Misty’s Diner – 103 High Street, Prahran, Victoria, Australia

Prepare to be greeted by the warm glow of neon lights and the retro-glam stylings that are the 1950′s American Diner. Booking is essential if you’re trying to secure yourself a booth. But with a menu full of Yankee favourites (extending from curly fries to pumpkin pie), I’m sure you’ll settle for a stool. Our burger of choice came served on a plain bun with beef, American cheese, sauteed onions, lettuce, tomato, bacon, egg and Misty’s Special Sauce.

“The team at Misty’s put together a messy, sauce filled burger. You’ll be wiping off your fingers, chin, cheeks and probably your forehead. Overall, well balanced flavours with fresh ingredients and a pattie that I can’t complain about. It had mayo on the top and bottom, but I maybe would’ve like one of them to be replaced by mustard. Could also do with a fresher bun.”

“After eagerly anticipating this venue for months, I was really let down with the stale bun and strange flavour to the beef. The cheese and egg were great, but not enough to make up for the negatives. I will definitely be returning to try to other items on the menu (including sliders and deep fried pickles), however I’ll give this burger a miss.”

“After my first bite I noticed some similarities to the Whopper served by that big, mean franchise. However this is far better than any Whopper you will ever have. I wasn’t totally won over by this burger. Regrettably I found the pattie a little bland and there was too much mayo and lettuce. Overall though, it was a good and filling experience. We had one serve of shoe-string fries that could easily feed 4 people – pretty good fries.”

“Like a child who accidentally stumbled upon a porn collection, Misty’s menu is mouthwatering… But that’s where it ends. The burger wasn’t flash. It was ok at most. But being the burger lover/whore I am, I’d still come back to try more.”

Watergrill – 300 Toorak Rd, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia

Having recently reopened as a smaller, more compact version of its former infamous establishment, this seafood restaurant caters to both the take-away and dine-in customers. This classy (as apposed to classic) style fish’n'chip shop offered us a burger with 100% beef, cooked onion, bacon, egg, pineapple, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, and tomato sauce on a sesame seed bun.

“For me this burger didn’t have a great appeal. Although it oozed “burger juices” everywhere, I found the bun somewhat dry, the onion had been overcooked and had lost its flavour, and the pineapple was overkill. The egg was my highlight. It’s early days so I would expect there would be some improvements to come.”

“The beef had been packed too tight, which resulted in it crumbling from the first bite. This did not make it an easy meal to eat. The beef was also a little burnt making it dry, however the oozing egg made up for it. Very friendly service and considering they’d only been open for 3 days I can only imagine it will get better over time.”

“For a place that has been open for under a week I can’t say it was all that bad. However, there were a few things I would refine: the pattie needed more seasoning, the bun felt like it came from a supermarket bakery and the onion was over cooked (raw red onion would have sufficed in my opinion). Would I go back? I’d say give it a month. Chips were a plus.”

“This place has a lot going for it including the right environment, staff and reputation. But in the end my highlights were everything but the burger.”

Captain America’s Hamburger Heaven – 38 Forest Rd, Ferntree Gully,
Victoria, Australia

With a menu that boasts 11 different beef burgers (plus hot dogs, nachos, buffalo wings, steak etc)… how can you go wrong!? This mouth-watering adventure introduced us to an American-style diner with retro booths, swinging tunes, and good ol’ fashioned service. We discovered a burger complete with a beef pattie, egg, bacon, onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles and cheese. If you still have room for dessert, be sure to try the Key Lime Pie.

“The egg was perfectly cooked and the bacon was done to my liking, but the beef lacked flavour and could have done with more seasoning. It just didn’t live up to its American expectation. If they fixed a few things this place has the potential to be great.”

“Another large and messy burger experience. Most of the lettuce fell out the bottom, but I was going to remove it anyway. The beef was fairly non descript. I couldn’t taste the bacon and the bun was just a tad too big. All-in-all it was still a juicy and tasty burger. The staff were genuine in making sure we had a great meal and experience… which we did!”

“Loved the All-American drinks on offer and the cliché Americana interior design. The staff are friendly, the music is damn catchy and you will end-up wanting to eat everything on the menu. It tasted like a good fish ‘n’ chip shop burger and not like the Great American burger I was expecting, however to its defense it did have pickles. Chips weren’t so good.”

“The burger, in-short, was average. But this place was fun. The friendly service and the variety will make sure you have a great time. I’ll definitely be back to try another burger from their enormous menu.”

Big Mouth Burger Co. – 584 Main St, Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia

At this suburban yet edgy burger haunt, size really does matter. Big Mouth Burger Co will win you over with both their colossal flavours and exquisite service. Our burger came with premium lean beef, cos lettuce, trim bacon, tasty cheese, grain fed egg, roast tomato, caramelised onion, herbed mayo & tomato chutney. Their chips deserve a mention, and if you still have room, indulge in the Spanish Doughnuts with dark chocolate sauce.

“The store resembles a franchise burger chain, but the burgers stand on their own four meaty legs! The meat pattie was perfectly cooked with a charred outside and a blissfully juicy centre (just a little pink), the way meat should be. Topped with a good amount of steaky bacon, it meant there wasn’t much need for a lot of seasoning.
A fantastically cooked egg, as well as their herbed mayo really pulled it all together.”

“Do not remove the skewer, it is in there for a reason! I obviously learnt this the hard way. Even though I had an extremely messy experience, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It tasted as if it had been cooked on a BBQ. The cheese didn’t really come through for me, however the egg made up for it. Bonus points for the complimentary Churros!”

“All round a good solid burger experience. It was big, ingredients were fresh and the service was exceptional. There really wasn’t one stand-out ingredient in the burger. All ingredients played their role like a well rehearsed orchestra playing Mozart’s Symphony #26 in E Flat (great burger music). Chips were good.”

“It happens. You eat a messy burger and you end up with no meat and just the “boring bits”. This was not the case here. With such delicious, fresh produce, all dripping with herbed mayo & tomato chutney, it was a pleasure from start to finish.”

Embassy Cafe – 547 Spencer St, West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Established in 1962 and open 24 hours a day, Embassy Cafe is a haven for cabbies, clubbers and shift workers.
The decor is modest; with plastic chairs, lino floor and fluro lighting. You’ll even find cigarettes for sale behind the counter.
A flashback to simpler times.

“Mmmm Bacon. It has to be said that this burger has some of the best bacon I think you could find. Probably one of the most recognised burgers on the Melbourne scene for two good reasons: it offers a no frills burger that’s made with quality ingredients, and secondly, best of all, it’s open 24 hours a day. The only down fall was the egg that was a little over cooked, and I’m not a fan of cheese not being standard on a burger with the lot.”

“Heartbroken, to say the least when I discovered “The Lot” did not come with cheese. However, the combination of the amazing bacon, perfectly cooked egg and well seasoned beef glues my heart back together. The staff interaction with regular customers, predominantly taxi and limo drivers, make for great people watching.”

“Pure late night burger joint. The burger is small and easy to bite into. It had caramelised onions, perfectly cooked bacon, fresh tomato and a thin beef pattie that was a bit conservative. Be sure to add cheese to your selection, as well as bringing your own serviettes (they’re a bit reluctant to give you too many). Perfect for a late night binge, but nothing special. Chips tasted too oily and needed salt…”

“We sounded like a broken record. Over and over again, we could not shutup about the Bacon! It was sweet, it was salty, it was exquisite! In its entirety it was an excellent and easy to eat burger.”

Danny’s Burgers – 360 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, Victoria, Australia

Unchanged since 1955, Danny’s Burgers has held it’s North Fitzroy reputation as a family business that caters to the masses with its nostalgic home-style burgers. Judging from the exterior, you can’t help but anticipate a messy burger experience. However, this was not the case. The service was great and the diner style bar and stools brought back a certain romance that only the 1950′s could deliver.

“A neatly constructed burger that doesn’t offer anything you wouldn’t expect. Fairly traditional ingredients with the option of adding cheese (I would recommend the double cheese) that sits on top of the egg almost giving it that breakfast feel. I could only suggest adding a second pattie, or if you think you can.. a third.”

“It starts off with a foursome of Butter, Egg, Mayo and Cheese, and continues to get even better and messier with the sweet onions, which are bashed into, and lovingly embracing the beef. Felt like an amateur when 2 locals walked in and ordered the Triple Lot Burger. However, looking forward to returning and ordering it myself.”

“All the aspects of the burger were in proportion. A nice juicy beef pattie, toasted buns (with butter), double cheese (a must), and a perfectly cooked semi-runny egg. It’s a slightly smaller burger compared to the other ones you would get form other burger shops, but still filling. The chips were good but nothing special. CAUTION. They cut your burger in half as part of the service, so tell them upon ordering if you don’t want that done.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. This is a quality burger: the beef holds a humble spice, the cheese is so creamy it sticks to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter and the eggs are cooked with each order, left a little runny, the way they ought to be. Will be back pronto to triple the fun.”

Soda Rock – 257 Toorak Rd, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia

Set in a 50′s style diner this burger is classic Americana. Between two soft buns were a beef pattie, crunchy bacon, egg, tasty cheese, grilled onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonnaise and ketchup.

“A true 50′s burger in a true 50′s diner. This small in size, but big in content burger lacked a good amount of sauce and although had great taste, it failed to leave a lasting impression. Surprisingly I enjoyed the thinner than usual pattie. It was well spiced but still let you appreciate the crispy bacon.”

“The only crispy thing about this burger was the bacon, which means 2 thumbs up. Everything else was soft, juicy and wonderful. Each bite was an amazing plethora of flavours and the pickle made me tickle like a Mexican moustache. For an American diner the staff were typically Oriental. Will definitely return.”

“PAfter careful consideration this burger left me empty inside. What was so bad about it? Absolutley nothing… bacon, thin beef pattie, cheese and bun were all above par. It just didn’t have the punch I thought it would have, considering it was meant to be served in a 50′s American diner (in my opinion the burger era) it left me wanting more. Maybe I’ll go have a Big Mac on the way home.”

“As I licked my fingers after the last messy bite I had to ask myself… Where’s all the flavour? A burger that talked the talk, but didn’t walk the walk. P.s Root Beer was a BAAAAD choice.”