[EatOut Review] The Biggest, Boldest and Best Burgers in Pretoria

To make your choice a little easier, we’ve narrowed down a list of great burger joints across Pretoria. If you like your burgers big, juicy, and laden with so much sauce that it drips down between your fingers and runs to the wrists, then you’re in for a treat.

Pretoria

Blos Café (Faerie Glen)

Good luck choosing a burger from this menu, which offers everything from the simple to the sublime. The Gourmet Burger might be a fine start, which sees the restaurant’s 200g rump patty topped with caramelised fig, bacon and brie, or perhaps the Roosterkoek Bobotie Burger, on which the patty is served on a home-made roosterkoek with a topping of gooseberry compote, masala onion, tomato and lettuce. The Valentine Burger is also a contender, topped with guacamole, glazed bacon, dukkah-dusted onion rings, melted brie, peppered cranberry jam and rocket. (R78 to R110)

Burger Bistro (Clubview)

Offering out-of this-world milkshakes, ridiculously moreish hand-cut chips, and big, bold burgers, this lively joint, with its rock ’n roll theme, never disappoints. A great selection of burgers suits various tastes, including a veggie burger and a banting burger, with prices ranging from R55.50 to R125.50. New on the menu is the intimidating Mike Tyson: five 200g patties topped with cheddar and bacon and plenty of sauce. (On special currently, it comes with chips and a 500ml draught or milkshake for R199). If you can finish Mike in 30 minutes, they’ll let you keep the limited-edition Burger Bistro knife they serve with it. Challenge accepted!

The Mike Tyson at Burger Bistro. Photo supplied.

Click here to find a Burger Bistro near you!

Carlton Café Delicious (Menlo Park)

Although Carlton Café offers one burger only, it is so well crafted and generous that no other need be considered. To make the Beef BBQ Burger, a hand-made, pure beef patty is expertly grilled to your preference, topped with a generous amount of gouda and mozzarella cheese (melted, of course), crispy pancetta and caramelised red onions, stacked on a hand-made tahini bun and served with shoestring potato chips and Carlton Café’s own smoky tomato-barbecue sauce. Yes, it is as phenomenal as it sounds. (R95)

DK Burger (Waterkloof Ridge)

This gourmet burger bar uses only free-range meat and everything – even the ketchup – is made from scratch. Favourites include the lamb burger, which is served with olive tapenade, rosemary aioli, rocket and red onion marmalade, and the Wagyu beef option, which comes topped with rocket, mature cheddar and caramelised onion. There is also a Salmon burger, which sees a salmon patty dressed with ginger, garlic, chilli and wasabi mayo and slipped onto a toasted sesame bun. Sides do not come standard, and cost a little extra, but are well worth it. They also have a stupendous craft beer selection that’s a full page long. (R49 to R129)

Fleisherei Bistro (Centurion)

This relatively new bistro serves juicy and expertly grilled patties with just the perfect amount of toppings on a sweet bun. Honestly, the burger is so tender you can’t tell where bun begins and patty ends. Try the Rockefeller, which comes with gorgonzola, onion marmalade and barbecue sauce, or the Hangover, a monstrous offering topped with mushrooms, bacon, fried egg, cheese sauce and red-onion marmalade. The Buttermilk Chicken also deserves a mention, dripping with chilli mayo and topped with jalapeño, cabbage and gherkin slaw. For those who prefer the more traditional, try The Big TLC: bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar. You have a choice of salad or fries, too. An added bonus for families is the children’s play area, which is large and filled with plenty of great climbing and playing equipment. The kiddies’ menu is also a winner. (R79 to R110)

TriBeCa Original (Brooklyn Mall)

Tribeca’s menu features five burgers and you can choose your side: herb salad, onion rings or rosemary-salt fries. We suggest the Big Brooklyn Burger: a double patty with PLT (pickles, lettuce and tomato), caramelised onions, bacon, American cheddar and mushroom crème. Good luck finishing this one! Also recommended is the Standard Chicken Burger (though far from standard): a marinated grilled chicken breast topped with caramelised onions, spicy pineapple and avocado. The pineapple is fresh, its sweet flavour complementing the mildly spicy chilli sauce beautifully. (R98 to R128)

Wise Crax (Highveld)

This easy-dining spot offers both classic burgers and designer burgers, the latter giving the option of a stuffed patty for R12 extra – choose from cream cheese and jalapeños; blue cheese; bacon and cheddar; or guacamole and tangy mayo. The menu cheekily includes the Nnnnkaaaandlaa Burger, which is topped with cheese, bacon, avocado, egg, red onion, tomato, gherkins, rocket and tangy mayo. There is a note alongside saying, ‘No fire pool included’. Mouths full, we chuckle with glee. (R69 to R95).

Read the original review here: Official EatOut Review