If there’s any city with a diverse hamburger on offer, it’s undoubtedly Madrid. here this An icon of American gastronomy—and now around the world— It continues to expand while classic sites coexist with others of a new kind. On Saturday, May 28, this culinary icon celebrates its International Day, and we celebrate it with some las Burger who succeeds in city And with the story behind the junk burgerVenue in Chambers, winner of the 2nd Spanish Hamburger Championship.
Since the order of factors doesn’t change the product, we started with Junk Burger, the project of two 20-somethings that’s become a fashionable place in less than two months and with a full weekend.
Madness. barbarity. Those are the two words that are repeated the most Javier Alfonso (Madrid, 1997) and Carlos Arias (Grenada, 1997) Since, on March 9, he and his Chambers became the producers of the restaurantTo the best hamburger in our country in 2022By winning the final of the championship held in La Corua.
The purpose of this frenzy is the same smash burger (very popular in the United States, made by flattening a ball of minced meat on a griddle) Who entered the competition and whose current figures are a bit dazzling. They had seven employees before the competition., during the same (this happened from February 1 to February 28), 15 and, after winning it, 28 (plus 12 people who work in the kitchens of the newly opened delivery). More data: “During the month of the championship we sold 2,000 hamburgers, and it was already outrageous. We are now at over 2,000 per week, A madness and a great responsibility”, Javier details.
But every story has a beginning, and it begins in 2020. After finishing business administration and management, the two twenty-something best friends since they met as kids at a summer camp in los angeles– He opened a store at 31 Jos Abascal.
“Throughout my career I worked as a club promoter, but I wanted to leave the night and set up a hotel business“, says Javier, who went to New York with this idea in his mind. Soak Formats, Trends… “I think I visited all the burger joints in town. When I came back, I asked Carlos, who was going to work at a bank in Andorra, if he wanted to start it with me. ” and they best friend From summer camp they jumped “into the pool”.
They have a clear concept. “At that time, Madrid lived a Gourmet Burger Boom, too fat, almost to eat with a knife and fork. I saw more in the United States Street food, more to enjoy with your hands. so we bet on them Burger road, but of great quality, Made with the best products from here”.
He continues: “We grill them with their own fat, without oil or butter. A caramelized crust is formed while inside they are very juicy”, AAD
Finding the place was more complicated. “It cost us our lives, because the prices were too high at the time,” recalls Javier. And, at last, they found him: 170 square meter space To which the neighbors “said that he was insane, because no tenant lasted more than a year for 15 years”.
Carlos and Javier opened this dining room in February 2020, listening to the songs of superstitious sirens New York Beauty, Something underground and secret, In which apart from him, three other people worked. But March came and “Covid has shut us down”. The confinement was lifted and, thanks to the local roof, they began shooting … May, June, July … and August? “Since the city was almost empty, We closed the restaurant, we set up a food truck And we went to Cadiz with our three employees to make hamburgers on the beach, We grew to sell, and we realized they liked it,” Javier says.
The next summer (2021) he literally continued shooting. they bought An “American” school bus, yellow like the one the Simpson“, and we went to the beach again, Although we kept the dining room running”, he continued. Then, back to the course school. They weren’t doing bad, but they weren’t “very good” either. They are open from Thursday to Sunday (today they do it every day). “We held for the weekend and for the drinks we served.” However, everything began to change: in December he decided to participate in the hamburger championship. “We included a few things: We improvise our brioche bread and add an artisan smoked bacon made for us by a supplier in the Sierra de Madrid,
He presented. “The first stage was that in the month of February everyone could try the Burger About and rate the competition. We liked it very much. It was a rush”, admits Javier. It was even more difficult to be among the 10 finalists.
“In the beginning, we were a little scared: only we parted with thunder, simultaneously, We were two 24-year-olds competing with a long history in the hospitality industry…, We sat down like two kids debuting with Real Madrid.” And they won. ,Looks like we’re celebrating Iniesta’s goal at the World Cup in South Africa”.
And how is this hamburger, in the name of the restaurant’s menu today? the winner, a double smash burger 240g Ripe Galician Blonde with Beef, with four slices of cheddar cheese, smoked bacon, well-loaded with a secret sauce and everything inside a brioche bread (13.90 euros). The offer is completed with three other dishes thunder And, with first class Galician meat (12.90 euros) Shortly, they will launch a limited edition, which they will repeat from time to time.,
They have delivery (Glovo and Uber Eats) and “expansion plans, but for now” We want to focus on home delivery; In food trucks For summer –It will take place at a Zarzuela Hippodrome—and our local Jose Abascal. The one who, according to the neighbors, was insane. “We have shown that we are not”, concludes Javier.
Top places to get gourmet burgers
We continue with the celebration of International Hamburger Day, the preparation of meat between bread, as popular and global as pizza, which in recent years has become a symbol fast food A true gourmet bite with great reputation and recognized names in Madrid: Alfredo’s Barbacoa, La Bistroteca, Cafetera HD, Hamburger Nostra, Burnout, Queen Burger, Goeico, Home Burger Bar, Mad Grill/Mad Cafe, Juancho’s BBQ … and others Clues always on the radar, Like we are giving below.
new york burger
If there’s one cohesive brand with history, it’s New York Burgers. The ensign reached the capital in 2009 and was quickly made The Benchmark for American-Style Gourmet Burgers, Even after 13 years they are preparing first class cuisine and are in constant development (for some time they have also opted for smoked meats). Thus, among its latest additions are met meat, Pork Shank; high line Hailstone Chelsea Truffle… and they just released moma, Created and baptized by customers via social networks, They have chosen the ingredients (raclette cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, roasted garlic and rosemary aioli) that crown their always premium meat. It comes in three sizes (small12,50 euros; medium13,50 years Huge15,75). addresses on the school website.
steakburger
this brand group with fire, with eight restaurants in Madrid and Murcia, opts for the first quality raw materials to make its hamburgers. For example, the hero of the house star, steakburger original, is the meat of Beef – from La Finca de Jiménez Barbero-, matured for 40 days with the technology of dry aged, which concentrates the flavors and provides great juiciness. Grilled over oak charcoal, it is served with crunchy smoked bacon, ripe cheddar cheese, and specialty brioche bread. Price: from 16.10 to 21.40 euros, depending on the size. Addresses: on the school website.
Frankie’s Burger
This US-inspired brand – the company Moneo Group – has a big stake Super Frankie Cheese Bacon, With which he has finished third in the second Spanish Hamburger Championship held in March. One big bite: Double portion of meat (250 grams), double cheddar cheese, double bacon, Frankie sauce, and brioche bread. right here Burger selected breeds of beef cut every day (among them, Discerlux) and is minced by hand. Price: 13.90. direction: Ponzano 46.
We close with a few establishments that, although they are not burger joints, do serve a few dishes to keep in mind. ibiza market (Ibiza, 8), a restaurant attached to Retiro, offers a delicious cuisine, with products, updated traditional flavors and seasonal dishes. Burger Cebo meat from La Finca, with homemade guacamole and free-range egg yolks, all inside a panum brioche (14 euros). Mature cow with brioche bread and cheddar cheese (16.50 euros) sent on asparagus commercial coffee (Bilbao Roundabout, 7).
In Beebo (Paseo de la Castellana, 52) proposes a version of fish and chips British: Spicy Sea Bass Burgerfries, tartar sauce and cole slaw Dani Garcia’s Restaurant Offers Purple Cabbage for the Most Carnivores Burger Bull80g Grilled Chopped Meat with a Special Sauce, Havarti Cheese, Trocadero Lettuce and Chips (19 Euros).
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