 Grand Boulevard and Bitts Rd, Seaford Meadows, 0406 892 107.

Beach Hotel Seaford

The Beach Hotel’s signature Beach Burger has one ingredient so sought after it has been made into a side dish.

Fried pickle coated in a crispy beer batter is the start of this popular burger, which is teamed with bush tomato chutney, aioli, bacon, salad and cheese — with a generous serve of chips on the side.

“We sell so many of those fried pickles, people just love them,” assistant chef Jayden Gordge says.

Beach Burger: $18.50

Commercial Road and Griffiths Drive, Seaford, 8386 2211

Zak’s Pizza and Grill

Imagine walking into your favourite burger joint and devouring a dish named in your honour.

Zak’s Pizza and Grill at Happy Valley has named the Big Cam burger after loyal customer Cameron, who could never decide whether to have a beef or chicken patty.

“The Big Cam has a 150g beef patty, crispy chicken breast, bacon, cheese, onion, lettuce barbecue sauce and mayo,” says store manager Hanna Paredes.

“Whenever Cameron comes into the store, he always gets the Big Cam.”

Big Cam: $13.90

6/50 Kenihans Rd, Happy Valley, 8322 1516

Woodcroft Hotel

Customers who arrive at the Woodcroft Hotel looking for something spicy and flavoursome never go home disappointed.

Hotel manager Lindsay Driscoe says burgers are a staple on the southern American-inspired bistro menu.

The top-selling pulled pork burger contains house-made apple jam and beetroot slaw, while a vegetarian portobello mushroom and haloumi burger is paired with a chilli jam.

“People are expecting something spicy and we’ve got that point of difference with the housemade sauces,” Ms Driscoe says.

Burgers are all under $20.

Bains and Panalatinga roads, Woodcroft, 8325 1555

EAST

Kelly Hughes

Burger Foundry

The Blue Steel burge is rather la-di-da. Yeah it has the standard meat patty and obligatory greens, but it gets a dressing up with the addition of roasted walnuts and blue cheese. You could have it with wine and again the next day, while nursing the hangover. It’s genius, really. Sweet caramelised onions and aioli make an appearance too, and you can add bacon. $15.

367-373 Magill Rd, St Morris and 172 Henley Beach Rd, Torrensville

Blue Steel burger at Burger Foundry

Dear Daisy

Haloumi is the more-favoured suitor among the cheese family when it comes to cooking. The cheese — originally from Cyprus but popular in Greek cooking — goes with many meals. It can be tossed in salads, served with eggs, fried or grilled. There is even a recipe online for a haloumi, harissa and honey toastie. At Dear Daisy, they have capitalised on the cheese’s far-reaching popularity with the Hello Me burger — haloumi on a bed of grilled onion, roasted tomato, roasted eggplant, baby spinach and a harissa mayonnaise. Owner and manager Felicity Riley says the dish ($14) is the cafe’s most-popular burger. The cafe also does a mean brunch. Apple cinnamon pancakes, anyone?

66 Leah St, Forestville, phone [phone].

Dear Daisy owner Felicity Riley holds the Haloumi Burger.

The Black Olive Cafe

Forget basic mince, white bread, tomato and lettuce. This dish takes the once-humble burger to a whole new level. Rose Park’s Black Olive Cafe says its “Moo” burger is a menu highlight. In it is a beef patty, topped with caramelised onion, bacon, sliced cheese and rocket on a brioche bun. Using only locally sourced ingredients and served with wedges, executive chef and owner Angelo Rodi says the dish ($19) is incredibly popular.

4 Kensington Rd, Rose Park, phone [phone].

East Borough Eatery

This new cafe, in the old Parkside Bar 9 venue on Glen Osmond Rd, has a refreshed decor and an on-trend new menu to match. Co-owner Makeeley Abraham has some serious food credentials. She and husband Paul came to East Borough Eatery after stints running the hugely popular The Corner Store at Dulwich and Long Lost Friend at Magill. She says the southern fried chicken burger is a favourite. As well as the aforementioned chicken, it has coleslaw cabbage, pickled jalapeños, spicy mayonnaise and an oh-so trendy charcoal bun. The dish ($18) comes with a side serve of sweet potato fries. Don’t like chicken? No worries. The cafe also has vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options and serves all-day breakfasts.

96 Glen Osmond Rd, Parkside, phone [phone].

Black Dog Gallery

Tofu. There. We said it. If you’re among the sceptical yet to try this Asian staple, now is your chance. Black Dog Gallery has created an Asian-inspired tofu burger. It is certainly lighter than your traditional burger, with the tofu served on bed of daikon radish puree, spring onion beetroot salad tossed in garlic, sesame dressing, Chinese broccoli, wasabi, pickled vegetable and Japanese seasoning. Owner and chef Jun Abe came to Australia from Yokohama, Japan, about 10 years ago, and opened the Tusmore cafe — named after his and wife Maki’s kelpie, Kuro, Japanese for black — in 2015. He says the burger ($18.50) is “not just for vegans”. The wider menu is a dream for lovers of Japanese food and includes a traditional breakfast — all served with rice and miso soup.

4/455 Greenhill Rd, Tusmore, phone [phone].

Joan’s Pantry

This cafe is a local gem and no stranger to a gourmet burger. Its extensive menu includes a Wagyu beef burger, a haloumi burger and a crispy chicken burger. The latter has a “secret ingredient” — a touch of Japanese kewpie mayonnaise. It also has bacon, house-made coleslaw, tomato, cheddar cheese and jalapeño jam. Owner Lisa Down is impressed by how well the burger ($19) sells. “Customers absolutely love it — it’s the most popular,” she says. After changing the recipe to include a house-made coleslaw, it is even more popular among regulars. A gluten-free option is also available.
7 Watahuna Ave, Hawthorndene, phone [phone].

Lettuce (oh yes we did) know if we missed your favourite in the comments below: