Best Burgers South Florida - "Tiers of a Burger"

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost nine months since I've updated my Best Burgers in South Florida Rankings.  Well, the time has come to provide you with an update. During that time span, I've had a lot of great burgers including some from new arrivals on the scene.

This time I've decided to limit my tiers to the ten best in South Florida plus ties.  As you will see, the burger scene continues to improve making these rankings even more difficult.

It should be noted that my burger ranking is all about the burger.  Unlike my "tiers of a excellence", service, wine lists, ambiance, value do not play a role.  This is all about the blend, the bun, the seasoning, the toppings and the overall execution.  *I've had each of these burgers on multiple occasions unless noted*

These ten are all serving fantastic burgers that I highly recommend.


TIER ONE


       


Shake Shack - I always order a single ShackBurger which is a cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and shacksauce. Burgers are 100% all natural angus beef, ground daily and cooked medium.  The single is the perfect burger in every way and I will leave it at that.



The Cypress Room (Miami Design District) Michael Schwartz's outstanding new upscale restaurant serves a dynamite burger.  The beefy patty contains trimmings from the rib cap and is topped with a delicious Jasper Hill Landaff and onion marmalade. The combination is perfect and the housemade bun seals the deal. This is a special burger.     

TIER TWO

Bourbon Steak - (Aventura) I've enjoyed numerous all-beef, dry aged burgers topped with melted farmhouse cheddar, shredded lettuce, balsamic onions and secret sauce at Bourbon Steak over the years.  It is still one of my favorites in town and it is consistently excellent.  The duck fat fries are not to be missed.





Blue Collar - This is a burger that I appreciate more with every visit.  Their "Real Juicy Cheeseburger" is prime dry aged NY Strip that is always seasoned properly and cooked perfectly.  And it's served on a delicious Portuguese muffin.  They had me at burger and muff.





Umami Burger - (South Beach) I've only been to Umami on one occasion but the overall combination was outstanding and easily top ten in town. I opted for the "Umami Burger" which is topped with a shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp and umami ketchup. The medium rare patty cooked on a flat top griddle was wonderful on its own.  The flavors of the toppings, the texture of the crisp and the perfectly sized bun really enhanced the experience. I was legitimately craving more hours later.





Burger Fi - (Aventura +) Yes, BurgerFi is a complete ripoff of Shake Shack in every facet of the operation.  But they did a great job at it and they are much closer to home.  Side by side, I go to Shake Shack every time.  That being said, BurgerFi is putting out great burgers and deserve credit for it. My go to is a single BurgerFi Burger, all natural, grass fed angus burger, lettuce, tomato and secret sauce. Pictured above is the ultimate cheeseburger- double natural prime brisket burger, Swiss cheese, blue cheese, tomato, pickles & BurgerFi sauce. 





Tongue and Cheek- (South Beach) Another newcomer making their debut in the rankings.  Tongue is operated by chef Jamie DeRosa formerly of Tudor House.  As you may recall, his Tudor Burger always ranked highly here.  His new version, a tender and flavorful beef cheek burger paired with cheddar pimento cheese, sweet onions and  housemade brioche may be even better.  Look for this one to rise in the rankings.






Wolfgang's Steakhouse- (Miami) Yes another newcomer to town, making their debut in the rankings. 
Wolfgang Zweiner was a waiter at the legendary Brooklyn steakhouse, Peter Luger's for forty years and he clearly took some good notes during his tenure. His burger was hand packed lightly and seasoned perfectly.  It was cooked to a proper medium rare and was full of great beefy flavor.  The bun supported the patty nicely and had a proper bun to patty ratio.  

This is a burger for traditional burger fans and I highly recommend paying them a visit for it alone. It should be noted that the burger is only available during lunch. *Only had this burger one time* 


TIER THREE



db Bistro Moderne- (Miami) The Original db Burger.  I really wrestled with where to rank this one. A case could be made that it is easily the best burger in town and/or tier one worthy.  This monster burger consists of a sirloin burger filled with wine braised short rib, foie gras, preserved black truffle on a parmesan bun.  Sounds like the original umami burger to me!  The foie, black truffle and short rib all work together making this an outstanding treat.  I bumped it down to tier three because it's just not practical to eat this burger on a regular basis unlike the rest. 
 
Houston's- (Aventura +) Houston's? The chain?? Yes! Houston's. Get the Cheeseburger with fresh ground chuck, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and onion on a toasted egg bun.  This is a legit burger.



J&G Grill- (Bal Harbour) Pastry Chef extraordinaire Antonio "nitro coco" Bachour insisted that I try their burger during a lunch visit and it was almost as good as his desserts.  The delicious J&G Cheeseburger is paired with black truffle dressing, brie and served on a terrific housemade bun that hung with the burger until the last bite.

LoKal- (Coconut Grove) Unfortunately, I don't get down to the Grove much and have only been to Lokal on one occasion.  But one burger no one bite was all it took to know that this was a quality burger and tier worthy.  I went with the The Classic, Florida grass fed burger with thinly sliced white onions, tomato, shredded lettuce, dill pickles, sharp Wisconsin cheddar, mayo and mustard. The grass fed beef flavor shines through here.  I suspect that this one may be a tad underrated here.


Honorable mentions- The Dutch and Michael's Genuine Food & Drink


To do list- Swine Southern and  PB Steak


And yes it was a clean sweep for Miami-Dade County.