50 Burgers in 10 trends
By Scott Hume on Jul. 26, 2016Burgers haven’t just seen an evolution in the past 20 years; they have experienced an explosion. No other popular food has enjoyed anything close to the radical rethinking and re-evaluation that has been applied to burgers.
What used to be dismissed as the humble hamburger—a low-price, working-class staple—has been elevated to a food that’s found on menus in some of the best and toniest restaurants. Burgers have names; they have multiple ingredients and multiple culinary influences. They have cachet.
What constitutes a burger and what makes for the ideal burger continue to shift. New influences, global or environmental, continually reshape burger builds.
At any given time, a dozen or more burger trends are at work in the restaurant arena. We’ve chosen 10 trends here—with five burgers to represent each—that are emblematic of the boundless and boundaryless inventiveness that keeps bringing back customers for another burger.
Scott Hume is the founder and editor of BurgerBusiness.com
Trend: Housemade sauces, aiolis and condiments
No burger trend has taken hold more quickly than the adoption of the belief that a burger isn’t complete without a sauce, aioli, chutney, marmalade or other condiment. The contemporary burger is all about layering flavors—and sauces do that well. They also provide an avenue for introducing international ingredients and flavors.
50. The Bossa Nova
Restaurant: Honest Abe’s Burgers & Freedom; Lincoln, Neb.
A 6-ounce beef patty with red pepper pesto, candied orange aioli, bacon, smoked Gouda and romaine.
Trend: Housemade sauces, aiolis and condiments
49. Lamb Burger
Restaurant: B&B Burger & Beer, Las Vegas
With a spicy goat cheese, charred frisee and housemade apricot mustard on a potato bun.
Trend: Housemade sauces, aiolis and condiments
48. The Louisiana Burger
Restaurant: Bobby’s Burger Palace, multiple locations
A beef patty smothered with pepper jack cheese, griddled tasso ham, spicy remoulade and plenty of hot sauce.
Trend: Housemade sauces, aiolis and condiments
47. The Spring Time Burg
Restaurant: Roam Artisan Burgers, San Francisco
A beef patty with chimichurri sauce, arugula, herb mayonnaise and buffalo mozzarella.
Trend: Housemade sauces, aiolis and condiments
46. Sweet Apple Slaw Burger
Restaurant: Dlux; Madison, Wisc.
Beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, apple and onion slaw with chipotle aioli and apple cider gastrique.
Trend: Housemade sauces, aiolis and condiments
Trend: Worldly-wise burgers
The burger boom is an international phenomenon. Burger bars have opened in every major market and they draw ingredients and ideas from their respective regions. Global flavors are popular with consumers, and unusual ingredients, such as harissa spice paste, have become more easily sourced.
45. Bruschetta Burger
Restaurant: Boston Burger Company, Boston
Beef patty with tomato, basil, extra virgin olive oil, basil-pesto mayo and provolone.
Trend: Worldly-wise burgers
44. Chorizo Burger
Restaurant: Meehan’s Public House; Vinings, Ga.
A 7-ounce patty of dry-aged beef and Mexican chorizo with queso fresco, pico de gallo, fried jalapenos, avocado-lime crema and butter lettuce on a toasted brioche bun.
Trend: Worldly-wise burgers
43. Vietnamese Spring Burger
Restaurant: Big Orange; Little Rock, Ark.
Beef or turkey patty with cucumber, mint, sweet hoisin sauce, jalapeno slices, red pepper slices, mayonnaise and butter lettuce on a locally made bun.
Trend: Worldly-wise burgers
42. The English Breakfast Burger
Restaurant: Hard Rock Cafe, multiple locations
A London-theme beef burger topped with sliced ham, a sausage patty, a fried egg, a portobello mushroom, arugula and garlic aioli and served with a side of baked beans
Trend: Worldly-wise burgers
41. The Bruce Lee Burger
Restaurant: Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, multiple Arizona locations
Kobe beef, Thai salad, cucumber, jalapeno, avocado, Sriracha mayo and Korean barbecue sauce.
Trend: Worldly-wise burgers
Trend: Eat your veggies (on a burger)
The first rule of burger-building is that anything edible can be a topping. Lettuce, tomato and onion are fine if you’re making a classic burger, but restaurant chefs are looking around the garden and trying unexpected vegetables as burger complements. It’s an extension of the general embrace of fresh, local foods.
40. Monthly Special
39. The Beethoven
Restaurant: Lunchbox Laboratory, Seattle
Herb-crusted lamb patty, roasted onions with baby carrots, Dijon ricotta and pesto mayo.
Trend: Eat your veggies (on a burger)
38. Caramelized Broccoli Rabe Burger
Restaurant: Victory Burger; Oakland, Calif.
A beef burger topped with lightly charred stalks of flowering broccoli, with roasted garlic mayo and balsamic reduction on a kaiser roll.
Trend: Eat your veggies (on a burger)
37. The Bar Room Brawler
Restaurant: Holy Cow Del Ray; Alexandria, Va.
Angus beef, Buffalo chicken strips, blue cheese, hot sauce aioli, carrots and celery on a toasted brioche bun.
Trend: Eat your veggies (on a burger)
36. The Spring Lamb Burger
Restaurant: Flip Burger Boutique, Atlanta
Lamb patty topped with an arugula salad mixed with garlic-pickled carrots, shaved onions and fennel, herb mix, red wine vinaigrette and rosemary goat cheese.
Trend: Eat your veggies (on a burger)
Trend: Meat up—hot dogs, sausage & other toppings
Piling meat on meat first appeared as daring and outlandishly extreme, but it now is accepted as a mainstream burger-building approach. Whole sausages, sliced brisket or ham, pulled chicken and more can only boost a beef patty’s appeal—right?
35. Play It Again, Lamb
Restaurant: The Bad Apple, Chicago
Beef burger topped with merguez lamb sausage, Kalamata olives, harissa and pea-and-mint Greek yogurt.
Trend: Meat up—hot dogs, sausage and other toppings
34. Southwestern Brisket Burger
Restaurant: Hops Burger Bar; Greensboro, N.C.
House burger topped with a dry-rubbed beef brisket slow cooked in-house and brushed with barbecue sauce; smoked cheddar cheese; thinly sliced fried okra and jalapeno-apple chutney; served on Texas toast with waffle fries and mesquite ketchup.
Trend: Meat up—hot dogs, sausage and other toppings
33. The Weedeater
Restaurant: The Oinkster, Los Angeles
A half-pound beef burger topped with jalapeno bacon, cheddar, Funyuns, garlic aioli and seared pulled pork with barbecue sauce.
Trend: Meat up—hot dogs, sausage and other toppings
32. Bacon Cheddar Brat Burger
Restaurant: Shake Shack, multiple locations
Beef burger topped with a flat top-griddled bacon cheddar bratwurst, crispy ShackMeister Ale-marinated shallots and ShackSauce.
Trend: Meat up—hot dogs, sausage and other toppings
31. BBQ Beef Burger
Restaurant: The Rail; Canton, Ohio
Local beef with cheddar and barbecue beef cheeks and jalapeno slaw nestled on a crispy fried wonton.
Trend: Meat up—hot dogs, sausage and other toppings
Trend: Meatless for all
It wasn’t long ago that meatless burger patties were grudgingly offered and inattentively prepared. But those days are no more. Meatless Mondays are real and customers don't have to be vegan to appreciate a good veggie burger. Most operators pride themselves on having appealing alternatives for those not interested in a carnivore burger.
30. Falafel Burger
Restaurant: Umami Burger, Chicago and New York City locations only
A ground chickpea patty stuffed with beet-infused couscous, topped with romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, tzatziki sauce, pickled red onion and crushed avocado.
Trend: Meatless for all
29. Pump-kin Up the Beet Burger
Restaurant: The Burger Stand at the Casbah; Lawrence, Kan.
A pumpkin-and-quinoa patty topped with goat cheese and housemade beet relish.
Trend: Meatless for all
28. Tom Yam Burger
Restaurant: VeganBurg, San Francisco
Crunchy vegan patty topped with Tom Yam sauce infused with lemongrass, chili peppers and ginger; topped with tomato, cilantro and red cabbage.
Trend: Meatless for all
27. Veggie Burger
Restaurant: Burger Lounge, multiple locations
Quinoa patty with asadero cheese, jalapeno relish, roasted tomato and tomatillo aioli.
Trend: Meatless for all
26. Sprouted Veggie
Restaurant: The Counter, mulitple locations
Housemade vegan patty, sliced red onion, organic mixed greens, roasted red pepper, alfalfa sprouts and Dijon balsamic dressing on a multigrain bun.
Trend: Meatless for all
Trend: That’s the bun?
A major reason burgers continue to reign on menus is that they’re fun. They’re fun to create and fun to eat. The funky-bun fad has settled into just another mainstream part of burger-building. Asking two personal-size pizzas to function as burger buns can be tricky, and no one would want to wrestle with that every day; but a crazy burger can be a draw, and on occasion, crazy good.
25. The Luther
Restaurant: Lboe, Memphis
An 8-ounce beef-hot sausage blended patty on a glazed donut, topped with American cheese, a fried egg and a maple-bacon donut.
Trend: That’s the bun?
24. Angriest Whopper
Restaurant: Burger King, multiple locations
Beef patty with thick-cut bacon, American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, crispy onion petals, jalapenos, mayonnaise and spicy Angry Sauce on a red bun that gets its color from baked-in hot sauce.
Trend: That’s the bun?
23. Red Ramen Burger
Restaurant: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, multiple locations
Beef burger topped with teriyaki and Chiu Chow (chili oil) aioli; chili-infused shredded cabbage, carrot and onion; and basil garnish on a ramen bun.
Trend: That’s the bun?
22. Jump in the Fryer
Restaurant: Grill ‘Em All; Alhambra, Calif.
Fried chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon, maple and Sriracha between two waffle buns.
Trend: That’s the bun?
21. The Pizza Burger
Restaurant: Cabbage Pie, Atlanta
A patty made of ground short rib, chuck and brisket topped with marinara and vodka sauce, mozzarella cheese, bacon, pickles and crispy sandwiched between two personal-size pizzas as buns.
Trend: That’s the bun?
Trend: All-day breakfast burgers
Egg-topped burgers blossomed as burger bars prospered and added weekend brunch service. And then, they became all-day choices, just as breakfast has. All the foods and flavors that make the most important meal of the day so popular work just fine with a juicy beef patty.
20. Alton Brown Burger
Restaurant: Umami Burger, multiple locations
A special beef patty of house-signature beef mixed with bacon lardons, topped with cheddar cheese, miso-maple bacon, smashed cheesy tots, a fried egg, fried sage and a housemade coffee ketchup created by Alton Brown himself.
Trend: All-day breakfast burgers
19. The Continental Club
Restaurant: Green Street Local, Chicago
Toasted English muffin, Broccolini, melted cheddar cheese spread, fried egg, pico de gallo, garlic aioli and house-cured bacon.
Trend: All-day breakfast burgers
18. Cuckoo's Nest
Restaurant: Bareburger, multiple locations
Brisket and potato hash, fried egg in onion ring, aged cheddar and habanero mayonnaise on a brioche bun.
Trend: All-day breakfast burgers
17. Chilaquiles Brunch Burger
Restaurant: DMK Burger Bar, Chicago
Grass-fed beef, scrambled eggs, jalapeno, tortilla chips, salsa verde and Jack cheese.
Trend: All-day breakfast burgers
16. The Chorizo Breakfast Burger
Restaurant: Social Burger; Vienna, Va.
Housemade spicy pork chorizo patty with a fried egg, hash browns and pickled red onion on a potato roll.
Trend: All-day breakfast burgers
Trend: Chicken burgers come into their own
Is a grilled chicken breast served on a bun a burger or a sandwich? The debate continues, but what’s undeniably true is that chicken burgers have achieved a level of respect at burger restaurants that they never were granted before. Chicken and turkey used to get lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise and little else. Now they’re getting all dolled up just like beef burgers.
15. Mandarin BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Restaurant: The Oinkster, Los Angeles
Tempura-fried chicken breast topped with Mandarin barbecue sauce, Asian slaw, fried wonton strips and garlic aioli on a pan de sal bun.
Trend: Chicken burgers come into their own
14. Blazin’ Chicken Sandwich
Restaurant: Jack in the Box, multiple locations
Spicy chicken fillet, grilled onion, sliced jalapeno, Swiss-style cheese, lettuce tomato and ghost pepper ranch sauce on a seeded bun.
Trend: Chicken burgers come into their own
13. The Boris
Restaurant: Hopdoddy Burger Bar; Austin, Texas
Chicken patty with Swiss cheese, pastrami, beer-braised sauerkraut and Russian dressing on an egg bun.
Trend: Chicken burgers come into their own
12. The Picnic Basket
Restaurant: Blue Moon Burgers, Seattle
Hand-battered buttermilk fried chicken with house-made South Carolina-style coleslaw, sage mayonnaise, barbecue sauce and rippled potato chips, served on a fresh brioche bun.
Trend: Chicken burgers come into their own
11. Santa Fe Chipotle Turkey Burger
Restaurant: Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern, multiple locations
Two turkey patties, pepper jack cheese, coleslaw, tomato and guacamole, served on a grilled nine-grain wheat bun.
Trend: Chicken burgers come into their own
Trend: Excess needs no excuse
A generation ago, a double-decker burger was on the edge. Now there is no edge: Burger chefs seem to be trying to out-outrageous each other. Over-the-top combinations of ingredients may be difficult to eat, but they're undoubtedly craveable.
10. The Fried Lasagna Burger
Restaurant: Slater’s 50/50, multiple California locations
Its signature 50/50 blend patty of Italian sausage and beef, housemade marinara, fresh basil and mozzarella sandwiched between fried ricotta lasagna “buns.”
Trend: Excess needs no excuse
9. Vodun Burger
Restaurant: Kuma’s Corner; Schaumburg, Ill.
A 10-ounce beef patty topped with Jamaican jerk flank steak, honey-whiskey-jalapeno aioli, bourbon-glazed fried plantains, pineapple salsa and pepper jack cheese.
Trend: Excess needs no excuse
8. Santa’s Slay
Restaurant: Zombie Burger + Drink Lab; Des Moines, Iowa
Beef patty, white cheddar shortbread cookie, venison-juniper sausage, cheddar and mulled wine gravy.
Trend: Excess needs no excuse
7. Scotch Egg Burger
Restaurant: Buckeye Beer Engine; Lakewood, Ohio
Chargrilled Ohio grass-fed beef patty topped with arugula, housemade beer-mustard aioli and a housemade Scotch egg, served on a butter-toasted bun with house chips and a fried dill pickle.
Trend: Excess needs no excuse
6. Cajun Surf
Restaurant: Charcoal’s Gourmet Burger Bar, New Orleans
A house-ground beef burger with shrimp dip, boar bacon, jalapeno, onion, lettuce and tomato, spicy mayonnaise and Creole mustard on a house-baked bun.
Trend: Excess needs no excuse
Trend: Say cheese
Every element of the basic burger build has been reconsidered and creatively liberated. That includes cheese. Where American cheese once was the only choice, a variety of cheeses are being woven into restaurants' burger recipes.
5. Mad Love Burger
Restaurant: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, multiple locations
A half-pound beef patty with melted provolone and Swiss cheese, a cheddar and Parmesan cheese crisp, jalapeno relish, candied bacon, avocado slices, a blend of citrus-marinated tomato and onions, and shredded romaine served on a toasted ciabatta bun.
Trend: Say cheese
4. Ramp Burger
Restaurant: Salvation Burger, New York City
Beef patty topped with ramp butter, taleggio cheese and slow-roasted red onions cooked in beef tallow.
Trend: Say cheese
3. Gouda Bacon Cheeseburger
Restaurant: Wendy’s, multiple locations
A quarter-pound beef patty topped with a creamy garlic aioli, Gouda cheese and warm Swiss Gruyere cheese sauce, three strips of applewood-smoked bacon along with red onion, tomato and fresh spring mix, all served on a toasted brioche bun.
Trend: Say cheese
2. Smoked Gouda Grind Burger
Restaurant: Arooga’s Grill House & Sports Bar, multiple Pennsylvania locations
A burger topped with horseradish mayonnaise, smoked Gouda cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle.
Trend: Say cheese
1. The #5 Burger
Restaurant: Farm Burger, Huntsville, Ala.
Grass-fed beef patty with goat cheese, pecan pesto, marinated tomato and arugula.
Trend: Say cheese