Let’s wind the clock back to Saturday night. It’s the election. But for me, it was also a dual birthday party. Most people around the ages of 18 to 40 know what that means: generally a lot of trashy food, a lot of drinking. But my partner and I hadn’t had a lot to eat and she wasn’t feeling the best. So we stopped around and had two options nearby: McDonalds or Hungry Jacks.
That night was the first time I’d voluntarily had a fast food burger outside of work. So I want to ask you all: when you need to grab a fast burger, where do you go?
Image: Lifehacker
My go-to when I was much, much fatter was the Strip Sub combo from Red Rooster. I’d always shake some of the three kilos of lettuce free, however, because I like being able to taste more than one ingredient per bite.
I always remember the basic Ogalos patty being pretty decent. And while it’s not precisely on topic and way more expensive than something quick and dirty from Maccas, KFC and so on, the chicken karage burger from Bar Luca in Sydney is really good.
So, fast food burgers. What’s your preference?
Comments
77 responses to “Off Topic: The Best Fast Food Burgers”
NOT the Off-Topic result I was expecting.
Zinger burger. Accept no substitutes.
Zinger Double – the only choice
The Zinger Stacker Tower in particular was spectacular. Two zinger fillets, and a hash brown squidged in the middle, unf.
As for all the other fancy burgers at all he fast food and other joints these days; PLEASE STOP WITH THE BRIOCHE BUNS. Brioche buns need to GO, now.
With supercharged sauce instead of mayo!
As well as!
I’m full of surprises, mate
If we’re talking fast food fast food, then I’m actually a pretty big fan of the new Maccas Create Your Taste burgers.
My usual:
– Brioche bun.
– Double meat.
– Double cheese.
– Bacon.
– Long slice pickles.
– Big Mac sauce.
Oh yes.
KFC is always a good choice for “I want to hate myself tomorrow” food as well.
Say no to the brioche and go the bakers bun instead.
Why? Brioche bread is amazing. Granted Macca’s brioche isn’t all that hot, but in general brioche all the way.
Brioche is great for french toast, when you want something light and fluffy, but I feel like brioche for burgers is like trying to make the bun disappear. I prefer my burgers to have the bun and the internals be good to each other, is all :).
I go to Boss Burger Co in Geelong that has massive burgers with delicious chips.
It’s one of those places you have to experience first hand.
Here’s an example of one of their burgers:
https://m.facebook.com/bossburgerco/photos/a.1552658118388581.1073741828.1529732424014484/1651776825143376/?type=3&source=48&__tn__=E
Holy shit! I’ll have to give them a go next time I’m in the area.
Do it. They’re fantastic burgers, let me tell you.
Damn, that looks like a heart attack waiting to happen. I’d eat it.
It’s a strange one.
In isolation, I like KFC the best. Zinger Ultimate Box is my go to. But if you told me I could only eat take away every day and I could only choose one take away joint to eat it from, it would be McDonald’s.
While I like KFC more, I don’t think I could eat it as often as I can eat Macca’s. I could eat Macca’s every day if given the choice.
Like @hotcakes I also love the Create your taste.
– Ciabatta bun
– Grilled chiken
– Haloumi cheese
– cripsy bacon
– grilled onion
– Aoli
– Egg
– Tomato
Ms Kays (in Brisbane, unsure if nation wide) is good for a hip-burger
Fast Food wise, Macca’s Cheeseburger or a HJ’s Whopper w/cheese (minus the onion).
There used to be a burger place called Burger Edge in the food court under Myer in the Pitt Street mall. It’s gone now. But I would happily have put their burgers up against Bar Luca’s offerings, and their chips were always excellent to boot. Their shakes weren’t as good as Bar Luca’s, but still pretty nice if you really felt like blowing your whole day’s calories in one go.
Unfortunately it’s gone now. I was hoping it was just being renovated but it looks like it’ll be replaced with another greasy noodle place, as if that food court was struggling for Asian cuisine options. :/
Burger Edge are awful :/. There are still a few here in WA, and the only redeeming factor is those funny potato discs they do.
Maybe they’re bad in WA, but certainly not in my experience.
Never tried their mini potato cakes, and guess I never will now. 🙁
I like Burger Edge in WA. Many of their burgers are pretty decent.
There’s a Burger Edge in Northland shopping center here on Melbourne. They’re pretty amazing!
Apparently there’s still one in Camperdown but I can’t imagine why they left the Pitt St food court, it’s not like their business was suffering as they always seemed to have a queue.
I tried a few of their burgers, but I always came back to a good reliable Feel the Cheese.
Edit: scratch that, they now appear to only have a NSW location in Tweed Heads.
Quarter Pounder with Tortilla Chips.
Yas! All the Maccas burgers are improved with tortilla chips. I forgot about their Southwest Chicken one; basically their best menu burger but also the most expensive single-menu item for some reason. How is it more than the double quarter pounder??
Ultimate Double Whopper – the burger you want, but rarely deserve.
Oportos, fools.
That is the greatest fast food burger. Their fries are great too.
Gril’d is pretty good, but I’m not sure I’d consider that fast food, really.
The local Hungry Jacks is awful. White, undercooked chips, and sloppy cold burgers.
McDonalds has a few good things in the menu that go down well with me, though. Big Macs are great, but the southwest blt and angus burgers are actually just okay.
The Oportos buns always let me down; they fall apart like no one’s business :(.
Ehh, Oporto used to be alright but kinda got crappier over the years.
Very pale chicken + Fluro Chilli sause and ‘faded brown’ lettus (Y) Oporto sucks in terms of quality.
On the other hand – the Black Zinger was the worst burger I’ve tasted to date.
McGangBang – Double cheeseburger with a McChicken burger in the middle of the two patties.
oh dude, gross! (not the name)
I used to have a McChicken with a Filet o Fish. Take the bottom off the McChicken and then just mush the Filet o Fish as the bottom. Was great. Also, add sweet and sour sauce to the mcchicken mayo. Heaven.
Oh god, the black zinger was disgusting. The bun tasted like, I dunno, fruit? Ech.
Otherwise, hm… For me, it’s a toss-up between a double quarter pounder (which has been topped with all the pickles my friends don’t want) or a Create Your Own Taste burger with 2 patties, guacamole, jalapenos, tortilla strips and cheddar cheese.
With you on this, but I’d swap the cheddar for jack cheese ^_^
Hungry Jack’s Bacon Deluxe is usually a go-to for me. I don’t mind the Strip Subs from Red Rooster either. Gotta admit that the burgers at Grill’d are pretty top notch (I like the Crispy Bacon and Cheese).
Not too much beats what you can simply get from your local corner takeaway place though.
Oporto Bondi burger. If you’re in Brisbane Wacol burgers
Also forgot the giant burger at Richlands hotel
Oporto burgers are pretty reliable but around my area the chips are almost always awful which prevents me from going there unless I’m exclusively in the mood for a burger and nothing else.
Beatbox Burger van here in Melbourne has a great burger
I pretty much only mess with KFC’s zinger burger or McDonald’s grand angus.
Fiery Angus, Hungry Jacks has a new place in my heart.
Agreed I was pleasantly suprised by that one. Especially when it came in that strange box I was thinking “oh this is gonna be tiny”
What I have been surprised with is the construction of the burger itself, it actually looks nice to eat when you get it. Oh and those sweet little spicy hits. (Well all the times I have ordered it anyway).
Way too close to “fiery anus”. Possibly too much truth?
Hahahaah only if your a weakling. But seriously it is a solid burger
It’s called cholesterol.
This is true but luckily I am living inside a healthy weight range which allows me to indulge the greasier side of life 😛
Burger Got Soul in Tasmania. Every time we go to Tassie we make sure we get there at least once. Their burgers are awesome!
Brod burger in Kingston ACT Don’t know if it counts as fast food but you can order and take away even though It takes 20 minutes but omg best burger I’ve ever had
Definitely doesn’t count as fast food. It’s almost always 30-40 minutes when I’m there.
But they sure are exceptional burgers. So, so good.
My WA people can back me up here:
Johnny’s Burgers.
Seriously, they will fill me up for nearly a whole day.
https://www.zomato.com/perth/johnnys-burger-joint-canning-vale/menu
Hood Burger > Johnny’s Burgers ;).
Dude, yes. The Cure is incredibly bacon-y goodness.
Varsity Bar in Crawley is also ridiculously good, in a greasier, guiltier way.
The Cure and Juicy Lucy are my go-to burgers.
I think I’ve seen one in Geelong, too.
Never gone in there, though. :\
I wish I liked them.
Not sure if this small(ish) chain exists outside Melbourne, but I like Lord of the Fries. Amazing chips and excellent (IMO) non-meat burgers. I am not vegetarian but I like them more than most meat burgers. Come at me!
I think there’s a lord of the fries in Sydney, I feel like giz or lifehacker reviewed them awhile back.
There’s at least two of them now, one on George St just down from the cinema and another near Central Station at the North end of the Devonshire St tunnel.
I don’t know what their burgers are like but their not-chicken nuggets left me with an upset stomach.
But then it seems vegetarian pretend meat always does.
There’s at least one in Perth. I like their fries, but the non-meat burgers have that same bland, unappetising taste that all faux meat does.
Now one for the westies in Sydney!
Lower Level Food Court
159-175 Church St,
Parramatta NSW 2150
In terms of chains, I’d generally preference Hungry Jack’s over McDonalds (even if they do make me feel terrible afterwards). KFC wouldn’t usually enter the equation as I don’t really think of them as a place to get burgers, and I guess neither does Oporto really though I’d probably choose Oporto over HJ’s. Actually my favourite one was from Fogo Brazilia, their burger was great and I love the seasoning they have on their chips too. Although they seem to have disappeared from the Parramatta food court now, maybe they got booted for smoking the place out too many times. Only had them elsewhere once over in Central Park, and they weren’t as good that time. I guess Grill’d is pretty good too, but generally I’d rather a generic take away burger, “with the lot”.
MOS BURGER!!!
These were amazing in Japan. None in NSW, unfortunately.
If you’re desperate, they’re in Brisbane.
If we are talking fast food chain I’m going with Carl’s JR those burgers are pretty good, haven’t tried it in Australia yet………
I’m with you on that, but also only had Carls Jr in Russia and Thailand. I can’t wait for them to come to melbourne
Run Amuk hotdogs in Fremantle. Easily the finest fast food around. Delicious. Great solid hotdogs with great fries and great shakes. The only reason I still live in the vicinity of Fremantle.
Run Amuk is good, but there isn’t much by way of distinguishing features from one hotdog to the next.
How do you mean? They’re pretty varied with their toppings.
OH WAIT
The best fast food burger ever.
The Serious Lamb Burger from Maccas.
Best thing I’ve ever had from a fast food chain, I wish it was a permanent fixture.
Not sure whether this counts as fast food, but Fergburger in Queenstown has the best burgers I’ve ever tried. Pure heaven from beginning to over full stomach ache (including the chips). Man, it’s almost enough of a reason to visit New Zealand.
Oh boy, Fergburger was amazing, ‘specially after a mad ski run.
Came here to post this. Fergburger are literally the best.
There are no contenders, only pretenders.
Southwest BLT from McDonalds. The corn chips are so satisfying. After that would be the Zinger Stacker.
This person speaks truth 🙂
Cant beat a zinger. Whats with all the shit create your burger jargon? Are we talking the best fast food burgers? I hate burger creationists, nothing wrong with creating something custom to eat but I hate when people bring it to compare with the classics, it muddies the waters of classic burger knowledge. Its always along the lines of oh marrrt you fink a big mec is good mart try it with chiken n bacon its so much beta bro u will luv it or some shit, it ends up a pissing contest with no rules
If I want a burger fast, my go-to is a Quarter Pounder. Love em, until I finish it and am filled with eater’s remorse.
As far as my favourite, I’m very partial to a Grand Angus from Maccas or a Whopper Cheese from HJs. But usually I opt for a twister from KFC. Love those.
Grill’d have pretty much ruined every other burger for me forever. Really, really great burgers – I’m particularly fond of the Chilli Addict.
Build a burger at Maccas is great in a pinch, but as for ‘fast-food’ types, I can’t go past the Angry Whopper from Hungry Jacks. The Southwest BLT from Maccas is awesome (agree with whoever said that the corn chips are incredible on them), but for me, the ultimate instant burger will stay the Angry Whopper 🙂