Who has the best burger in the Fort Myers, Cape Coral area? A champion has been crowned
Reid Freeman wanted to create a better burger.
After Hurricane Ian destroyed his family’s Smokin’ Oyster Brewery on Fort Myers Beach, the classically trained chef bought a food truck that November and opened his first restaurant — Street Eatz & Ale — in April 2023.
“I knew I wanted a perfect smash burger,” Freeman said while greeting customers at his Bokeelia restaurant. “It started in the food truck and I amped it up when I got here. I changed the sauce, perfected the spice, the blend.”
Freeman’s efforts paid off.
Not only are they the best-selling item at Street Eatz, but his burgers were voted the best in Lee County in the 2024 News-Press burger bracket challenge.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “It’s amazing. We have a lot of support.”
Those loyal customers helped lift the No. 16 seed to the title over sixth-seeded Fat Katz in the final round.
But it was a close one. Just 25 votes separated the two, with Street Eatz eking out the win with 51% of those votes.
The last to qualify for the bracket, Freeman’s burger pulled off a series of upsets by beating top-seeded Only Doubles (which won best burger in the Naples Daily News bracket) in the Sweet 16, then No. 9 Ford’s Garage in the Elite 8, and No. 12 Artisan Eatery in the Final Four.
“Once we got through Ford’s Garage, I was kind of thinking this could actually happen,” Freeman said. “People didn’t want seafood the last few weeks. They were coming for the burgers. We usually do 50 or 60 a day. We did 120 the other day.”
Three award-winning burgers on the menu
What makes the win even more stunning is that there are only a few burgers on the menu — the smash burger, a barbecue bacon burger and a burger/sandwich of the week.
Last week, the special was a Hawaiian burger with two patties, grilled pineapple, teriyaki, pan-fried Spam and Swiss. This week, it’s a jalapeno popper burger with cheddar cheese, bacon and pickles.
Other specials have included a chili-cheese smash burger, a portabella and Swiss, a Spam burger and a surf & turf smash with blue crab and pimento.
“I come up with the special burgers,” Freeman said. “I cook what I like and hope others like it too.”
They certainly seem to.
Freeman uses a brisket, short rib and chuck blend in his burgers (which come with two, three or more patties) and a mayo-based sauce which is a “fancier fancy sauce, with chilis and spices.”
“A lot of customers go for the special burger,” he said. “But the most popular is probably the good old American (cheese) smash burger.”
A taste of Fort Myers Beach is on the menu too
Freeman describes Street Eatz as a “laid-back little neighborhood bar with upscale food.”
“It’s a bar atmosphere, but I use the same ingredients as five-star restaurants,” he said. “And with reasonable prices.”
The menu features some of the favorite items he cooked at Smokin’ Oyster Brewery — crab legs in spicy garlic and butter, smoked fish dip (“a family recipe for years”) and smoked chicken wings.
The grouper Reuben, Cuban sandwich and grouper and shrimp tacos special from Fort Myers Beach are always on the menu at Street Eatz.
Freeman, who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, grew up working in his family’s restaurant until Ian changed it all.
“In one night it was gone,” he said. “I had no idea what was going to happen. That was my life. It was sink or swim when I came here. I took all I had and threw it at this place. I worked on it during the day and ran the food truck at night.”
Customers followed him from the Beach and locals supported Street Eatz.
“This big little island is very family-oriented,” Freeman said. “They opened their arms up and took us in. They came out strong and voted for us. They say, ‘Pine Island strong’ for a reason. And I need to mention the guys and girls who work here — JoDee, Alexis, Jay, Orbil, Jason S., and Jason Jr. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
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Fat Katz, meanwhile, finished second overall with an impressive run of its own. The Fort Myers sports bistro took out No. 11 Stones Throw in the first round, No. 3 Matt’s Red Hots in the Elite 8 and No. 15 Keg & Cow in the Final Four.
Readers nominated the 16 restaurants in the burger bracket challenge. They then voted each week — from the Sweet 16 to the final two — until Street Eatz was eventually crowned the champion. Crowdsignal, an independent accounting/polling resource, tallied the votes.
“I just fly under the radar, cook good food, have fun and go home at the end of the day,” Freeman said. “But I’m already thinking of ways to get better.”
Come by Street Eatz on Wednesday
Join The News-Press at Street Eatz & Ale in Bokeelia from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. Food writer Robyn George and marketing director Jigsha Desai will be on hand to honor Reid Freeman and his burger bracket championship. It’ll be the perfect time to try one of his title-winning burgers and maybe even score some free News-Press swag. See you there!
Street Eatz, 5508 Avenue A, Bokeelia; (239) 312-4697; seabokeelia.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Street Eatz or Fat Katz? Who won the 2024 best burger challenge?
