Best of the Gold Coast 2019: the 10 best burgers in the region as voted by you
Triple meat patty, vegan or bunless — however you burger, there’s a restaurant on the Gold Coast for you. After counting the votes, we can reveal the top 10 burger joints that flip it real good.
Best of Gold Coast
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TRIPLE meat patty, vegan or bunless — however you burger, there’s a restaurant on the Gold Coast for you. After counting the votes, we can reveal the top 10 burger joints that flip it real good.
10. The Loose Moose
Oasis Shopping Centre, 75 Surf Parade, Broadbeach
Adding a little sophistication to the souped-up sandwich, The Loose Moose prefers for diners to come back on a regular basis for its refined burgers. “The other (burger) places, they’re only going to go there once a month,” head chef and owner Michael Dragosevic says. “Everyone goes over the top, we’re trying to make our dirty food clean.” The Loose Moose char grills its Byron Bay-sourced meat before popping it between two milk buns alongside plenty of green stuff and condiments. “The Cowboy burger is the bestseller, it’s got the American cheddar, a patty, smoky barbecue secret sauce, char grilled bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickles on an organic milk bun,” Michael says.
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9. Burgster
4-10 Philippine Parade, Palm Beach
Taking inspiration from New York City, Burgster is the unassuming backstreet eatery that delivers much more than bread and butter. As name suggests, the Palm Beach restaurant’s main grub is burgers, but its offerings are ahead of the pack with a variety of distinguished dining options. Take the classic chicken burger — the meat is given an upgrade with buttermilk batter, while the salad comes with slices of pear for a refreshing flavour surprise. The pork cubano features slow cooked pork hock, champagne ham, Swiss cheese, mustard mayo and pickles, while the Angus beef patty on the classic cheeseburger can be double or triple-stacked for the ultimate carnivorous treat.
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8. Crafty’s Sports Bar
Harbour Town, 147-189 Brisbane Rd, Biggera Waters
While it might take less than 10 minutes to polish off a Crafty’s chicken burger, general manager Shannon Baier-Dry says almost a year of preparation went into it. “Our head chef agonised over the recipe for around 10 months,” Shannon says. The chicken is peppered with eight layers of spicing and is cooked through a compression deep fryer, before being assembled with some salad and cheese between two milk buns. “It’s got that institutional secret herbs and spices, then you get that soft milk bun, orange cheddar and you’re good to go. It’s super delicious and more-ish. That’s probably the hero of the burgers we have.”
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7. Betty’s Burgers and Concrete Co
Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Hooker Blvd, Broadbeach
There’s something about Betty’s Burgers that has the hungry coming back en masse. With each burger containing six ingredients or much less, general manager Emily Myors says the burgers are simple yet satisfying. “It is a home style version of fast food,” Emily says. “With Betty’s, people really love that it’s very authentic. We’ve definitely got that cult following now.” Another secret could be in Betty’s “special sauce”, an accompaniment on almost every burger. “People seem to be obsessed with the special sauce,” Emily says. “The most popular burger is the Betty’s classic — it’s a cheeseburger with special sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion. The buns we use are a milk bun and they are really tasty.”
6. Grill’d
Harbour Town, Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters
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Variety and consistency is key to Grill’d, a reputable burger brand known across Australia. Harbour Town Grill’d team leader Sarah Jackson says a top quality burger is only part of the experience at her restaurant. “I think it comes down to the service from the second (customers) enter, and the food,” Sarah says. “It’s Grill’d healthy burgers, so all of our produce comes in that day, everything from the lettuce to the beetroot, cheese, it’s all fresh, we don’t have anything frozen. Our ‘Big Queenslander’ is probably our biggest burger and our most popular, and our vegan cheeseburger. We have something for everyone.”
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5. The Bros
610 Oxley Dr, Biggera Waters
The Bros burger joint combines the techniques of the US and New Zealand with the produce of Australia to create the burgers people crave. Owner Billie Inglis says the original owner globe trotted for many years to find the best recipes. “The guy that started this, he travelled the world coming up with different flavours, then brought the fusion together of what we get locally, what’s good in New Zealand, with an American spin,” she says. Billie says each ingredient in the kitchen can be traced back to its origin, with the “Beached As” hoki burger and The Elvis with peanut butter, maple syrup and bacon among The Bros’ trademark offerings.
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4. Longboards Laidback Eatery and Bar
Hamilton Ave & Northcliffe Terrace, Surfers Paradise
A tall building calls for tall burgers, and Longboards Laidback Eatery stacks them up. Operations manager Patrick Hanrahan says the poolside restaurant attached to the Q1 is known for its sizeable servings. “Our burgers are probably bigger than most venues around the Coast, they’re all pretty massive,” Patrick says. “That’s definitely a drawcard for us.” Patrick says the top patty picks are the traditional style New Yorker, this month’s special the LeBron Game, and the signature 1.8kg “fat bastard” burger challenge. “We use fresh ingredients, we use as many locally sourced ingredients as we can,” Patrick says. “We cook our own brisket overnight and make our own beef patties.”
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3. Eddie’s Grub House
171 Griffith St, Coolangatta
Is there anything more joyous than ordering a burger at a restaurant and seeing it arrive beside a stack of golden chips? Eddie’s Grub House co-owner Samuel Cleary knows every good burger needs its crispy companion. “All of our burgers come with chips, as they should, so free fries for everyone,” Samuel says. Eddie’s Grub House keeps its burgers simple but more-ish, letting the flavours of the proteins and sauce do the talking. “Our most popular is the chicken burger, called King of The Roost, which has southern fried chicken tenders, lettuce, red onion and chipotle mayo. The best bit about our burgers is the bun, it’s a soft and light so you can keep drinking beers.”
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2. Ze Pickle
37 Connor St, Burleigh Heads
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Imagine you had the drunk munchies and had a whole burger bar and its kitchen at your disposal, what would you make? That’s how Burleigh Heads restaurant Ze Pickle comes up with new recipes. “We usually get drunk and talk about it, and go into the kitchen and give it a go,” Ze Pickle director Nathan Zukerman laughs. “That’s one of the luxuries of owning your own business.” And it’s a method that’s paid off, with Ze Pickle coming second in our best burgers on the Gold Coast list. Nathan says the winning buns on the menu are the wagyu beef “Chee-ze” with maple bacon and fried onion straws, and the Biting Buddha with grilled szechuan chicken, charred haloumi cheese and sauces.
1. Milky Lane
1/38 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
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When a burger bar has the tick of approval from celebrities, it seems reasonable it should take out the crown for Best of the Gold Coast.
Milky Lane, known for its crazy, decadent concoctions that can barely be contained between two buns, has been attracting big names and common folk from far and wide since first opening in Sydney in 2016 and later on the Gold Coast in 2018.
“When celebrities are in town, they turn to Milky Lane for their fix,” Surfers Paradise Milky Lane owner Christian Avant says.
“Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, Russell Crowe, Nick Jonas and more have eaten at Milky Lane in the last 12 months.”
The Surfers Paradise restaurant has definitely become a must-do for visitors and locals, with its funky ’90s hip hop aesthetic and super indulgent menu bursting with plenty of juicy, cheesy burgers making for a meal to remember.
“Milky Lane is so well known for our burgers because we love to experiment and bring crazy ideas to fruition — and most of the time we get it right,” Christian says.
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“Our secret meat blend is chargrilled which gives it an instantly recognisable smoky flavour and we ensure our salads are fresh and hand picked each day.
“Our most popular burger is our signature Milky Lane Burger, served with a Wagyu beef patty, double American cheese, butter lettuce, pickles, diced onions, sliced tomato and the special ML sauce and ketchup.
“If you want to go really outrageous we suggest our popular and food coma-inducing Kevin Bacon burger with a double wagyu patty, stacks of cheese and double smoked maple bacon.”
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