Best Burgers in Sydney: The Lot and Beyond

The best burgers in Sydney are found in the inner city: Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Chippendale, Newtown and Marrickville in the inner west, and the CBD, with Bondi and Manly covering the beaches. Parramatta, in the west, has a growing scene of its own. Expect two traditions side by side: American-style smash and cheeseburgers, and the Australian burger with the lot.

The burger with the lot comes from milk bars and fish and chip shops. It stacks a beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, bacon, a fried egg, pineapple and a slice of beetroot, finished with tomato sauce. Beetroot is the marker: Australians expect it, and many visitors meet it for the first time here. Pubs are the other home of the Sydney burger, ordered at the bistro counter with a side of chips.

Burgers in Sydney: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Chippendale, Newtown, Marrickville, the CBD and Bondi.
• Local style: the burger with the lot, with beetroot, fried egg and pineapple.
• Local vocabulary: tomato sauce means ketchup, and chips covers both fries and crisps.
• Currency: Australian dollar (AUD), with contactless payment the default.
• Getting around: trains, the Sydney Metro, light rail and ferries, all paid with an Opal card or a contactless bank card.
• What our guides check: whether the beetroot and egg are standard or an extra, as menus differ.

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