Burger Hero’s Haloumi Burger
Julia May

I will admit that I am a fussy eater. I will happily eat the same thing all day, every day, if I like it. One of the things I could eat forever is the haloumi burger at BurgerHero. Located on Mort St, BurgerHero is the friendly neighbourhood burger joint you never knew you had. They cater for everyone – meat eaters, vegetarians, even vegans with their sweet potato and lentil patty – but nothing beats the haloumi. The squeak of that cheese, with five toppings of your choice, smothered in your favourite sauce and squashed between two soft buns. Trust me, it doesn’t get much better than that. Every part of it is customizable to suit the fussiest of fussy eaters. Do yourself a favour, my meat eating and non-meat eating friends, and get yourselves a haloumi BurgerHero burger.

Sweet Bones’ Vegan Burger
Rosie Heselev

Stop what you’re doing. STOP. Get on your fixie and ride your little legs straight towards Braddon. Find Sweet Bones, order their burger, and wait for your life to change. It’s absolutely magnificent.

Sweet Bones is Canberra’s own slice of feel good hipster heaven. A self-aware vegan establishment; it makes you feel like you give a shit while being so goddamn delicious. This burger – Bacon and Cheeze – finally answers vegan prayers everywhere, as bacon can in fact grown from trees. The “bacon” in this case is smoked coconut. It gives that crunchy texture and tasty flavour, without the oily self-regret. The main “patty” is a juicy hunk of grilled tofu, coupled with spinach, tomato, and onion. The vegan “Cheeze”, spread perfectly, ties everything together between two non-sweet, fresh white buns. HOLA!! Plus, it is served with a side of turmeric spiced chickpea salad. Make sure to order a soy latte or one of their delectable vegan smoothies, such as the Elvis Presley – a nut galore. So go on, get a move on, ride down now and feel that sweet, delicious, vegan validation.

Ducks Nuts Bar and Grill’s Beef Burger
Tom Wilkie-Black

At $19 for a burger and chips it’s probably not a great idea to make this a regular habit, but if you’re after something tasty and a little bit different then the Ducks Nuts Beef Burger should do the trick.
Working on the premise that adding bacon to things tends to improve them immeasurably, all Ducks Nuts have really done is taken your classic cheeseburger – beef, cheese, pickles, and lettuce – and added a whole lot of maple syrup-soaked bacon. When was that not going to be a good idea?
The highlight of the burger for me was the meat. It was so juicy, and whatever herbs and spices it had been cooked in gave it such a rich flavour that I am literally salivating at my computer screen as I write this.
Sure the burger could have been just a little bit bigger (although the mountain of chips on the side made up for this) and the bacon could probably have been a bit crispier. But all in all, Ducks Nuts have nailed the sweet and salty vibe they were going for with this burger and it’s definitely worth a try.

Shorty’s Chicken Burger
Annika Law

The Southern Fried Chicken Burger at Shorty’s appears, from the menu, to be like any other chicken burger containing the regular salads, cheese and bacon. After waiting a short time I was presented with a generous sized burger and chips. The hot chips were sprinkled in the Shorty’s equivalent of the 11 KFC herbs and spices. I think it’s just paprika but what do I know about cooking. The allure of eating all of them whilst they were still hot, and even before touching the burger was overwhelming. The chicken was fried well, but remained juicy. I didn’t particularly feel as if my veins were clogging on site, as I often do when I hit up the Dickson KFC for a greasy hangover feed. The brioche bun provided a solid foundation that held all of the ingredients together nicely, making it a relatively tidy meal. Lastly, the burger came with a side of sauce – chipotle mayo I am told. The fact that an establishment is giving away free sauce really makes my heart sing. Especially considering other chicken burger establishments that I frequent often charge for it, the equivalent of a piece of my soul. Overall I’d give it 4/5, mostly based on the price of $19, which amounts to a lot of $2.50 drinks at Mooseheads.