share with your friends - Ze Pickle

Ze Pickle has been on my 'to visit' list for a while. Huge burgers, drinks and insane desserts, all with interesting choice of names! I got the "yo mum" burger which was a brioche style bun with a Wagyu patty, cheese, fries (yes on the burger), truffle flavour, bacon (an addition) and of course, a pickle! It wasn't as big as the pictures appear but it was delicious. I enjoyed it a lot. They have other options like vegetarian, chicken, pulled pork and other meat combos. There's also loaded fries, wings and incredibly crazy chocolates topped desserts, one called "whothe is max Brenner". It was table service, but seemed to take forever to order, and ask for the bill, they needed another staff member on I believe. They are also a bar, serving beer on tap, cocktails and an interesting range of cocktails too. Come for the burgers and get some add ons. 

-Shiyu Liu

Fat Fish

Fast Fish and Chips is located in Annadale, on the corner of Johnson and Booth street. Their slogan "Hook into Fat Fish; the Catch of the Inner West" may be corny but, they are able to live up to their names making some of the best burgers that I have ever tasted. Fat Fish like to look after their customers. They work hard at keeping the fish they serve fresh and have many health benefits to go along with their extensive menu which includes gourmet burgers, home made lasagne, fresh salads and a select, and delicious sweets.

By far, their best burger would have to be the Portuguese Chicken Burger. It comes with a Grilled chicken, cheese, lettuce, mayo and peri peri sauce. The burgers is valued at $8.50, but it is worth every penny to buy the combo deal which includes a large seasoned chips with a drink of your choice. The combo deal will round out your satisfying meal to $13.00, making you wanting more once you finish the burger.

If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend trying Fat Fish to make your good day, into a great day. 

- Luke Astri

Create Your Taste!

Create Your Taste 

When it comes to burgers there's one establishment on everyones mind for a gross greasy burger: Maccas!! 

However, McDonalds improved their burger game significantly in 2014 with the introduction of "Create Your Taste". When they realised it wasn't enough to just rely on their greasy menu with the rise of burger chains such as "grilld" now serving gourmet burgers, McDonalds realised they needed to get with the times. 

Here's how it works: (as explained by McDonalds themselves) "Start with 100% Canadian Angus Beef and choose from 30 quality ingredients to have your perfect taste creation made fresh just for you." 

It does feel really weird having one of the workers bring out your meal to you, it feels almost a bit wrong not standing and waiting for your number to be called, but getting to make your own burger is a great concept (pineapple on it for daays). 

How very Un-McDonalds!! 

-Annabelle 

Bar Ume at Bourke Street

 Ume, formerly a fine dining Japanese restaurant on Bourke Street in Surry Hills, has reopened as a more casual izakaya-style bar and burger joint.

It's mostly table service here, but the compact space is home to a tiled bar with a few bar stools and is stocked with beautiful bottles of sake, shochu and Japanese whisky. The focus here is on the booze, but the food is a good reason to stay for the night.

The food menu is burger focused with a meat and veg specials list that's updated daily and might feature snacks like fried oysters or charred asparagus.
As well as the whisky and sake menu, they have a blackboard wine list and some simple cocktails with spirits and mixers on offer and a really delicious non-alcoholic ginger and passionfruit soda.

The Ume burger

The Ume burger, is good. The bun isn't too sweet, the meat isn't too rich and the accompanying sauces and garnishes are simple with onion, cheese, tomato and Japanese mayo.

The Ebi burger

 The ebi burger is awsome as well — a crisp prawn katsu patty is sandwiched with shredded cabbage and a nice, sharp tartare.

At the moment, Bar Ume is the only place to get Kerby Craig's burgers — but not for much longer. The owner and chef has been busy, and will open Ume Burger in Barangaroo later this year. In the meantime, Bar Ume is doing a good job for his reputation between the bun. Kanpai.


-Yee Na, Lok

El Jannah

El Jannah is located at Granville, but the franchise has recently expanded to many more store locations across Sydney. It is a family run business which began operation in 1998 as a small takeaway shop. The first ever store that opened was at Granville, and ever since the business hasn't looked back.  Many customers travel many kilometres from all over Sydney to enjoy El Jannah's great tasting charcoal chicken and legendary garlic sauce. The impressive quality of food service from the the staff and the great value for money that the store provides has proven to be difference between the business and it's competitors.

The most popular meals that people like to order are the Chicken Roll Meal/Burger or the 1/2 Chicken Meal. Both servings come with large chips and you choice of soft drink, but the Chicken Roll Meal/Burger comes with a succulent chicken breast with lettuce and mayonnaise wrapped inside a roll/bun. The 1/2 Chicken Meal come with a tender 1/2 chicken.

I would definitely recommend trying one of El Jannah's Chicken Roll Meal/Burger, as it will well and truly satisfy your tastebuds.

- Luke Astri

Top burgers: Bang Bang!!!

If you haven't been to Bang Bang Burgers, you are missing out! I love the Elizabeth spot because it's quiet away from the hustle of uptown and the service is fast and friendly. My personal favorite is the Cowboy Burger with grilled onions, BBQ sauce, and bacon. My friend grabbed the Pimento Burger with pimento cheese and jalapeños which was delicious!! There isn't a bad burger there! Honestly, as much as I love the hand cut fries, I tried the homemade BBQ chips and they are my new favorite! Next time, I will try my favorite sweet potato chips~~~Go, stuff your face and be merry. You'll thank me!

-Shiyu Liu

Benbry Burgers

I recently stumbled across an absolute hidden gem of a burger place! Twas a hot day in Manly and in an attempt to maximise beach time we decided to get some takeaway food and eat it on the beach. (conversely that was a terrible idea as sand + food = bad). The upside to this decision was that we walked into a take away burger joint on manly's corso named benbry burgers. The menu features 30 Gourmet Burgers, cooked fresh to clients when they arrive, this can mean long waits but it is certainly worth it. They additionally have a scope of scrumptious sides freshly made once ordered, including chips which were named best chips in Manly by the Manly Daily in 2012.

- Annabelle 

The Heart Attack

The Orchard tavern is known for boasting crowds of people for after work drinks but what people don't realise is that it is not just its for its Friday night bevies but it has quite an impressive menu too. One meal in particular; The Heart Attack Burger.

Wagyu Beef, Crispy Southern Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, American Cheese, Bacon, BBQ Sauce, Slaw, Jalapeños, Peri peri Sauce, Chips and topped with a ranch dressing. 

You can see by what is in it, how it got its name. I challenge anyone to finish it without feeling seriously ill, but for the first few bites it is heaven inside two milk buns.

Annabelle 

CHUR Burger - Pulled Pork Burger

I have heard wonderful things about this place and I am always on the hunt for a good burger in Sydney! Chur, located at Surry Hills, offers diners $10 burgers which is a steal. The menu is quite simple 6 different types of burgers and you can add extra pattie, bacon or cheese and sides – chips, sweet potatoes and coleslaw.

Pulled pork Chur w/BBQ sauce, red slaw & fennel mayo

Truth be told, the pulled pork burger is pretty objectionable. It’s easily the weakest of the five meat burgers in Chur’s lineup, at least at the time I tried it. The burger loaded with crunchy red slaw CHUR BBQ sauce and fennel mayo, each element played a stellar role in supporting the tender pulled pork. The brioche buns were light, which soaked up the juices .However, tThe pulled pork was very dry, and it was cooked in a way that made it taste like tuna which is quite a big disapointed. Without its constituent fat, sauces and braising methods, pulled pork really can just taste like tuna after awhile – especially if it’s dry.

Anyway, Chur has created a very cool and laid back environment that's great for a casual cheap feed day or night. Check it out and come back with a comment on other those burgers!

-Yee Na,Lok

Frangos Charcoal Chicken

Frangos Charcoal Chicken is located in Petersham.

Their Authentic Chicken Burger with chilli sauce is to die for. Food service is relatively quick for the staff to make the burgers on the spot. If you order Pack 1, your tastebuds will thank you in advance. For $10.95 you get large chips, a chicken burger with lettuce tomato, chilli and mayonnaise and your choice of any drink.

I would highly recommend dropping into Frangos, as it is highly affordable and great value for money. This helps the restaurant retain market share for the fast food industry and keep existing customers happy while retaining new ones.

- Luke Astri

Just Open: Royal Stacks~~ Bling Bling~~

Melbourne burger don Dani Zeini bringing their popular Royal Stacks up the east coast to Sydney’s Chatswood in a little over a month from now. Confirmed recently, the popular burger joint will be opening up its first ever NSW store in Westfield Chatswood, sharpening a focus on fresh, simple, and high quality burgers, mirroring the modern interpretation of U.S chains that has characterised Sydney’s scene.

Though Sydney is brimming with juicy burgers right now, there’s always room for a name that’s already well established with Australian burger fiends. Royal Stacks should slot in well on the North Shore, where the local scene is already being handled well by Five Points in North Sydney and Chef’s Kitchen in St Leonards.

Royal Stacks won’t be coming without a point of different though, with Zeini also including his playful frozen custards, waffles, and potato gems as some of the many extras that will be accompanying the burgers on the menu, a list which features the classic Single Stack (beef patty, tomato, butter lettuce, American cheddar, special sauce, and pickles), the Prince Harry (with a horseradish, shallot, and gherkin mayo sauce), Miss Elizabeth (with truffle mayo), and The King (which stacks on some mac’n’cheese croquettes for good measure).

The choices of frozen custard is of particular interest, especially since the flavours include a Ferrero Rocher, some Nutella Swirl, indulgent Cookie Dough, and others created by Mark Mariotti of St Kilda’s 7 Apples.

-Shiyu Liu

The Almighty Trufflenator

The Almighty Trufflenator Burger! 

The Deewhy hotel on Sydney's Northern Beaches is home to the "Trufflenator" - double wagyu beef pattie, truffle mayo, truffle butter, truffle infused havarti cheese, truffle maple syrup, bacon, American cheddar and onion rings on a milk bun. Chips are optional and if selected, will take the burger to over 2/3 of  the recommended adult daily calorie limit! 

so consume with caution! 

If you don't feel like trying  this monstrosity of a meal, the Deewhy Hotel also has an extensive burger selection of ones such as pulled pork and more standard chicken burgers if someone doesn't feel like consuming gazillion grams of fat. 

It is definitely considered a "sometimes" burger and I wouldn't recommend adding it to your regular diet however it makes for a perfect "treat yo self" 

-Annabelle 

Shake Shack!

If there is one thing the U.S.A is known for it, it's their burgers and fries and the Shake Shack definitely lived up to this expectation. It caters for everyone (there's even a section on the menu for dogs!) The line was incredibly long but after tasting one their burgers I immediately understand why. Once I had received my burger and cheddar/bacon fries, I am ecstatic! The burger softens in your mouth, joined by an immediate impact of flavour. It's exceptionally tasty and the cheddar melts splendidly over the patty, finished with a Shack Sauce and red velvet milkshake, its a great combination.  I am definitely a converted Shake Shack supporter. It's one of those things that might just be a fad but while its popular its worth the trek of queue!

- Annabelle