Where To Track Down The Sunshine Coast’s Best Burgers

If you have the burger urge, this list of the best burgers on the Sunshine Coast is sure to get your mouth watering.

True burger lovers go way back to when offerings were kept traditional with a beef patty, cheese, tomato sauce, mustard, pickles, lettuce and tomato. And while that’s still super delicious–the humble burger has been flipped.

Now, we have hero ingredients to please all palates and serve all lifestyle choices. Then there is the piece de resistance–burgers that look like they’ve eaten burgers, they are not for the faint of heart (for health reasons).

Ricks Garage, Palmwoods

The OG of big burgers is Ricks Famous Big One, which weighs in at a whopping 1.1kg. It’s a double serving of beef, bacon, cheese, eggs, lettuce, tomato, onion rings, pickles, beetroot, tomato relish and aioli. There’s no swapping and changing ingredients, because this burger can’t be altered for structural reasons! Now that’s serious burger business.

The Milk Bar Coffee Co, Maroochydore

The crunch says it all. Biting into the Karaage Chicken Burger sets all tongues wagging. And with the accompaniment of radish and green cabbage pickle, shredded lettuce, Kewpie and bulldog sauce on a toasted brioche bun, this burger is sublime. Milk Bar Coffee Co also has another stellar burger on its menu, keeping things traditional with the Cheeseburger– hand-pressed beef patty, double cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, housemade bread and butter pickles, tomato ketchup and American mustard on a toasted brioche bun. No matter which you choose, we recommend the side of beer battered fries because these little morsels are very tasty in their own right. 

Lola’s Pantry, Maroochydore

Just because you don’t eat meat, doesn’t mean you should miss out on the undeniable flavours that a beef patty provides. The award-winning chef at Lola’s Pantry, Alejandro Cancino, has created the ultimate plant-based alternative–vEEF patties. Paying homage to this clever creation is the vEEF burger with cos lettuce, tomato, cheese, grilled onions, sauerkraut and sriracha aioli. Lola’s also has a crumbed chicken-style patty which comes with tasty toppings of cabbage, apple, mustard and ponzu aioli. Vegans rejoice.

Betty’s Burgers, Noosa and Maroochydore

When talking about the best burgers on the Sunshine Coast, Betty’s Burgers is of course going to make the list. Our favourite is the Betty’s Classic Stack, which combines our love for the Betty’s Classic and the Shroom Burger in one epic release—think Angus beef, crisp fried mushroom patty, melted Gouda and Gruyere cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and of course, Betty’s special sauce.

Brouhaha, Maleny

The boys at Brouhaha take their beef very seriously, so you know their burger offering is going to be top notch. The Wagyu Beef Burger is dressed with pumpkin jam, beer ketchup (of course) and Swiss cheese on a sourdough roll. It comes with a side of beer battered chips and goes down a treat with their NZ Pale Ale.

Hello Harry, Caloundra, Birtinya, Maroochydore

Hello Harry has come a long way since Tony Kelly opened the flagship store on Ocean Street. Now, the successful franchise offers a whole range of tantalising burgers including the Dirty Harry– double beef patties, double cheese, grilled chicken, crispy bacon, pickles, American mustard, house tomato jam and mayo. They also offer vegetarian and vegan burgers, so everyone can enjoy.

Cafe Silo, Yandina

Now let’s slow things down with the Brisket Burger at Cafe Silo, which is something delicious dreams are made of. Slow-cooked pulled barbecued brisket, radish slaw and housemade pickles—minimal toppings mean there’s nowhere to hide, so every single ingredient is perfection.

Elixiba, Maroochydore

Who would have thought we’d see the day when banana peel was a favourable burger topping. Well, the team at Elixiba has done it with their BBQ Melt Burger. Sumptuous grilled mushrooms, vegan feta, housemade cucumber pickles and BBQ banana peel make this burger a truly memorable experience.

The Good Bar, Mooloolaba

Ben Stiller said it perfectly, “I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is." Well you can stop looking because we found it; the answer is indulging in the burger deliciousness that is The Good Bar. Why not wrap your Blue Steel-lips around their Ben Stiller Burger–bacon, spinach, fried egg, hollandaise on a brioche bun. And if that’s not enough, each month they release a new burger beast onto the world with their Dreamtime specials. June pays homage to the Grill Cheezus with chipotle slaw, beef pattie, beef brisket, crispy bacon, white onion, pickle, waffle fries (on the burger), Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce and cheese sauce sandwiched between two grilled cheese toasties. 

Downtown Burgers, Nambour and Maroochydore

Feeling adventurous? Why not try the Secret Burger at Downtown. You won’t know what it is until it’s placed in front of you—talk about a blind tasting! But if you’re not one to take too many risks, the Fish Burger is totally in your wheelhouse; grilled barramundi, garlic butter, spinach, mozzarella with tomato, red onion and avocado salsa on their famous vegan soft pretzel bun, it’s simply superb. And what’s better than a burger for lunch or dinner? Following that up with a burger for dessert! Yep, that’s right, they have two dessert burgers including our fave, the Roasted Almond–vanilla bean ice cream mixed with roasted almond and coconut with a raspberry sauce on a brioche bun. Yes, please.

Riba Kai, Maroochydore

What makes a Veggie Burger great is halloumi and Riba Kai has taken that up a notch with crunchy crumbed halloumi, combined with the hearty flavours of a pea and sweet potato pattie, beetroot hummus, grilled zucchini and spinach, which all comes together in a toasted charcoal bun. Delish.

Dirty Moes, Mooloolaba

Thursday night is burger night at Dirty Moes, and because it’s so hard to pick a favourite, you can keep going back week after week until you’ve tried them all. It’s hard to go past The Brisket, with housemade smokey BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, mustard, ranch sauce and American cheese; and then there’s the Return of the Mac, with brisket, bacon, Mac ‘n’ cheese, even more cheese, pickled mustard and mayo. You may need two hands to devour this one.

MooFree Burgers, Maroochydore

Another win for the vegans is the offering at MooFree Burgers, with a whole spread to satisfy all tastes. Our fave is the Hash & Beet burger, with a beef-less patty, hash brown, beetroot, tomato, lettuce, pickle, rustic tomato relish and homemade soy mayo. You’ll love these burgers even if you aren’t vegan.

The Burger Bar, Noosaville

The offering at The Burger Bar is sure to please and delight the taste buds, especially with Top Bun—a tantalising stack of lamb, brie cheese, lime slaw, piccalilli sauce, lettuce and house mayonnaise—and the crowd favourite, House of the Rising Bun; featuring premium wagyu beef, Japanese teriyaki sauce, pickled ginger, Japanese mayo, wasabi, kimchi, roasted red peppers and lettuce. The location is also a winner, being walking distance to the Noosa River, so you can phone order ahead and enjoy lunch or dinner along the water.

Written for Urban List Sunshine Coast.