
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 award.
Several 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.
Calle de San Lucas, 11 (Chueca)
3. 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.
Calle Ponzano, 46 (Ponzano) and Calle Espronceda, 17 (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 gm 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.
Calle Orense, 11 (Azca)
5. The Yellow Door
There are restaurants that become (because of their location, because you don’t know why not everyone knows about them or for any other similar reason) little gems that only you know about. The presence of La Puerta Amarilla in this article compromises the esteem in which we hold it. But the hamburgers at this restaurant are a different story.
Calle Fúcar, 9 (Barrio de las Letras)
6. Munchies by foodgoddess
It took them eight months to choose the place and open it, and at that moment they added to their brief menu. Nothing simpler, nothing more practical. The Munchies by foodgoddess menu has a classic spicy burger, a vegetarian burger, a bacon burger, a truffle burger and a pack of hot dogs.
Khundadze and Gvelesiani started in Tbilisi (Georgia) with just 1,500 euros and a couple of years later, in 2022, they set up this burger restaurant in the neighborhood of Las Letras with a colorful, Wes Anderson-inspired aesthetic and touches of Castilian style.
Calle Santa María, 39 (Las Letras).
7. 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, with its first locations in Europe. They are now in the top 5 of the best hamburger restaurants in the world. What characterizes the burgers of La Birra Bar 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.
Carrera de San Jerónimo, 3 (downtown) and Calle de las Postas, 12 (downtown).
8. Mad Grill
Another roll. And we could finish the description of their burgers with these two words. Mad Grill’s burgers are another roll. Apart from their burgers (which we have already said what we think), the most surprising thing we have tried at Mad Grill is the mayonnaise smoked with oak charcoal. Really: another roll.
Calle Campoamor, 13 (Alonso Martínez)
9. Viva Burger
And yes, among the best burgers in Madrid could not miss Viva Burguer, the vegan option that will not miss the meat or the most carnivores. This hamburger restaurant is a classic in La Latina. Of course, you have to go hungry, the size of both the burgers and the fries will not leave you room for almost anything else.
Cost.ª de San Andrés, 16 (La Latina)
10. Nugu Burger
At first Nugu Burger had its premises in Covarrubias street, but its location only mattered to know if your house was within its radius of action: this unusual burger shop only operated at home and your burgers were delivered to your house. Now it also has a physical burger shop on Atocha street.
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.
Several locations.
11. Juancho’s BBQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2b2-JP5VeY&t=3s
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.
Several locations
12. Burmet
Burmet’s burgers are just as you imagine them, but 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.
Calle de Luis Vives, 9 (Prosperidad); Paseo del Olmo, 13 (Acacias) and Calle Ferraz, 77 (Argüelles).
13. Briochef
Briochef is one of the latest batch 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.
Paseo de la Florida, 21 (Príncipe Pío) and Calle Ramón y Cajal, 3, (Alcalá de Henares).
14. Pink’s
Continuing with the gastronomic trend of smashed burgers, we will agree that Pink’s Burger is, on the one hand, a pioneer and, on the other, a master. The burger restaurant has grown at an exorbitant rate (they already have four locations) and they have done so through a concept that has no equal in Madrid. They only sell 100 burgers during the day and only sell 100 burgers at night. And when they run out, they close the chiringuito.
15. Pacifico
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 eating on the spot quickly. 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.
Calle del Conde de Xiquena, 2 (Salesas)
16. 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 bugers.
Several locations.
17. Manteca
Manteca’s are the best smash burger in Madrid in 2023 according to the 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 bite of bitter chocolate).
Calle del Príncipe de Vergara, 56 (Salamanca)
18. Burger Jazz
Burger Jazz’s burgers are manageable, 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.
Several locations.
19. 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.
Av. America, 33 (La Guindalera) and Calle Manuela Malasaña, 9 (Malasaña)
20. 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.
Calle Espardinas, 7 and Calle General Pardiñas, 10 (Barrio de Salamanca)
Simplicity can have its sophistication and these burgers are proof of it. This dish not only does not lose interest over the years, but the competition between who makes the best burger in Madrid does not stop growing.