beef patty

Heroes Burger Diner

All Star Burger

(beef patty, cheese, bacon, egg, house BBQ sauce, sweet onion, tomato relish, American mustard, tomato sauce, added beetroot, house baked brioche bun)

Heavy and overpoweringly sweet.

★★☆☆☆

HFC Burger

(crispy fried chicken, tasty cheese, coleslaw, jalapeños, chipotle sauce, house baked brioche bun)

Also a heavy burger, but at least I could taste all the ingredients in this one.

★★☆☆☆

Curly Fries

Dry and ordinary.

★★☆☆☆

Salted Caramel Milkshake

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The decor here is awesome. Colourful comic strips line the walls and toy figures of heroes and villains are peppered throughout the diner. Service was quick and the food was well priced but ordinary. The burgers we sampled were overloaded with sauces which quickly led to soggy burgers. We also left the place smelling strongly like the grill (Korean BBQ style) so I think that the ventilation here could be improved.

Heroes Burger Diner

Shop 14/6 Fordholm Rd, Hampton Park, VIC

(03) 8768 8868

JD’s Burgers

King Kai

(signature Asian fusion beef patty, American cheese, bacon, Spanish onion, beer battered onion rings, lettuce and “afterlife” BBQ sauce on a brioche bun)

★★★★☆

Golden beer battered chips coated with JD’s seasoning

★★★★☆

Ultimate Black Pepper

(signature Asian fusion beef patty, HK black pepper sauce, American cheese, bacon, mushrooms, Spanish onion, lettuce, tomato and Japanese mayonnaise on a salad)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

I am always on the look out for good burger places, and JD’s Burgers certainly know how to make good burgers. When we visited, their menu offered 19 different burgers that incorporated exotic flavours from around the world. The burgers are served on either a premium French brioche bun or a salad (but let’s be honest, at a burger place you don’t win friends with salad!) The service was quick and friendly, and the dining area small and simple. Note that they also offer some crazy burger challenges for those who dare: a 1.5kg burger and a 4kg burger!!

JD’s Burgers

17 Hamilton St, Mont Albert, VIC

(03) 8590 6448

http://jdsburgers.com.au/

Royal Stacks

The King

All Australian pasture fed beef patty, tomato, butter lettuce, hand made mac & cheese croquettes, American mustard, special burger sauce

The fantastic mac & cheese croquettes undoubtedly added something special to this burger.

★★★★☆

Queen Bee

Hand made chickpea patty, tomato, butter lettuce, American cheddar, special burger sauce, pickles

It had been a while since my last veggie burger experience and I’d forgotten how great they can be when the right ingredients are used.

★★★★☆

Miss Elizabeth

All Australian pasture fed beef patty, Swiss cheese, truffle mayo

I pretty much inhaled this burger! Deliciously simple and definitely crave-worthy.

★★★★☆

Saint

Two all Australian pasture fed beef patties, tomato, butter lettuce, bacon, American cheddar, raw onion, chipotle mayo, pickled jalapeños

One heck of a tasty and good looking burger!

★★★★☆

Fries

If you like McDonald’s fries, then these are for you.

★★★☆☆

Potato Gems

I know this may sound a bit weird, but these humble potato gems were the epitome of potato gem perfection! Perfectly seasoned and unbelievably crunchy on the outside with soft fluffy potato on the inside.

★★★★★

Frozen Custard

Salted Caramel, Mixture of Chocolate/Cheesecake/Peanut Butter, Kinder Surprise

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Royal Stacks is one of Melbourne’s newest burger joints and I was fortunate enough to be invited to one of their launch nights last week. This American-style fast food eatery is Dani Zeini’s latest venture (in case you didn’t know, he’s the guy behind Dandenong Pavilion, Grand Trailer Park Taverna, Easey’s and Truck Stop Deluxe) and needless to say, I had high expectations. But of course my expectations were met, as the food here was pretty darn tasty! Each burger was consistently good and you could tell that the beef they used was of high quality. It turns out that all of their beef is all Australian, pasture fed, GMO free with no added hormones or antibiotics and is minced fresh daily. The locally made bread is baked fresh daily and is free from any additives, while the gelato and frozen custard is sourced from 7 Apples. If the CBD is a bit tricky for you to get to, don’t stress because a Brunswick store and a Dandenong store will be opening within the next few months. So head to Royal Stacks where the food is fit for a king (or a queen)!

Royal Stacks

470 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9793 2133

http://royalstacks.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Zilla & Brook and Royal Stacks.

Mick Adams Burger Bar

Kostaki Fried Chicken

(spicy fried chicken, iceberg lettuce, avocado, chilli jam, radish, coriander, mint and chilli mayo)

Amazing toppings but the dry overly fried chicken prevented this good burger from being a great burger.

★★★☆☆

The Big T

(two premium beef patties, double cheddar, pickles, cos lettuce, tomato, aioli, ketchup)

Ordinary but satisfying.

★★☆☆☆

Truffle Parmesan Chips

These needed a good mix as all the parmesan was on top while all the truffle was at the bottom.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

With so many burger places popping up all over Melbourne, I was hoping that Mick Adams Burger Bar offered something special that would make it stand out from the crowd. Service here was efficient and the atmosphere casual. Although the food was good, unfortunately it wasn’t good enough to bring this place straight into my mind the next time I get a burger craving.

Mick Adams Burger Bar

38 Portman St, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9563 0331

Cafe 51

The Meataxe

(beef patty, crispy southern fried chicken, crispy bacon, double dirty cheese, lettuce, onion rings, two jalapeno poppers, chipotle and XXX BBQ sauce)

★★★☆☆

Mac Daddy

(mac’n’cheese, triple dirty cheese, beef patty, potato cake, slow cooked beef brisket, crispy bacon, ketchup, mustard and mayo)

★★★☆☆

Soul Sister

(crispy southern fried chicken, American cheddar, crispy bacon, hand cut pickles, house made chipotle, American mustard and maple syrup in a toasted waffle)

★★★☆☆

Disco Fries

(fries, melted cheese and gravy)

★★★☆☆

Dirty Fries

(fries, bacon, melted cheese and ranch sauce)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Look no further than Cafe 51 for big juicy burgers that are stacked high with tasty fillings. There are plenty of creatively named burgers to choose from as well as a variety of hot dogs, subs, fries and shakes. Service was quick and everything was good value for money. Although this place is in the middle of nowhere, it has undoubtedly become quite popular. We thankfully arrived before the lunch time rush and managed to grab some seats at one of their few tables. This visit certainly earned me an extra gym session, but I’d like to think that it was worth it.

Cafe 51

51 Buckhurst St, South Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9699 7853

http://www.cafe51.com.au/

Miel Container

Miel Beef Pattie Burger (grass fed beef patty with brioche bun, lettuce, tomato, onion jam, bacon, bush tomato chutney, dill mayo, tasty) served with beer battered chips

I initially had some trouble biting into the burger because of the extremely thick burger buns, but once I managed to do so I was met with a juicy smoky beef patty and an abundant amount of sauce. The chips on the other hand were quite dry but well seasoned with salt, rosemary and thyme.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located in a bright red shipping container, this small eatery provides solid burgers, ordinary service, and plenty of free hand sanitizer for its customers.

Miel Container

Cnr of Mary Street and 96 Albert Street, Brisbane CBD, QLD

0423 466 503