Compiling a list of Dubai’s best burgers is no easy task. For starters, this city is absolutely overrun with burger bars, from funky independents to the global burger brands that dominate Dubai’s malls.
Then there’s a personal taste to take into account. Are you (sigh) a pickle-dodger? Or just got some serious views on what constitutes an acceptable burger sauce?
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Whatever your wants and whims when it comes to brilliant bites served in buns, we can assure you this tried and tasted list contains Dubai’s best burgers.
Read them, ogle them, order them.
Best burgers: Classics
Double Trouble at Eleven Green
Tanos At 8 supper club chefs, Sultan and Kinda Chatila have launched Eleven Green, a homegrown burger bistro in the heart of Jumeirah. The Double Trouble, with cheese, onion, pickles and signature 11G sauce is served in a potato bun and offers up sharp, savoury notes and gets the most votes around the table – but truly, it’s all killer here. At Eleven Green you can expect a selection of hero dishes, with highlights including the angry chicken burger, the classic cheeseburger, and the famous bull burger, served in a Hokkaido milk bun. The menu also features a selection of desserts and shakes complimenting the mains. The bistro-inspired interiors offer a laid-back space with warm greens and oak-wood browns. A perfect stop at the mall to enjoy what they promise are seriously delicious burgers.
Dhs57. Tue-Sun, 12.30pm until sold out. Meyan Mall, Al Thaniya Street.
Double cheeseburger at Pickl
A defining handful on Dubai’s burger scene, Pickl’s double cheeseburger is one of those rare entities that arrives before you looking exactly as you’ve seen it in the pictures, living up to every (and there are many) Instagram post it has ever earned. Piled with homemade pickles and lashings of the Dubai-born burger brand’s homemade sauce, prepare to get messy as a soft, squidgy potato bun does everything it can to contain the serious meal contained within. There are many reasons why we crowned Pickl as the Best Burger Restaurant in Dubai recently and this is certainly one of them.
From Dhs45. Various locations across Dubai including Time Out Market Dubai, Souk Al Bahar. eatpickl.com (04 584 6859).
Double cheeseburger at Smash and Sear at Maxzi The Good Food Shop
Fantastic fixings and more toppings than the average patty could handle ensure that the loaded burgers on Maxzi’s Smash and Sear menu stand out from the crowd. If you’ve got the hunger, the double cheeseburger is the simple yet sensational way to go: two loosely-packed, lovingly made Wagyu patties are topped with melted cheese, pickles, onion and just the right amount of signature burger sauce, before being nestled into a fluffy, golden bun.
Dhs45. Al Shafar Investment Building, Al Quoz, maxzi.ae (04 395 3988).
Cheeseburger at Couqley
You might be accustomed to ordering the steak frites on autopilot at Couqley (and who could blame you), but the quietly confident, classic American cheeseburger, with its charred on the outside, pink in the centre Angus patty and slither of sharp, aged cheddar is worth your time and consideration, too. The crisp and golden fries served on the side seal the deal.
Dhs95. Cluster A, JLT, couqley.ae (04 514 9339).
Frenchie Burger au Feu de Bois at Brasserie Boulud
The rich flavours and whiff of cheese wafting from this banging burger will transport you to a snowy mountainside restaurant in France – in your head, at least. From a Michelin-starred name (Daniel Boulud) and slathered with strong, molten raclette and a tangy onion and tomato compote, this is one posh patty. But that doesn’t mean you need to use a knife and fork, get stuck in and wipe that pickle sauce off your chin.
Dhs105. Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, Oud Metha (04 281 4020).
Mac & Cheese burger at Ribs & Brews
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The name pretty much gives it away, this burger has plenty going for it when it comes to cheese. A patty chock full of flavour courtesy of the Black Angus meat it’s made from, topped with cheddar and the venue’s special sauce as well as mac and cheese, pickles and tomato.
Dhs85. Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City, alhabtoorcity.com (04 435 5577)
High Jamz at High Joint
One of the best burger joints in the city. Start with a potato bun. Add a smashed beef patty, topped with cheese, and some bacon jam. Repeat. Then repeat again if you’re going big. Then add some crispy fried onions. Squash it down with the top of the bun, and shovel it in your expectant gob as soon as humanly possible. But don’t forget to savour, because this is a treat. Every bit of beef here is hormone-free, antibiotic-free, it’s never frozen, and any leftover meat gets cooked up daily and handed out to local workers. Live near Al Khawaneej? There’s a High Joint there to check out with the fam there too.
From Dhs55. Al Manara (04 268 1586); Al Khawaneej, @high.joint (04 546 3123).
JB’s signature burger at JB’s Gastropub
The acronym here stands for “brisket on a burger” and this carnivore’s dream is piled high with tender meat. The juicy, well-seasoned burger is smothered in sharp cheddar cheese, before being fully loaded with sliced, smoked brisket and smooshed into a soft bun. Splosh lashings of ketchup on the top and, well, Bob’s your uncle.
Dhs99. Amwaj Rotana, JBR (04 428 3084).
Meat Me burger at Meat Me There
From a menu that’s short, sweet and decidedly focused on meat (the clue’s in the name), the ME is a no-frills favourite. There’s also no gilding the lily here: Black Angus patty, secret sauce, tomato, lettuce and pickles – job well and truly done. We’re partial to adding a portion of paprika-speckled fries to our order.
Dhs35. The Souq at Fishing Harbour, Umm Suqeim, instagram.com/meatmethere (04 437 6010).
The Original Good Burger at Good Burger
Stashed away inside Maiz Tacos in JLT, Good Burger is emerging as a go-to for simple, tasty buns in Dubai. Of a menu featuring chicken sandwiches and a none-too-shabby Portobello mushroom veggie burger (with basil mayo, don’t you know), it’s the classic cheeseburger that gets our vote. With a Martin’s (natch) potato bun, you can choose whether your modest 160g burger comes with lettuce, toms, pickles, onion or just straight-up meat-n-cheese, and opt for either Good’s own special sauce, or dial it up to maximum Dubai with a splash of truffle aioli. We take ours doubled up.
From Dhs45. Inside Maiz Tacos, Cluster Y, JLT, Instagram.com/goodburgerdxb (04 514 4712).
Mustang Island at Le Burger
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Like your burgers loaded? This Dubai burger bar has a whole menu crammed with buns crammed with ingredients. Yes, there’s a lot of cramming going on here, and not least in Mustang Island, where nachos, spicy jalapeños, crispy onion rings, hot sauce and barbecue sauce collide with cheddar and lettuce-topped burger for an all-out assault on the palate. Can’t get enough of a good (loaded) thing? Cover the entire thing in melted cheddar cheese sauce for an extra Dhs12. Wowzer.
Dhs32 (slider), Dhs60 (regular). Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha, www.leburger.ae (04 880 8989).
Original Legendary Burger at Hard Rock Cafe
Time has been kind to this award-winning, all-American favourite. With a recipe established in 1971, they found a formula that worked and has stuck with it. And what a formula it is: Black Angus steak burger + smoked bacon + cheddar cheese + crispy onion ring + lettuce = something akin to classic burger perfection.
Dhs75. Festival Boulevard, Dubai Festival City. www.hardrockcafe.com (04 232 8900).
Piña Colada burger at Lads Burger
Ehhh… What? Yes, siree. If you’re from the camp that’s in support of pineapple on pizza (fruit-meat combinations for the win) then this loaded burger is for you. Not only is there a slab of grilled pineapple piled in alongside beef bacon and melted white cheese, but the bun is also slathered with pineapple-coconut sauce, too. Totally tropical.
Dhs39 (regular), Dhs54 (XLarge). Jumeirah Beach Road,www.lads.ae (04 339 0200).
Rose & Crown Burger at The Rose & Crown
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Why try to dress up a classic? This is a simple burger in a simple pub – a beef patty, cheese, pickles, onions and garlic mayo (the only nod towards fanciness) sit on a golden bun. Served with proper pub chips and a green salad (we’re sure someone wants it), this burger is all the more brilliant for its simplicity.
Dhs75. Al Habtoor City, roseandcrowndubai.com (04 437 0022).
The Champ at BlackTap
An international favourite, this one, is as much loved in the USA as it is in Switzerland, Singapore and of course Dubai. That worldwide adulation is well-deserved thanks in no small party to the juicy and generously-sized Wagyu patty, tangy-creamy buttermilk-dill dressing, salty, crumbled blue cheese and a sprinkling of peppery rocket. We wouldn’t be so brazen as to tell you how to eat your burger, but adding extra caramelised onions to the mix goes down as one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
Dhs90. Various locations including Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, blacktapme.com
Best burgers: Chicken
Chicken Cheetos Slider at SALT
Dubai’s first food truck is still slinging out some serious sliders. Go all out with this pair featuring deep-fried chicken fillets topped with Spicy Cheetos sauce, melted cheese and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos chips. And a slip of lettuce. SALT also serves Cheetos-topped fries. We’re not sure why they’re so mad about those crunchy corn curls, but we’re down.
Dhs42 (two sliders). Various locations, find-salt.com.
Chicken Sando at Pickl
Hormone-free, antibiotic-free and entirely organic chicken that’s left to brine in green tea, then battered and seasoned fresh in-store every day. Jeff it up (that’s Pickl’s way of asking how hot you want the burger) and go as bold as you want, because this beast of a burger can prove a test for even the most asbestos-mouthed among us. One of the best burgers in Dubai if you love fried chicken.
From Dhs35. Various locations across Dubai. eatpickl.com (04 584 6859). Time Out Market Dubai, Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai, timeoutmarket.com/dubai.
Koreano at BRD by SLAB
Fried chicken is a global phenomenon – and while none of the options at BRD will leave you disappointed, the Koreano is our pick of the flock. Loaded with daikon slaw, spring onions and spicy mayo, this crispy chicken burger enveloped in a honey-soy glaze is a sweet, tangy, spicy marvel.
Dhs45. Al Safa, Dubai. www.weareslab.com/
Mad Chicken at She Burger
Here fresh chicken is coated in a laban-based batter that adds flavour and keeps this burger crunchy while preventing it from drying out. It’s then sandwiched in a bun that’s freshly prepared on-site every day and topped with lettuce, tomato, American cheese and Sante Fe sauce. The result is seriously tasty with a spicy edge that’ll warm your gob without setting fire to it – the right medium as far as we’re concerned. A low-key spot and one of the best burger places in Dubai.
Dhs39. Dar Wasl Mall, Al Safa (04 333 3258).
Spicy Mango Slaw Chicken at High Joint
Home to some of Dubai’s greatest beef burgers, this tiny, eight-seater counter does a top job elsewhere too. Namely with this spicy beast. Buttermilk-brined fried chicken is coated in buffalo sauce, and then layered with chopped jalapeños, melted pepper jack cheese, tangy mango slaw and homemade spicy mayo. Saucy. (Seriously, grab some extra napkins to catch the juices pooling around your elbows.)
Dhs40. Corner of 8A Street and 11B Street, Al Manara (04 268 1568); Al Khawaneej, @high.joint (04 546 3123).
The best of the indulgent burgers
Gochujang Korean chicken burger at High Joint
Available for a limited time only, this mash up blends sweet and spicy into an impressive chicken burger packed with Gochujang sauce, kimchi slaw, crispy onions, spring onions and sesame seeds – oh, and don’t forget the extra lashings of gochujang mayo. Switch up your usual for some spice, available to dine in and takeaway.
Dhs45, High Joint, Al Manara, @high.joint (04 285 7389).
Bahubali Burger at Mahi Cafe
You’ll need a big appetite for this one. Grab a few friends (6-8 is ideal) and get stuck into the 3kg Bahubali burger. Packed with flavour, the huge chicken patties are put alongside crisp lettuce and fresh salads, as well as your own choice of stuffing so it’s just how you like it. If you aren’t a meat eater, have no fear, as the Bahubali can also be made with veggie patties instead.
Available until July 31. Dhs249. 4 7A Street, Al Nahda 2, @mahicafe (056 931 1300).
Chips Oman burger at Ting Irie
A top creation from the Jamaican restaurant and lounge, the burger includes seasoned and smashed Angus beef patty with traditional Jamaican flavours. From there, the burger is topped with crispy Chips Oman and a creamy white pimento cheese, served in a toasted Toronto bun.
Souk Al Manzil, Downtown Dubai, tingirie.com (04 557 5601).
Arigato Burger at GOAT
GOAT’s menu might be slight but impressively, there are a number of strong contenders for the most indulgent burger in the UAE on there. After much careful munching, we reckon that the Arigato is the most outrageously decadent of the lot, combining a Wagyu patty, American cheese, teriyaki sauce, deep-fried mushrooms, the second serving of cheese (parmesan this time) and lashings of Japanese mayo served in your choice of potato or brioche bun. By all means, enjoy, just don’t expect to do much afterwards.
Dhs39. The Block, Dubai Design District, instagram.com/g.o.a.t.ae (058 860 0200).
Picante Umami at LENTO
This mouthwatering mash-up of flavours is the creation of Emirati chef Faisal Naser, founder of LENTO. Naser’s burgers are designed to have ‘character’ and steer away from the classics. With the Picante Umami, you’ll get two prime wagyu patties, green salsa and spicy LENTO sauce, wedged between a sourdough milk bun, branded of course.
Dhs60. Al Wasl Road, Umm Suqeim, @lento.ae (04 252 5968).
#saltbae burger at Salt Bae Burger
Yes, this is a pricey place for a burger in Dubai, but there’s no getting around the fact these guys know what they’re doing. The restaurant’s eponymous handful is a riot of rich wagyu beef, smoked rib-eye, stringy caramelised onion and no small amount of molten cheddar cheese. Forego the black latex gloves offered – time to get your hands dirty. Meaty, salty, greasy, tangy – it ticks every burger box, and so it should at Dhs135 for a single and Dhs230 for a double.
Dhs135 (single), Dhs230 (double). Gate Village 2, DIFC (04 235 7900)
The Ultimate Mr Jones at Jones the Grocer
More than a handful and much more than a mouthful, this is a monster of a burger. Made from wagyu meat and topped with smoked beef bacon, cheese and salad, it’s packed with flavour. The skin-on fries on the side are pretty awesome, too. It gets a bit messy, so be warned. More good news? Should you so desire, you can add extra toppings including crispy coated brie, melted truffle brie or foie gras. Yikes.
Dhs85. Various locations including Dusit Thani Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road,www.jonesthegrocer.com (04 335 7769).
Double truffle burger at Ugly Burger
This cracker from Ugly Burger is a top option for when you’re after a truffly treat. Previously a delivery-only brand, Ugly Burger now has a shiny new restaurant at Dar Al Wasl Mall. The burger is super-tasty and is enveloped in a rich, yet not overly pungent, truffle paste and aioli. Ugly by name, but not by nature, this is one indulgent burger you’ll want to get your chops around.
Dhs45. Shogun Media City, Instagram.com/ugly.burger (04 447 4899).
Truffle Burger at Parkers
The indulgent Truffle Burger from Parkers is made with truffle-infused wagyu striploin, truffle ranch, white cheddar and crispy onions. It’s juicy and crunchy and not made with a traditional beef patty, but it just works.
Dh62. Mirdif City Centre
Wagyu foie gras slider at Goldfish Sushi & Yakitori
A burger less ordinary. But what else would you expect from a restaurant helmed by culinary maestro Akmal Anuar? Rich, creamy, salty and savoury, this smasher of a slider sees a hand-packed wagyu beef patty combined with foie gras to a devastatingly tasty effect. You’ll devour this double duo of delights in seconds but be dreaming about them for weeks afterwards.
Dhs90. Galleria Mall, Al Wasl Road, goldfishsushiyakitori.com (04 886 4966).
Wagyu burger at 11Woodfire
A burger to make a Whopper fan weep with joy. By which we mean this particular beef patty comes beautifully imbued with smoky undertones. It’s also topped with creamy, slightly sweet Gouda cheese, diced mushrooms and Siracha sauce. Sure, there are fancier dishes on the menu at this new hotspot, but that doesn’t mean the Wagyu burger should slip off the radar.
Dhs100. 75B Street (next to Mercato Mall), Jumeirah 04 491 9000).
Wagyu Overload at 3Fils
We’ll cut to the chase: the Wagyu Overload hums with flavour drips with juice and is likely to have you drooling the moment you set eyes on it. This provolone cheese and chipotle mayo-topped meaty marvel is an Instagram-scroll stopper, a diet buster, a heart breaker and the sort of burger that will go down as one of the all-time greats. Don’t forget to treat yourself to a portion of triple-cooked chips on the side.
Dhs78. Jumeirah Fishing Harbour 1, Al Urouba Street, Dubai, www.3fils.com (056 273 0030).
The best of the veggie and vegan burgers
Avocado burger at Common Grounds
Healthy, wholesome, virtuously vegan and off-the-charts tasty. This burger features a crumbed avocado and chickpea patty (they do like their avo at Common Grounds), a generous dollop of beetroot hummus, lettuce, pickled onions and a smear of vegan mayo, all piled into a potato bun (replace the bun with a lettuce wrap if you’re feeling uber abstentious). It’s served with your choice of sweet potato fries or green salad for the win.
Dhs58. Common Grounds, DIFC, JLT and Mall of the Emirates, @_common.grounds_
Haloumi Katsu High from High Joint
For veggies, this is a remarkable burger. A crispy katsu-style coating surrounds an entire slab of halloumi cheese. But this isn’t a chewy, turgid block of squeaky cheese – this is a gooey, flavoursome patty that treads the line between bite and oozes pretty much perfectly.
From Dhs40. Corner of Street 8A and 11B, Al Safa (04 268 1586); Al Khawaneej, @high.joint (04 546 3123).
Impossible cheeseburger at Pickl
Trust those clever clogs at Pickl to have come up with a meat-free burger that has even the most die-hard of beef burger fiends questioning their go-to order. There’s no messing about with the impossibly tasty Impossible cheeseburger – the secret sauce, cheese, house pickles and delightfully soft and squidgy potato bun are all exactly as you remember them, it’s only the patty that’s had a plant-based makeover. And doesn’t it look (and taste) good?
Dhs40.Various locations across Dubai including Time Out Market Dubai, Souk Al Bahar. eatpickl.com (04 584 6859).
The Impossible Original Burger at Good Burger
When you’re craving that classic, no-nonsense, straight-up burger taste but want to forgo the meat, this is the burger to order. Toppings, favours and fixings are all present and correct (butter lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and special sauce), it’s just the meat that’s missing from this particular feast – and you know what? In this instance, that’s no bad thing.
Dhs55. Good Burger at Maiz Tacos, JLT Lakeshore Tower Cluster Y, Dubai, open daily 12pm to 10pm. Tel: (0)4 514 4712. @goodburgerdxb
Vegan Burger at Black Tap
Don’t even think about tucking into one of Black Tap’s towering craft burger creations without documenting it on Insta first. The Dubai Mall branch makes some of the finest meat burgers in Dubai, but for our dirhams, their plant-based beauty of a burger is one of the best in the business, too: a juicy black bean patty piled high with salsa verde and punchy pickled onions, tucked within a vegan potato roll and slathered generously with creamy vegan mayo.
Dhs69 Various locations including Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, www.blacktapme.com.
Very Veggie Burger at LDC Kitchen + Coffee
While the ingredients – black beans, cashew nuts, shiitake mushrooms – might suggest that this homemade patty is too altogether virtuous to deliver a true burger experience, we’re here to reassure you otherwise. The addition of plenty of mustard-mayo, melting cheddar and the buttery brioche bun (as well as those moreish hand-cut fries served on the side) ensure this is as indulgent and enjoyable a burger-eating experience as you could hope for.
Dhs65. Various locations across Dubai.@ldckitchen
V-Twin Vege at Burgerfuel
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A veggie or vegan burger that’s well beyond the average offering. Mushrooms, kumara (sweet potato), chickpeas and basil combine to produce a favour-packed patty that’s finished with a merry riot of fixings – plum sauce, relish, melted cheddar and aioli included (press pause on the aioli and cheese to keep this one entirely plant-based). Add a side order of Motorbites (crumbed pumpkin, carrot, chickpea and ginger bites) for a full-on vegan feast.
Dhs34. Locations include The Walk, opposite JBR and Mall of the Emirates, www.burgerfuel.com.
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