Carlisle Street is on the up and up. At one time all it had going for it was one or two cafes and a really decent watering hole. Now, even Grill’d have set up shop in Balaclava. But, you can’t call Ziggy’s Eatery a late bloomer. This mom and pop store has been there for many years before the boom. These days though, they’ve had a refurb, made some noise on social media and have expanded from their wraps, sandwiches and salads, and are quite proud of their burger list. There’s a burger for everyone in there ranging from the extreme high protein, double Recovery burger to a pork belly or a vege option. It’s a little store that gets quite busy, so if you’re lucky enough to not live too far away and don’t feel like stepping out the house, simply order online and get it delivered. I decided to go in store and check out their simple Cheeseburger. It came out on a brioche bun with a a 150g beef patty, home made smoked cheese sauce, bacon, tomato & Spanish onion.

You don’t really just stumble on a place like St Burgs. Apart from a laundromat, it’s one of the only inhabited businesses at the bottom of an apartment block in what feels like the middle of nowhere. This little pocket situated along the Maribyrnong River has spectacular city views and will some day be booming with life. But right now it has that Docklands vibe that isn’t quite right. This hasn’t stopped the burger loving guys behind St Burgs. It’s a family affair, with a bunch of brothers getting together to create a no-nonsense burger joint. Their menu consists of only a handful of burgers to match your appetite or eating disfunction: choose from a beef burger, fried chicken burger or a mushroom burger. They even do some wings if you need more than fries as a side. There’s not a whole lot of room inside but there’s a lot more space to go Al Fresco and embrace the beef sweats. We ordered the Double D that came on a milk bun with two Australian grass fed beef patties, double American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, gherkin relish, “durger mayo” & smokey sauce.

In the evening, under the mixed light of street lights and setting sun, the Union Rd strip of shops looks more like a small country town than a suburb just 11kms out of Melbourne. It’s on the more affluent side but that doesn’t mean locals shouldn’t indulge in the humble hamburger. BurgerBurger was created in early 2015 by husband and wife duo Leena and Nesh Rakhra and strives for burger perfection. They source all produce locally and offer a handful of burgers all named after the neighbourhood: the Cam-baa-baa-well is filled with lamb and grilled haloumi whilst the Chicky Canterbury has the ever popular Buttermilk Chicken and Sriracha combo. For those that can’t stand gluten, they look out for you too with Gluten Free buns at an extra $2. After speaking to the very friendly Nesh about what’s been popular I took a seat in their modern little shop and waited for my Belmore Bacon burger that comes on a brioche bun with a 150g Wagyu, Smokey Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Cos Lettuce, Pickles, Tomato, Grilled Onions and BurgerBurger sauce.

It’s kind of in the middle of somewhere cool and the middle of nowhere. That’s the suburban-type feel that Brunswick West has to it. You’ve got some cool places scattered around but then your back drop is a freeway overpass. Rude Boy is burger joint in and amongst all this. They’re owned by a husband and wife team who also run popular Lolo & Wren cafe just next door. A pretty smart move for an area strip that’s limited with quality fair, the guys have their corner of the market dominated. Breakfast and light lunch at the cafe or something a little more comforting at the burger joint. Their main focus is their produce, with meats sourced ethically from around the state like Clover Valley and Milawa free range chicken. Burgers come in all shapes and sizes and get as wild as including jalapeno poppers and chimmi churri, to as basic as meat, cheese and ketchup. I had to get into their namesake Rude Boy burger that came with a sesame seed bun, 150g Wagyu patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and rude sauce.

Mentone’s little hub has a lot going for it. The locals can get themselves into a decent cafe for brunch, or get themselves into town with the train station front and centre. Nowadays, thanks to Burger Lab, the locals can get themselves a decent looking burger too. The guys behind the operation are Anthony Pinzone and Chef Lochie Greig-Moore who are all about a relaxed environment with organic, sustainable produce. There’s a clear sense of “chill” throughout the place, with friendly staff, plenty of beer on tap as well as local specials for students to come and bitch about their Maths teacher. Their burger list isn’t as scientific – as was expected – from their name and branding, but instead they’re pretty classic options. The craziest they go is with their prawn burger that has a squid ink, black bun. But we’d never go down that path. To make up for that silliness they also offer chicken wings and ribs. I chose to sink my teeth into a Free-Range Bacon Burger that came on a seeded brioche bun with a beef patty, ‘Hagens’ Free-Range Bacon, melted organic Raclette cheese, tomato sauce, lettuce, tomato, diced shallot and mayo.

You might have first heard of 1090 from their Northcote escapades. Their food truck was a hit with a whole lot of people so it makes sense now to take over the space of a previously underwhelming burger joint (Detour) in Richmond. The spot couldn’t be better. With a handful of pubs all around, what better way to lure in those who’ve had one or two too many on an afternoon session. Don’t be fooled by the name. You will spend more than $10.90 when visiting. The “1090” refers to their tight lipped ratios of beef cuts they use in all of their patties. All we know is it’s 100% Grass Fed Black Angus. The venue itself is brightly lit and seats line the walls as you peer into the kitchen waiting for your name to be called. Not ideal for groups (there are mainly just tables for two), but seriously, who needs chit-chat when you’ve got a burger to eat. We watched as a few burgers were brought out to other customers and figured that a single patty burger wasn’t going to cut it on this night. We took it upon ourselves to indulge in the Thunderburger. It came on a soft hamburger bun with double-beef, double-cheese, bacon, chilli-mayo, ketchup and pickles.

Shopping centre food courts aren’t well-known for great quality. You can generally find a burger in amongst them but it’s usually from a wide sweeping chain. Charlie & Co are trying to break that mould. But it’s more of a quality not quantity kind of capacity. Located in high-end shopping destinations across Melbourne and Sydney means that there’s plenty of tourists ready to spend money. That’s why they’re able to charge a more exuberant price than you’re used to when it comes to food courts. Paying homage to Charlie “Hamburger” Nagreen, one of the many that claim they invented the hamburger, they’ve gone straight to the source for their schtick. They offer a range of burgers here but don’t get too crazy with the choices. The worst you could do would be an Aussie style burger that’s topped with pineapple and beetroot. Not for everyone, but some seem to love it. Having eaten here in Sydney I was keen to see if Melbourne could out-do it’s northern counterpart. I went for one of the most classic things on their menu, The Double Cheese and Bacon burger. It came on a seeded bun with smoked middle bacon, double cheese, a wagyu beef patty, pickled gherkins, Charlie’s signature tomato sauce and American mustard.