National Hamburger Day 2024: 15 mouthwatering Pensacola area burgers to try before you die

Editor's note: This story has been updated to provide to correct the address of Union Public House.

May 28 is National Hamburger Day, and Pensacola is full of burgers of all different shapes, styles and sizes to help you celebrate.

Whether you're looking to taste one smothered with house beer cheese, smooshed between Black Garlic Market sourdough, smashed in a double patty melt or stacked high with braised short rib, it's likely the Pensacola area has something for you. In honor of National Hamburger Day, here are 15 Pensacola area burgers you have to try before you die.

Blue Dot Barbecue

310 N. DeVilliers St.

What to try: Original hamburger

When asked where to find a good burger in Pensacola, you will undoubtedly hear Blue Dot as a top contender. Founded in 1946 by Blue and Dot Robinson, hence the name, Blue Dot has remained in the family for three generations. The shop is known, and adored, for its no-frills atmosphere that focuses on creating a timelessly crave worthy burger.

"Mayo, mustard, tomato, onion. salt and pepper," owner J. Byron Long said. "It's a simple burger, and it's worked for all these years." It’s unpretentious, unassuming, and tucked into a brown paper lunch bag straight off the grill. The burger is to be ordered unadulterated, without modifications. Only in 2022 did they begin adding cheese, and Pensacola just about lost its mind. Stroll through the historic Belmont-Devilliers neighborhood, and pop inside to taste it for yourself. Just don’t forget your cash, as it’s cash only.

TOPS Choice Hamburgers

401 E. Cervantes St.

What to try: Bacon cheeseburger

While TOPS has several locations across the Gulf Coast, its Pensacola location is a well-known staple for a reason. It’s a drive-thru and pick-up-only establishment, with a condensed menu that keeps the focus on good food. The quarter pound burgers are made-to-order using 100% beef patties that comes with the traditional toppings of mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard onion, and ketchup. If you’re looking for something a little old-school, TOPS is a must.  The greasy brown paper bag says it all.

MI SU Street Food

Mobile

What to try: MI SU Melt

No one does smash burgers quite like MI SU Street Food. The owners Alden and Hylene Garcia mesh Spanish burgers with American fast food, bringing one-of-a-kind flavors to the Pensacola area. The MI SU Melt is a spin off of the Argentinian Choripan, which stars a signature sauce made with house ground chorizo turned into a mayonnaise. The sandwich comes with a potato bun, one or two patties, white American cheese, onions and bell peppers, chimichurri and the signature chorizo aioli. All 4-ounce patties are smashed thin, so a double is recommended. While MI SU is a mobile food truck, you can find the frequenting downtown fixtures often, like Odd Colony Brewing Company.

Brown Bagger

3808 N. 12 Ave. and 6820 Caroline St.

What to try: Bagger Burger

Brown Bagger is the resident food truck outside of Pensacola’s Alga Beer Co. and has grown exponentially since opening in 2021. They started out with the goal of serving “exceptional food consistently” and have replicated that in a second location outside Milton’s Gulf Coast Garage Patio Bar that opened this year. While there are many interesting varieties to try, we recommend experiencing the food truck’s namesake, The Bagger Burger, which comes loaded up with a quarter pound Waygu beef patty, American cheese, grilled onions, topped with their signature Bagger Sauce on a potato bun, is hard to beat. Don’t forget to add the Bangin Brussels or the truffle parm fries.

Sauce Boss Burger Co.

319 N. Tarragona St. and 5260 Gulf Breeze Parkway

What to try: The Handlebar

Sauce Boss Burger Co. specializes in fresh ingredients, interesting flavors and quality customer-service. The Boss Burger is the one that started it all, with hand-torn lettuce, thin sliced sweet onions, house-brined pickle chips and specialty Boss sauce. This is available at the trucks' fixed locations in downtown Pensacola and in Gulf Breeze’s Grab-a-Bite Food Court & Bar. However, one burger we love to recommend for getting out of your comfort zone is The Handlebar, which is available exclusively at the downtown Pensacola location. It’s a patty melt with two smash patties on Craft Bakery Black Garlic Market sourdough (baked exclusively for Sauce Boss) topped with parmesan and Monterey Jack cheese, house pickles and 196 sauce. The house sauce is described as a "balanced aioli with Black Garlic fermented for 196 hours right here in Pensacola! Slightly sweet with hints of Balsamic.” If you’re looking for a toasty, juicy, mouthwatering burger, The Handlebar covers all of the bases.

Proper Burger

9 E. Garden St.

What to try: Proper Burger

You’ll notice that the menu comes short and sweet, and that’s for a reason. Proper Burger is going back to the basics with creating an incredible smash burger. The menu keeps it simple with high quality ingredients, starting with a custom-made Costello’s Butcher Shop meat blend, crisp lettuce, ripe tomato, pickles, onions and cheese, topped with a brioche bun and slathered with a signature Proper sauce that ties it all together. The burger patties can come single or double, with the choice for fries. The fries are made using beef tallow, giving it an extra delicious flavor. While you’re there, pair with a handcrafted cocktail from the B Side bar next door, offering unique beverages like the Banana Old fashioned, Caribeno Daiquiri or the Strawberry Fields Spritz.

McGuire's Irish Pub

600 E. Gregory St.

What to try: Big Daddy Burger

McGuire’s is famous for a lot of things ? the low red lights, the millions of hanging dollar bills and of course, the steak burgers. Burgers are custom ground by McGuire’s butchers from steak trimmings with three-quarter pounds of lean beef with a blend of seasonings rubbed into handmade steak burgers. All burgers are served with Irish potato fries or homemade baked beans. While there are over two dozen options to choose from, including wild options like the brie and blueberry chutney burger and the Terrible Garbage Burger, the “Big Daddy Burger” is among the most famous and one we would proudly recommend. The Big Daddy, featured on the Food Network, comes topped with bacon, cheddar and jalapeno.

George Bistro + Bar

6205 N. Ninth Ave.

What to try: Brunch Burger

George Bistro is an elevated dining option known for “South-meets-South” fusion connecting flavors from the South of France to the fresh, local ingredients of the Florida Panhandle. While it is a popular Pensacola fixture for lunch and dinner, the weekend brunch offered on Saturday and Sundays is a culinary journey of its own. On that special menu you’ll find the Brunch Burger, which is an 8-ounce burger patty on brioche bun, cheddar cheese, one egg any style, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion and garlic bacon aioli served with hand cut rosemary sea salt fries or mixed greens salad.

The Reef

63 Via De Luna Drive, Pensacola Beach

What to try: The Patty Melt Smash Burger

Branded as the best smash burger on the island, The Reef has become a local's respite for good food on Pensacola Beach with relatively low prices. While the classic smash burgers are always available, they also have a rotating “burger of the month” that experiments with unique flavors, like this month’s Fiesta burger. We recommend giving The Patty Melt Smash Burger a shot, which comes with a double patty, melted with white American cheese, spicy pepper bacon jam and served on Texas Toast with a side of French fries.

Sammy Barker's

875 E. Nine Mile Road

What to try: Battle of the Bay Winner 2020

Sammy Barker's is a favorite East Nine Mile Road hangout offering chef inspired takes on American street food. The burgers are made special with choice cuts of beef that are ground fresh, in-house daily then hand-balled, smashed and seared.

One of the top burgers to taste is the Battle of the Bay Winner 2020, which was voted by a judges panel as the winner of 2020 Burger Battle by the Bay. It comes topped with smoked gouda, bacon onion jam, red cabbage slaw, sweet red peppers and the trademarked Sammy sauce. Once you taste it, you’ll see that it’s a winner for a reason.

Union Public House

36 E. Garden St.

What to try: UPH Burger

Union Public House is known for paving the way for unique foods, and the UPH Burger is truly a burger that created its own lane in Pensacola's food scene. Piled high with braised short rib, kale, tomato, house aioli, cheddar and bacon, the sandwich is a full dinner plate in hand-held form. At Union, everything is made from scratch with limited time specials constantly being crafted in the kitchen. Union Public House, now positioned on 36 E. Garden St., has been one of Pensacola’s crown jewels of dining for over seven years. Through the years, the UPH Burger has become a staple.

3-D Eats & Tea

3200 N. Pace Blvd.

What to try: BBQ Bacon

Pensacola’s 3-D Eats is known for making fast food better with high quality ingredients at affordable prices. Owner Sean DeSmet refers to 3-D Eats as a "blue collar company” that offers their craft burgers starting at only $4.50. The classic single burger comes topped with ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion. We recommend splurging a little on the BBQ Bacon for $6, which comes loaded with two onion rings, bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese.

The Dog House

30 S. Palafox Place

What to try: Southern Charm

The Dog House has been a locally owned Pensacola staple since 1977 and has been a casual spot offering some of the region’s best cuisine. While it’s the place to be for oysters, mullet, po’boys, specialty hot dogs and, of course, bacon-infused smash burgers. The Southern Charm is the one we suggest to give you a taste of the best the restaurant has to offer. It comes with two 3.5-ounce smoked bacon-infused beef patties, smoked gouda cheese, caramelized onion jam, arugula, tomatoes and sweet chili aioli.

The Burrow

1010 N. 12th Ave.

What to try: The Burrow Burger

The newest restaurant to join the list is East Hill’s The Burrow, which opened earlier this year as a sister restaurant to downtown Pensacola’s Odd Colony Brewing Co. Led by executive chef Amy Potmesil, the Burrow Burger is one of the many items that has been turning heads. The burger is made with an 8-ounce chargrilled Black Angus CAB and topped with roasted garlic aioli, a house beer cheese spread, pickles, crispy onions, pickled mustard seeds, arugula and brioche and served with hickory smoked sea salt fries. This is sure to be a burger you won’t forget.

Seville Quarter

130 E. Government St.

What to try: The Foster Burger

While Seville Quarter’s seven bars are known as Pensacola’s source for nightlife, they have been putting themselves on the map as a dining destination. Now, it’s one of the local best kept secrets for an affordable lunch in a picturesque, historic building. We recommend trying The Foster Burger, which is described as a Pensacola County Club classic made with cast iron seared ground chuck and short rib on toasted marble rye with grilled onions, bacon and American cheese. The sandwich is served with a pickle spear and choice of fries.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: National Hamburger Day 2024: 15 of the Pensacola area's best burgers