On A Roll

Sometimes, in life, nothing but a burger will do.

There’s something so satisfying about sinking your teeth into a big, juicy meat patty on a bun, piled high with cheese and slathered with your favorite condiments. It’s American comfort food at its best. 

South Florida, where burgers are king, is home to some prime joints putting their spin on the classic dish. We’re here to tell you where’s the beef – so call up your inner carnivore, and bring your appetite to the table. 

Plus, May is National Burger Month. What better time to go out and get a sizzling burger? 

Let’s chow down.

Charm City Burger Company

Charm City serves perhaps the sloppiest, most decadent burgers in South Florida. This unpretentious joint in Deerfield Beach near the Hillsboro Bridge – featured on FoodNetwork.com’s top places to eat and voted best burger in 2016 in the SunSentinel’s Best of South Florida readers’ poll – is always packed with diners who heartily agree. Order at the counter, and pick up when your number is called.

All of Charm City’s proprietary-blend burgers are chef-designed and ground daily at Sunshine Provisions, a USDA facility in Hallandale Beach. Pick your patty: a third-pounder of Charm blend or grass-fed beef or a half-pounder of Wagyu. Burgers are served with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Charm sauce, with a choice of a sesame or whole-wheat oat bun. 

How about the Cowboy, a Charm blend patty with thick-cut peppered bacon, cheddar, “shrooms” and grilled onions? The hand-cut sweet potato fries make for a soul-satisfying side.  

Visit charmcityburgerco.com.

Rok:Brgr American Kitchen and Cocktail Bar

Rok:Brgr truly rocks when it comes to winning burger battles. Named Miami Burger Battle champion three years in a row, the gastropub also took first place in the 2017 and 2018 Boca Burger Battle People’s Choice Award for best burger.

With locations in Fort Lauderdale and South Miami, Rok:Brgr focuses on seasonally driven American cuisine, gourmet burgers and handcrafted cocktails. Burgers are made with a blend of chuck, brisket and short rib; served on locally made brioche buns; and paired with hand-cut fries or market vegetables. Lettuce, tomato and onion (or “LTO” in burger speak) are available upon request.

The atmosphere is cozy with exposed brick walls, wood accents and flat-screen TVs. Sit at tables inside or outside, or belly up to the long bar.

The Sweet Caroline knocks it out of the park, topped with cheddar cheese, barbecue-glazed brisket, coleslaw, crispy onions and bourbon barbecue sauce. Good times never seemed so good.

Visit rokbrgr.com.

Brgr Stop

Brgr Stop gourmet burger bar is the place to let your food fantasies run wild and eat like a kid again with a Fruity Pebbles milkshake or a bucket of candied bacon with maple syrup.

Brgr Stop, which opened its Coconut Creek location in 2015 and its Fort Lauderdale one in 2018, takes a “funky fun approach to American comfort food,” according to its website. The atmosphere is as colorful as the menu, with a 55-foot graffiti wall, road signs and murals, communal seating and a whimsical vibe. 

All burgers, 8-ounce blends of 1855 Angus beef, are served with fresh-cut fries. 

Go for broke with the Mac Daddy, a mother of a burger with jalapeño havarti, jalapeño cheddar sausage mac ’n’ cheese, root beer sriracha barbecue sauce and candied bacon. It’s a hunk a hunk of burning love on a bun. 

Visit brgrstop.com.

LoKal

When in Miami, do as the local locavores do and check out LoKal, the laid-back, farm-to-table restaurant for burgers and craft beers in Coconut Grove. TravelChannel.com recently included it in a roundup of quirky spots in Miami. Opened in 2011, LoKal boasts being the first restaurant in Miami-Dade County to use 100 percent clean, renewable energy, from wind and solar power. It also sources ingredients from Florida farmers, dairies and brewers to showcase the goods available in the Sunshine State.

LoKal’s grass-fed burgers come from free-range, Kobe-style cattle from Fort McCoy Ranch in Marion County. The beef is free of hormones, antibiotics and steroids, and all burgers are ground by hand in-house daily.

The most decadent? My Childhood Dream, a 4-ounce burger topped with American cheese and candied bacon and served between two halves of a seared glazed donut from the artisanal Salty Donut shop in Wynwood. 

Visit lokalmiami.com.

The Grille on Congress

Discover a new favorite with the old standby The Grille on Congress in Boca Raton – whose motto is: “The best things in life aren’t trendy. Or flashy.” We couldn’t agree more, and the signature biscuits alone are to die for.

Now celebrating its 20th year serving American cuisine in a convivial atmosphere, the classic venue makes a mouthwatering steakhouse burger: a thick, 10-ounce Angus patty grilled to juicy perfection. 

Offering large booths, tables, high-tops and expansive bar seating, The Grille on Congress is as well-suited to a power lunch as it is to a date night.

A good option is the Bacon Cheddar Burger on the lunch menu: a straightforward combo served with crisp fries, lettuce, tomato and a dish of coleslaw.

Visit thegrilleoncongress.com.

Tucker Duke’s

Monday may be guys’ night at Tucker Duke’s – with a $10 beer and burger special or $10 beer and wings – but the Southern-style eatery is where the boys are every night. The restaurant, with locations in Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton, serves up craft burgers; craft beers; and outrageously good snacks and sides, such as nacho tots and PB & J bon bons.

Tucker Duke’s came in second place in the 2018 Boca Burger Battle Judge’s Pick for best grill master. The Boca pub has artisanal-industrial appeal with exposed brick, metal fixtures, communal seating and chalkboard messaging. 

Don’t miss the Spicy Lola, the 2015 Riverwalk Burger Battle winner. The meat is topped with English cheddar, bacon, red onion confit, crispy potato sticks, jalapeño jam, spring mix and tomato. Crunch, kick and a hint of sweetness make this juicy burger a winner in our book.

Visit tuckerdukes.com.

M.E.A.T. Eatery and Taproom

No, you’re not going to work when you walk into M.E.A.T. Eatery and Taproom, inside the Cendyn  Spaces office building in Boca Raton. Your only job is deciding what to eat. The Boca location follows the success of the Islamorada restaurant, bringing creative cuisine and craft beer to this little jewel box of a taproom. M.E.A.T. smokes its meats onsite and also makes its own sausages.

We suggest the Inside-Out Juicy Lucy Burger, a 6-ounce blend of brisket and beef stuffed with pimento cheese and house-made applewood bacon bits, topped with American cheese, lettuce and tomato. It was voted best burger in Florida by TripAdvisor in 2014 and Thrillist in 2015.

Another highlight is the The Nancy Pants, ranked in the top 101 burgers in America in 2018 by The Daily Meal. This classic is a 5-ounce blend of brisket and beef with American cheese, lettuce and tomato. 

Give in to temptation and have the duck fat fries with that.

Visit meateateryboca.com.

Habit Burger Grill

We’re pickin’ up good vibrations from this California-based chain, which opened its first Florida location in Delray Beach in 2015 and now has 10 outposts statewide, including in Boca Raton, Royal Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. According to a Consumer Reports survey, Habit Burger Grill ranks as one of the top fast-casual burger restaurants nationwide. 

Place your order, and wait with a pager in bright, immaculate surroundings. While you wait, get your soft drink and condiments, including a color-coordinated array of hot peppers, lemons and limes.

You can’t go wrong with an original, signature combo: The Charburger with fries and drink is 100-percent-fresh ground beef chargrilled over an open flame, served with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, pickles and mayo on a toasted sesame bun. The meat is cooked just right, the lettuce is crisp, the tomatoes fresh, and the fries hot and salty. 

Visit habitburger.com.

BurgerFi

Diners concerned about humanely raised meat will feel good about eating at BurgerFi, the fast-casual chain that got its start in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea in 2011 and now has locations throughout the tri-county area and the country. BurgerFi’s burgers are made from only the top 1 percent of natural Angus beef and are free of hormones, steroids and antibiotics. 

Each patty is just under a quarter pound before cooking. BurgerFi doesn’t currently offer a gluten-free bun, but burgers can be ordered “green-style,” which swaps out the bun for lettuce. 

In the mood for something beef-free? Try the Vegefi Burger green-style. The quinoa-and-veggie-blend patty is topped with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato and BurgerFi sauce, served between sturdy leaves of lettuce. It’s a satisfying alternative to meat.

A nice side: the Cry and Fry – hand-cut fries and double-battered onion rings. 

Visit burgerfi.com. O