Birmingham’s unique burgers take the spotlight in October

BIRMINGHAM — People can indulge in unique local burgers all month long during BirminghamBURGER. Local restaurants will be vying for the title of Best Burger in downtown Birmingham Oct. 1-31.

Participating restaurants have created signature burgers specifically for this event. The community’s role is to try the burgers and vote for their favorites based on presentation, creativity and taste. Voters can rate as many burgers as they want.

Last year was the first year of BirminghamBURGER. This year, 20 businesses are participating, including Adachi, Bell Bistro, Birmingham Pub, Casa Pernoi, Elie’s Mediterranean Grill & Bar, Employee Meal, Hazel’s, La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar, Luxe Bar & Grill, Market North End, Social, and many more. Prices vary by restaurant, starting at $15. Each business is featuring a new and different burger than last year.

“We had a huge level of interest, both from the community and restaurants last year. People were really excited about the unique flavor combinations and creativity of our local chefs, and it showed in the feedback that we received,” said Birmingham Shopping District Executive Director Erika Bassett.

Some of the restaurants kept their limited-edition burger from last year’s competition on the menu. Overall, there were nearly 3,000 burger ratings across the three categories.

“The event brings together our restaurants, each with their own culinary offerings and expertise, into a fun competition that pushes the boundaries of their traditional menus and encourages creativity,” Bassett said. “Each burger is unique, and most of them are not traditional burgers. There are non-beef options, special sauces, unexpected ingredients and much more.”

Last year, Adachi was the champion with its “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” burger. This year, their entry into BirminghamBURGER is titled “Oops I did it again.”

“Our thought process is, you can’t just do a classic burger, right? It’s just got to be something no one’s ever had before,” said Adachi owner Blake George.

Chef Eppie Connolly curated a custom dry-aged wagyu-blend burger on a homemade everything miso brioche bun, with chipotle cheddar and Asian-spiced braised tender pork belly; crispy brussels sprouts; Asian-spiced braised, tender pork belly; pickled red onion; plum sauce aioli, yuzu mango chutney; and a Miyazaki tallow reduction. For color, it also has avocado and baby arugula. The burger is served with house chili oil and chili-parmesan fries. George notes that the pork belly is optional.

“We want the neighborhood and the patrons to know we’re here and can do something special outside the norm,” George said.

Another burger featured this month is the Au Poivre Burger at Social. This is a peppercorn-crusted ground ribeye with brandy cream sauce, gruyere, caramelized onion and arugula in between a toasted brioche bun.

Social’s burger will be served cut in half, with the center of the burger resting on a bed of sauce. This way, some of the sauce can soak into the burger without making the bun soggy.

“Anything that we can do to increase foot traffic in the shopping district is always a good thing,” Social Executive Chef Michael Shaw said.

To see more information about the event and the list of burgers, visit downtownbirmingham.com/burger.