Narrowing this list down was hungry work.
There are a lot of burger offerings in this city, but many of them aren’t up to scratch, or fall flat by not serving the far superior smash burger. We’ve lost a ton of great burger joints as well, from The Counter, to Mosh Burger, to Heisenburger (which we still pray might reopen) but you know instantly whether a burger is one of the greats, or just piles of toppings inside a stale sesame bun on a patty too thick to really sink your teeth into.
In our opinion, if you don’t feel like you’re a sea creature in Bikini Bottom, biting into a krabby patty, then it’s not a top contender for best burger in Dublin. Luckily, there are eleven Dublin locations that achieve that feeling, if not the Krusty Krab atmosphere itself, which honestly, is probably for the best.
11. The Saucy Cow
Crane Lane, Temple Bar, more info here
Go with? Your vegan bestie who doesn’t just eat carrots and hummus
Kicking things off with a burger sans meat, this vegan restaurant absolutely deserves its place and proves a burger doesn’t need to be all beef to work.
If you have recently jumped onto the plant-based band wagon, but desperately miss the taste of a smash burger (and who could blame you) then The Saucy Cow is about to be your new best friend. The Groovy-chick inspired fast food spot only deals in all things meat-free and dairy-free, but you’d never know it from looking at their food, which mimics the greasy burger vibe seamlessly. Using the increasingly popular beyond meat, you can have your takeaway burger and eat it too, all without biting into a cow.
The Saucy Cow opens in Temple Bar Wednesday to Sunday from 12.00.
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10. Happy’s Bar
Aston Quay, Dublin 2, more info here
Go with? The girlies when you want a bottomless brunch meal that will actually fill you
Often overlooked for the nugs offering on their bottomless brunch menu, the burgers at Happy’s Bar are nothing to sniff at – unless that sniff turns into three swift bites. In particular the double smash burger is nothing short of melt in your mouth perfection – messy, to be sure – but the perfect ratio of meat, cheese, and lettuce that may sound simple, but is rarely achieved.
As with all the items on their menu, the burger is Asian fusion, adding gochujang to add a kick to their patties instead of regular Tom K (which hey, we love, but it’s nice to see something a bit different).
Happy’s Bar opens seven days a week from 13.00.
Double Smash Burger9. Cluck Chicken
Greenhills Road, Walkinstown (and newly opened in the Square!), more info here
Go with? Your smelliest hangover in search of a cure
While beef burgers are the go-to, when the craving for a chicken burger hits you like a hole in the head (Sugababes style) you can do nothing but fulfil that craving, and we have the perfect spot to do so.
As the old joke goes, the only reason anyone tries to traverse the perils of the Walkinstown Roundabout is to try and get to Cluck Chicken, purveyors of some of the finest chicken burgers and loaded fries in Dublin. The team of cluckers do a bang-up job serving some of the best chicken burgers in the land, heavy on the sauce, big on flavour, these burgers will keep you full for roughly 48 hours. They are also constantly reworking and tweaking their menu, and each and every month they do a monthly burger special which typically pushes every imagined burger boundary.
You can check out the opening hours for the different Cluck Chicken locations here.
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8. Bang Bang
Phibsborough’s 59A Leinster Street North, for more info click here
Go with? Your early bird friend
A true blue institution, Bang Bang in Phibsborough serves up quality coffee and grub with a side of social demonstration. Their brunch burger is nothing short of legendary and rumoured to fix any hangover. Smokey mayo, fresh cheese, a fried egg and bacon, this bad boy will keep you returning time and time again.
Bang Bang opens Tuesday to Friday from 9.00, and on weekends from 10.00.
7. The Storyteller
Dublin 2’s 9 Grand Canal Street Lower, more info here
Go with? Your friend for a catchup pint and a feed
Few boozers have hit the ground running quite like The Storyteller which opened up where Becky Morgans used to be back in January 2023. Whilst being a new hub for the local area and a go-to spot for the tech heads that work nearby, the spot has become a great spot for some solid pub grub, and the burger offering is no short of saliva inducing.
The burger is made up of half steak and half mince to maximise tenderness and juiciness, giving it the Hannah Montana best of both worlds, topped with flavoursome Bordelaise onions, melted farmhouse cheddar, some green pepper and a smooth dijon mayo. You’ll remember this one.
The Storyteller opens seven days a week from 12.00 to 23.30.
6. Nice Burger
The Bernard Shaw, Drumcondra & The Lighthouse Dún Laoghaire, for more info click here
Go with? Your friend who needs some fun in their life
Nice Burger, with locations north and south of the Liffey, is a great spot serving a range of smash and deep-fried chicken burgers, alongside heavily loaded fries and an excellent spice bag that acceptable to eat in public. The smash burgs are fresh, and juicy, with just the right amount of time spent on the grill.
Nice Burger opens in both locations between 16.00 and 22.00 Thursday and Friday, and 12.00 and 22.00 on Saturdays and Sundays.
5. Bunsen
Various locations, for more info click here
Go with? Your beloved for a restorative burger to bring you back from the brink of a hanger meltdown
A couple of years ago, Bunsen entirely changed the food scene in Dublin (definitely for the best). By pairing things back to their most simple, and printing their entire menu printed on a business card, they turned the tide on overly sauced and topped burgs. The team at Bunsen know what they are at, even going as far as to cook your burg to order- absolutely no messing there.
It takes a lot for us to include a chain on one of these lists, but by god does Bunsen deserve to be there. We think it’s up there with certain burger chains in the States, the kind of joint other cities are praying will open on their streets one day.
Each of the Bunsens open from midday.
4. Puck Burger
Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Centre Blackwood Lane, more info here
Go with? Your friend who did a J1 in New York and hasn’t shut about it
For an Americana-twinged burger that tastes just how they imagine they might in the movies- see Grease, Licorice Pizza and Lana Del Rey’s discography – Puck Burger is your guy. Crispy and charred smashed patty, drenched in melted cheese served up with blushed pink pickled onions, signature puck sauce on a brioche bun. This is a burger that you’ll struggle to shake from your memory, and more importantly, will have you continuously coming back for more.
Puck are flipping burgers Wednesday to Sunday from 12.00 until late.
3. Featherblade
Dublin 2’s 51B Dawson Street, for more info click here
Go with? Your parents
Like with everything they do, the team at Featherblade put a lot of time and ingredients into getting their now classic-burger juuuust right. Sometimes referred to as “Dublin’s best burger” their burg is exceptionally well-balanced, it also comes in at a marvellous price point when you take in the quality of ingredients, the level of service and the ambience. If you can bring yourself to forfeit the steak on your next visit, you won’t regret opting for the burger instead.
Featherblade is notoriously hard to get a booking, so make sure you plan in advance.
2. BuJo
Sandymount and Terenure, for more info click here
Go with? Your climate conscious companion
In the seven years that BuJo has been flipping burgers, they have quickly become a much mentioned spot, and with a Culinary Director with as much experience as Gráinne O’Keefe behind them, it’s no wonder they’re taking the number two spot on this list.
This Sandymount institution has thankfully flapped its wings and landed in another location, Terenure. Made fresh to order using quality grass-fed beef, you can really taste the smoke on these patties. There’s a hellova lot of thought that goes into each and every order here from the well-seasoned chips to the perfectly creamy American shake.
BuJo opens seven days a week in both locations – you can find the opening hours here.
1. Dash Burger
Kevin’s Street, Dublin 2 & Capel Street, Dublin 1
Go with? You, yourself, and I
Few menu items have held such a choke-hold on the good people of Dublin quite like Dash Burger has, from news of its opening which was carried from greasy mouth to whispering ear, to new menu which is transported by similar means. This burger is the undefeated winner of the best burger in Dublin by a country mile and we have no doubt that it would take a lot of knock it off its lofty pedestal- that or if George Motz decides to relocate from NY to Dublin. A patty that’s been scraped from the flattop, onions that have been crushed into its centre topped with melted cheese and just the right amount of pickles all served on a potato bun- it’ll blow all the burgers before it out of your memory.
Dash Burger opens Monday to Sunday from 12.00 to 21.00.
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