Finding Berlin's Best Burgers

...is harder than you may think

I rarely struggle to find great food in Berlin as there is so much good stuff out there to discover. However, when I think about the best burgers that I have eaten in my life, none of them were in Berlin, and I have tried a lot of burgers in my time.

There was the Nanny Bill's Dalston Dip a must try if you are in London with a perfectly chargrilled double-patty, cheese & bacon burger smothered in rich gravy. I will always have such fond memories of the decadent foie-gras-truffle-burger at Badal Corner in Palma where even weekday lunchtimes are fully booked. There was River Phoenix in Almost Famous in Liverpool which is the very embodiment of the perfect dirty burger, and the 200g prime beef burger with crispy ribs from Fat Bob's in Poznan is a symphony of meat on meat.

But when it comes to Berlin burgers... well some of them are very good but honestly none of our burgers are knock-your-socks off amazing which made this piece a bit harder to write than some others.

So come on burger makers of Berlin, I set you the challenge of creating a burger that can join my hall of fame. One that makes me drool just thinking about it. A burger so tasty looking that people follow it on Instagram and vow to make a special trip to come and try it. I

I want that special marriage of perfectly chargrilled medium rare meat with the right ratio of toppings (preferably involving some kind of oozing cheese and bacon) and a perfectly matched proper bun. Please make my Berlin burger dreams come true!

In the meantime you can find a pretty decent burger at these places (veggie burgers to come soon) and you know they will be good as I have some very high standards:

Grindhouse

Kollwitzstraße 50, Prenzlauer Berg

I might go as far as to claim that Grindhouse have the best burgers in the city as they offer high quality flame grilled, dry-aged beef burgers with the option to upgrade to an entrecote burger with luxury options such as truffle buns. However, they are certainly not cheap with the gourmet version at 12 euros without fries. They are delicious though and worth it if you want to treat yourself to an almost perfect burger.

Rembrandt Burger

Richard Sorge Straße 21, Friedrichshain

Rembrandt Burger have taken the Netherland's love of fried things and melted cheese, applied this concept to a burger restaurant and somehow created one of Berlin's best burger joints. The meat is really good quality, the cheese is gooey, ripe, and plentiful plus you can get some cool side dishes such as meat krokets and deep fried breaded cheese soufflé. The sweet potato fries are some of Berlin's best. The burgers cost around 10 euros including fries.

Smokey Dutchman with a fried egg as it was technically still brunch

Berlin Burger International

Pannierstrasse, Neukölln

There are two main things going for BBI, the size of the burgers and the cool vibe that comes from this tiny hole-in-the-wall burger joint which pumps out smoke and techno onto the busy street. The meat here isn't the best but is still tasty and the toppings are excellent; for example you can get a Drei Käse Hoch burger which features melty lumps of cheese on top of melty lumps of cheese. The chilli cheese fries are really tasty but rarely can you actually manage them as well as one of their giant 190g beef burgers in their huge seeded buns! At 8 euros they are pretty good value for what you get.

El Gordito Burger with bacon, avocado and sweet potato crisps

Hackbert

Richardstrasse 108, Neukölln

Sometimes you don't need a huge snazzy menu of toppings and simplicity wins the day when done really well. This is what is offered by Hackbert which delivers a really tasty, good quality burger made from handground beef and lovely fresh buns.

Wilhelms Burger

Wilhelmshavener Straße, Moabit

I have only been here once but it left such a good impression that I have included it on this list. The perfectly grilled burgers are made from Neuland (free range) German beef and are served with an imaginative range of toppings.

Burgermeister

Schlesisches Tor, Kreuzberg

What Berlin burger list would be complete without the classic Burgermeister burger. If you hit it at the right time and don't have to queue much then you can't beat this classic dirty burger served from a former public toilet underneath the U1. The burgers taste great and the ambiance is always fun. If you are a greedy bastard then take two as they are very addictive and can be quite small, plus you don't want to have to queue twice!

Filthy deliciousness. Looks a mess, tastes great.

Kumpel & Keule

Skalitzer Straße, Kreuzberg

One stop away on the U1 from Burgermeister, the Kumpel & Keule burger is in a completely different league. This restaurant attached to the award winning butcher in Markthalle Neun takes its meat very seriously and the burgers are no exemption. Their dry aged classic burger comes with smoked cheese and a sironi bun and tastes amazing. Like Grindhouse it is pricy at 11 euros without sides but it is worth if it you are into your meat.