“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the good burger. Can I take your order?”
Don’t tell the Chick-fil-A Cowz, but we absolutely relish a good burger (see what we did there?). Like, LOVE it. Which is why we also love Explore Gwinnett’s annual Burgers & Brews event, which provides an amazing opportunity to try some of the unique, delicious burgers Gwinnett has to offer. During Burgers & Brews Week (March 17-23, 2019), participating restaurants offer a specialty $7 burger, as well as a suggested beer pairing ($7 only gets you the burger though – bring more change if you want the accompanying brewski). Can’t wait ‘til Burgers & Brews? Here are some of our absolute favorite Gwinnett burgers to try in the meantime.
Mr. Jones
Local Republic
139 N Perry Street | Lawrenceville
Named after a customer who first requested pimento cheese on his burger, rather than the Counting Crows song, Mr. Jones is truly a thing of beauty. All Local Republic burgers are an eight-ounce blend of ground beef brisket, short ribs and chuck on a whole wheat bun. Mr. Jones is then topped with house-made pimento cheese, house-pickled jalapenos and the thickest bacon the chef can source. One of seven burgers on LR’s menu, Mr. Jones isn’t the most adventurous (that title probably goes to The Sink), but is certainly the most popular. Future burgers will forever feel naked without pimento cheese. Sing along with us (cause we know it’s been going through your head since you started reading this): Sha, la, la, la, la, la, la….
Krispy Kreme Burger
Parma Rustic Tavern
3350 Buford Drive | Buford
We love whoever it was that first said, “What if we smoked the bacon in apple wood?” That, our friends, is initiative: to take something that was already agreed upon as perfect and make it more perfecter. “Hey,” said the seriously innovative chef at Parma Tavern, “What if we ditch the buns and use Krispy Kremes instead?” Dude. DUDE. Yes. Add half a pound of black angus, caramelized onions and BBQ sauce to the bacon and Krispy Kremes and you have some sort of southern heart attack perfection. And just to be clear, the burger is between two donuts – not one sliced in half. C’mon now.
Breakfast All Day Burger
BurgerFi
938 Duluth Highway | Lawrenceville
Who says burgers are just for lunch and dinner? Not BurgerFi. Impossibly messy, this mealtime utility player features hickory smoked bacon, American cheese, maple syrup, a fried egg, hash browns and grilled onions. As an added perk, BurgerFi uses only top one percent natural Angus beef that is part of the “Never-Ever” program – meaning the free-range cows are humanely treated, raised on vegetarian diets, and never exposed to steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones, chemicals or additives. So you can feel good about the full day-worth of calories that you’re shoving in your mouth.
Lamb burger
Sam’s on Main
420 Grayson Parkway | Grayson
For something a little more out-of-the-ordinary, head down to Grayson for the lamb burger at Sam’s on Main. A nod to owner Sam Bazid’s childhood in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq, the lamb burger features house-made ground lamb with fresh herb seasoning, lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce (tzatziki sauce improves EVERYTHING). If Mary’s little lamb doesn’t do it for you, the more traditional Wisconsin Blue Burger will: a pepper crusted patty with tomato, Bermuda onion, lettuce, Wisconsin blue cheese crumbles, horseradish sauce and a touch of A1 sauce.
Black & Blue
Marlow’s Tavern
1950 Satellite Boulevard | Duluth
3333 Buford Drive | Buford
We’ll be perfectly honest: We’re not sure where the “blue” part of this burger comes in. The unpretentious, non-French spelling indicates that it’s not made with bleu cheese—and indeed, this delicious burger features gorgonzola (the best of the stinky cheeses, IMHO). Anyway. Topped with applewood smoked bacon on a toasted sesame brioche roll, this burger definitely tops the list. And if you’re not into beef, you can substitute grilled chicken. Which would eliminate the “black” part of the burger as well…