Food is the heart and the soul of any visit or trip, and one of the many reasons food and drink are the mainstays of many of our destination marketing initiatives. In March 2020, we were preparing to kick off the 3rd annual Burger and Brews Week, with the week culminating in The Burger Battle. Our participating restaurants planned to battle it out for Gwinnett’s best burger in an outdoor competition. Unfortunately, it was not to be in 2020, as mid-March was the week our county (and country) shut down due to COVID-19.
Fast forward to 2021, and we are hard at work evolving, re-introducing, and kicking off many of our most popular initiatives, including Burger and Brews Week. We have re-branded Burger and Brews Week for 2021, and it is now officially “Gwinnett Burger Week.” It is simple but also, simply fantastic. From March 14-20, enjoy 7 days of $7 custom, a la carte specialty burgers. Gwinnett Burger Week options are customized specifically for Gwinnett Burger Week, and these burgers are only available for one week! Local participating restaurants include Local Republic, Parma Tavern, Universal Joint, 1910 Public House, Marlow’s (Peachtree Corners and Duluth), Three Blind Mice, Firebirds and the newly opened Over the Top Burger Bar in Buford, as well as others.
The burgers will range from the simply sublime house ground cheeseburger to the exotic – a few of our favorites?
Start with Three Blind Mice’s Umami Bomb burger – how about marinated and Smashed Angus Beef Burger topped with Pickled Onions, Alfalfa Sprouts, Seasoned Tomatoes, Farmhouse Blue Cheese, and TBM’s Umami Aioli. Recently opened and drawing raves for their menu, the Over the Top Burger Bar’s offering is, well, over the top. Their Burger week burger, “The Chipper” will feature a BBQ rubbed patty, topped with house made kettle chips, warm bleu cheese bacon cream, diced onion, pickles, and their signature sauce.
And we love that Universal Joint has incorporated a little bit of Buford Highway’s diverse culinary flavors into their Bahn Mi Burger, featuring Angus beef and premium pork patty, topped with fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, pickled radish, cucumber, fresh jalapenos, and a delicious house made Sriracha sauce.
And we make it easy with Gwinnett Burger Week. There are no coupons to clip, or reservations to be made. Our custom $7 burgers are available for in-restaurant dining, and starting this year, for orders for pick up. (Please note: Gwinnett Burger Week $7 burger is NOT available for to-go orders through third party companies like Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.).
And Gwinnett Burger Week is just the beginning. Also, in March, our public craft brewery tours (“Sippin in the Suburbs”) will open to the public, offering a driving guided
tour the second Saturday of the month, followed by a walking tour in downtown Lawrenceville. A partnership with the already established Southern Beer Tours, the March driving tour will loop from Good Word Brewing in Duluth, to Anderby Brewing in Peachtree Corners, and wrapping up at StillFire Brewing in Suwanee.
You will hear from the brew masters, take a tour, and explore their craft beer offerings. Our walking tour will keep you in downtown Lawrenceville, with a behind the scenes tour at Ironshield Brewing, beverages at Slow Pour and a stop at Exhibit Ale on the Square. For tickets, visit exploregwinnett.org/the-latest/sippin-in-the-suburbs.
For all things foodie, your best bet is our Explore Gwinnett blog, “The Latest.” (https://www.exploregwinnett.org/the-latest) There, you’ll find what we love in Gwinnett – 8 ways to celebrate National Chocolate Month, 9 Places to Binge Brunch, our popular Seoul of the South series and 12 Ways to Treat Your Date to Something Different. At Explore Gwinnett, we love both food, beer and our listicles!