Let’s talk about the best burgers in Madrid, but, first, let’s talk about its history and almost how they came to our city.
We will say in a few words that it starts with the Romans, passing through the Mongolian cavalry, until it reached Hamburg, where it finally took shape. From there it was exported all over the world.
They say – the blogs, the media, the legend – that German sailors took the recipe to another continent and there – at last a proper name that lends credibility to this myth – the American chef Louis Lassen cooked the first hamburger in the United States. In 1895. Then the first restaurant opened, then the first chain, and the rest is history.
Because any day is a good day to eat a hamburger and you have to celebrate it as Genghis Khan would have wanted -or not-: going to eat a good hamburger in Madrid to one of these places:
1. Junk Burger
For Junk Burger 2022 was their year. They won the contest for the best burger in Spain in 2022. According to the jury of the II Campeonato de España de Hamburguesas their Smashed Burger had no competitor to match it -with controversy through.
Such was the success that this hamburger restaurant in Chamberí had to close for a few days to cope with the flood of orders they expected to receive after winning the prize.
Location: various locations
2. Cesar’s Burger
The menu of Cesar’s Burgers, with three smashed burgers -whose meat is smashed on the griddle-, complies with the maxim that quality is better than quantity. And having tried two of them, we can assure you that their quality is undeniable. Part of the secret and what makes them unique, says César, is that the meat is toasted on the outside but not overcooked on the inside.
Location:Calle de Méndez Álvaro, 74 (Arganzuela) and Calle de San Lucas, 11 (Chueca).
3. Frankie Burgers
Image courtesy of Frankie Burgers
The breadth of supply in Madrid as far as burgers are concerned can be overwhelming, and that is why it is fortunate to have a filter to help you choose. One of them or the most prestigious is the Campeonato de Hamburguesas de España, and according to the 2022 contest the third best burger in Spain is made at Frankie Burgers.
The burger in question is the Super Frankie Cheese, made with 250 grams of beef, double cheddar, double bacon and Frankie sauce. But the list is completed by seven other burgers, among which there is also a vegetarian option.
Location:46 Ponzano St. (Ponzano) and 17 Espronceda St. (Ríos Rosas).
4. Jenkin’s
Jenkin’s, the most awarded Valencian hamburger restaurant in recent years, already has a location in Madrid. Its great success is the Emmy-B, a 180 gr Black Angus beef burger with a berlin bun, carmelized onion and a homemade sauce, which has earned it the title of the Best Burger in Europe 2023.
Location: Calle Orense, 11 (Azca)
5. La Birra Bar
La Birra Bar has under its arm the title of best burger in the USA in 2022, and since the beginning of 2023 it is also in Madrid, with two locations.
It all started in Boedo, in Buenos Aires, with a small burger joint. Today it has 13 locations in Argentina, one in Miami and two in Madrid, its first locations in Europe. They are now in the top 5 of the best hamburger restaurants in the world. What characterizes La Birra Bar’s burgers is the combination of the very careful selection of meat cuts they use and their cloud bread (which follows an original recipe since 2001), in addition to the variety of toppings that can be found in their products.
Location:Carrera de San Jerónimo, 3 (Downtown)
6. Burnout
Among the best burgers in Madrid could not miss Burnout’s: 100% handmade, with no additives and with gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. Our favorites are the Senhor Stilton (180grs of fresh Galician beef blend, homemade bacon and onion port jam, authentic Stilton blue cheese sauce and port mayonnaise) and, if you are more of a smash burger, the IT (double smash burger with fresh Galician beef blend, three slices of American cheese, homemade onion jam, grilled cured bacon, pickle and secret sauce).
Location: several locations
7. Nugu Burger
At first Nugu Burger had its location on Covarrubias street, but its location only mattered to know if your house was within its radius of action: this unusual burger joint only operated on a delivery basis and your burgers were made on the way home. Now it has two physical burgers and a third for home delivery only.
Nugu’s product, by the way, is excellent. Man does not live by concept alone -although theirs is quite special because they do not use brioche bread- and that is why the meat comes from organic farms in Extremadura and Castilla.
Location: various locations
Juancho’s BBQ
After many barbecues with friends, after many compliments for his grilling skills, Juancho began to consider the possibility of turning his hobby into a profession. He started with a stall in the Chamberí Market where he cooked top quality grilled meats and his growth has been omnidirectional: Juancho’s BBQ is everywhere and is now a classic among Madrid’s hamburger restaurants.
Location: several locations
9. Burmet
Burmet’s burgers are just as you imagine them… and even a little bit better. Special attention to their Crispy burger that even has torreznos. Much less heavy than it may seem just by reading it. Not in vain, it is one of the best burgers in Madrid.
Location: various locations
10. Briochef
Briochef is one of the latest burgers of this type of restaurants in Madrid that has entered the trend of smash burgers, although they are not the only ones they serve. The recipes are an amalgam of flavors, the raw material is wrapped in a fluffy brioche bun that does not cover, but complements, a matured Galician blonde beef.
Location: various locations
11. Pink’s
Continuing with the gastronomic trend of smashed burgers, we will agree that Pink’s!! is, on the one hand, a pioneer and, on the other, a master. The hamburger restaurant has grown at an exorbitant rate (they already have four locations) and they have done it through a concept that has no equal in Madrid. They only sell 100 hamburgers during the day and 100 hamburgers at night. And when they run out, they close down the chiringuito.
Location: various locations
12. Pacifico Smash Burger
Pacifico’s burgers are so smash that the meat stays crispy like bacon. It’s not a small place, but there are few places to sit, it’s meant for take-out or for quick on-site dining. They have only two types of burgers: the classic and the pacific, plus a vegan option. They make their own lemonade and iced tea, worth a try, especially if you don’t like carbonated drinks.
Location: Calle del Conde de Xiquena, 2 (Salesas) and Calle de Serrano, 149 (Salamanca).
13. BDP
BDP is a hamburger restaurant in Coslada that obtained at the end of 2022 the award for the best hamburger in Madrid given by Showdown Madrid.
BDP has achieved this distinction with a high dose of irony. And is that the winning burger is called “La Fracasada” in reference to being the one presented in 2022 to the championship of the best burger in Spain (championship that as we said at the beginning won Junk Burger). Now they also have some of their premises only dedicated to smash burgers.
Location: several locations
14. Manteca
Manteca’s are the best smash burger in Madrid in 2023 according to gastro influencer Alberto de Luna. Their name is literal, they have a burger to which they add butter and figurative for the rest, because of how their meats fall apart. Their bright and fluffy bread has a special ingredient: potato.
If you want to live the full experience you can order some tequeños as a starter and a havannet for dessert (a bitter chocolate morsel).
Location: Calle del Príncipe de Vergara, 56 (Salamanca)
15. BurgerJazz
BurgerJazz’s burgers are easy to handle, so juicy that the meat (always flattened) from old cows looks like butter, and they also add a very gourmet extra: Formaje’s artisan Pitchfork Cheddar cheese, which makes them even tastier.
Location: various locations
16. Milwaukee
A group of friends from Milwaukee and Wisconsin (not a joke) decided to bring the smash burger recipe with butter and sauce from these American cities to Madrid. The trip was a success, so much so that they won the third prize for Best Burger Delivery 2023 and opened a second location in the capital.
Location: various locations
17. La Bistroteca
La Bistroteca, founded in 2016 by Vanessa San José, stands out in the Madrid gastronomic scene as a restaurant that offers high-quality burgers. With a cuisine based on charcoal grill and meat selected and prepared daily, La Bistroteca moves away from the traditional hamburger restaurant concept.
The menu is a celebration of international flavors, with burgers that pay homage to various regions and countries. Notable examples include La Sabuesa, with ingredients such as Joselito Iberian jowl and aged comte cheese, and La Palma, awarded as the best gourmet burger in Spain. With two locations in Madrid, La Bistroteca is a place you always want to return to.
Location: Espardinas street, 7 and General Pardiñas street, 10 (Salamanca neighborhood).
Simplicity can have its sophistication and these hamburgers are a good example of that. This dish not only does not lose interest over the years, but the competition between who makes the best hamburger in Madrid continues to grow.