Best Burgers in Melbourne: Fitzroy to CBD

The best burgers in Melbourne are found in the inner north, in Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick, in the CBD and its laneways, and south of the Yarra in South Yarra and St Kilda. Richmond and Footscray add more. American-style smash burgers and cheeseburgers lead, with fried chicken burgers close behind.

Melbourne built its food reputation on cafés and small bars, and burgers followed the same path: the 2010s brought a wave of American-style burger joints, many in converted shopfronts and laneway spaces. Much of the beef comes from Victoria itself, where Gippsland, east of the city, is known for grass-fed cattle. The Queen Victoria Market, trading since 1878, is the place to see that produce up close.

Burgers in Melbourne: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick, the CBD laneways, Richmond, South Yarra, St Kilda and Footscray.
• Local styles: smash burgers, cheeseburgers and fried chicken burgers, plus pub burgers across the suburbs.
• Local beef: Victorian grass-fed beef, with Gippsland as the best-known region.
• Currency: Australian dollar (AUD); card is the norm, and some venues add a card surcharge.
• Getting around: trams cover the inner suburbs, and travel inside the CBD Free Tram Zone costs nothing.
• What our guides check: the beef supplier when the menu names one, confirmed with the venue.

Every guide we publish on Melbourne is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify, and all of them sit in our burger restaurant guides.