St. Augustine is known for its seafood, that’s for sure. With our ocean-adjacent location, it should come as a surprise to no one. But there’s another thing that St. Augustine does particularly well – burgers. If you’ve got a craving for a burger in St. Augustine (and be honest, who hasn’t?), then you won’t have to look far. With everything from datil-inspired toppings to a veggie burger in disguise, you’ll find a St. Augustine burger for everyone. Consider these spots your directory for the best burgers in St. Augustine.
Prohibition Kitchen
119 St. George Street
There are plenty of burger options at Prohibition Kitchen – like the Whisky BBQ Burger (topped with, naturally, whisky BBQ sauce), the Bootlegger (topped with house pimento cheese, bacon, and fried pickled green tomatoes, and arugula), or even the Garden Guru (for the vegetarians in the audience). But there’s a reason that the Signature Burger is Prohibition Kitchen’s, well, signature. It starts with a half pound of their special house blend short rib, brisket, and sirloin patty, then it’s topped with red onion jam, fried egg, and Red Dragon cheese.
www.pkstaug.com
Sunset Grille
421 A1A Beach Boulevard
There’s more than just beachside seafood on this menu. Dig into Jimmy’s favorite, the Paradise Burger – topped with Heinz 57 and french-fried potatoes – or the A1A Steakhouse Burger – topped with housemade Vidalia onion, steak sauce, pickle relish and blue cheese crumbles – or even Dani’s Brunch burger – waffle-topped with bacon, a fried egg, sweet potatoes, datil ranch, and spicy honey syrup. Or, of course, you can just stick to the classics.
www.sunsetgrillea1a.com
Photo by Brian Miller
Salt Life Food Shack
321 A1A Beach Boulevard
Take a seat out on the deck, flip Salt Life’s enormous menu to the “Handhelds” page, and dive in. You can try out the classics – like the Beach Burger or the Burger Club (all the burger classics plus ham and bacon thrown in). Or you can opt for the Big Wave Burger, topped with lettuce, tomato, and Shack sauce then served with bacon, cheddar, and avocado fries. And if you want to go really off script, try the Spicy Tuna Burger – a handmade yellowfin tuna burger topped with avocado fries and drizzled with spicy Sriracha mayo.
www.saltlifefoodshack.com/locations/st-augustine
Barley Republic
48 Spanish Street
A good burger and the welcoming atmosphere of an Irish pub? Sign us up. Slide onto a barstool or sit out on the porch to people watch and order the BYOB – a burger with any classic topping (plus pickled datil peppers) – or the vegetarian Beyond Burger, or even get fancy with the Lamb Burger – a half pound ground lamb burger topped with goat cheese, baby arugula, and red wine onions.
www.barleyrepublic.com
Auggie’s Draft Room
3 St. George Street
Auggie’s Draft Room has a create-your-own-adventure attitude toward burgers. You can start with a canvas of burger or cheeseburger (with or without bacon) then just go crazy with their free toppings – like datil ketchup, remoulade, or sweet chili sauce, jalapeños, pineapple, or relish or barbecue sauce. And of course, the classic toppings. So this is a kind of burger that you build with your heart (and your stomach).
www.facebook.com/auggiesdraftroom
The Cheese Wheel & Sandwich Board
223A West King Street
At the Cheese Wheel, the burgers don’t have to stray far from the classics to stand out. Their Pimento Cheese Burger is a sirloin burger served on a potato roll and topped with freshly sliced tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and the pièce de résistance – delicious, housemade pimento cheese. As a born-and-raised Southerner, you’ll know there’s just nothing better.
www.orderthecheesewheel.com
Burger Buckets
3 Cordova Street
Right in the heart of downtown – and conveniently near the parking garage – you’ll find over a dozen burger preparations at Burger Buckets. From the Glazed Doughnut Bacon Cheeseburger (doughnut top and bottom buns on a bacon cheeseburger) to the Monster Triple Piggy Burger (bacon cheeseburger, smoked pit ham, and pulled pork topped with an onion ring) and everything in between – plus a Kick the Bucket Burger Challenge – there’s so much to love about the offerings at Burger Buckets.
www.burgerbuckets.com
Boat Drinks
56 St. George Street
For this new-in-town tropical tavern, you’ll mostly find a creative, limited menu of seafood dishes (plus, of course, tropical craft cocktails), but they do have a couple of options for landlubbers – like the Cheeseburger, that comes topped with griddled onion, pickles, and American cheese. And if your landlubber status is strictly vegetarian, then you can grab the switch out the ground chuck for an Impossible Burger.
www.boatdrinksbar.com
Photo by Brian Miller
One Twenty Three Burger House
123 King Street
The name alone should tell you that you can’t miss out on burgers here. You can pretty much find any burger you’re craving on their menu, but if you want to try something new, order the Pizza Burger – topped with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni and marinara sauce – or the Greek Burger – fresh sautéed spinach, fresh chopped garlic, feta cheese, fresh fried onion strips – or maybe the Cali – jalapeño infused bacon with avocado, fresh tomato, and red onion topped with swiss cheese. Choosing may take a while.
www.onetwentythreeburgerhouse.com
Mango Mango’s
700 A1A Beach Boulevard
There’s no better way to spend a beach day than by taking a burger lunch break. And since Mango Mango’s is just steps from the sand, we’d say they’re a pretty good choice. But the location isn’t the only thing that sells them – Mango Mango’s has some pretty delicious burgers on offer. You can try the Mango Burger – with avocado, caramelized onion, and spicy mayo – or the Cuban Burger – with ham, swiss, spicy mayo, and dill slices – or go big with the Ultimate Island Burger – with apricot honey mustard, pepper jack cheese, brown sugar jerk-rubbed bacon, and beer battered onion rings.
www.mangomangos.com
World Famous Oasis
4000 A1A South
With its tropical atmosphere, open-air deck, and welcoming attitude, World Famous Oasis is the perfect spot to grab a casual burger. And you’ll have plenty of options. You can opt for the classic Patty Melt or go with something a little more creative, like the spicy Chip’s Burger (topped with sauteed onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers, banana peppers, and provolone) or Greg’s Special Burger (with sauteed onions, shredded cabbage, and special sauce). And there’s more where that came from.
www.worldfamousoasis.com
Photo by Brian Miller
Cheezees Grill
926 Santa Maria Boulevard
We can personally attest to the impossibility of Cheezees Grill’s Impossible Burger. This veggie burger tastes like a hamburger (and a delicious hamburger at that). But the Impossible Burger is made 100% meat-free, an entirely plant-based dish developed by scientists over at Impossible Foods. It’s worth a trip to Cheezees just for that. Luckily, you’ll also find the Delightful California Burger, the Western Burger, the Eagle Has Landed Philly Burger, the Jazzy Mushroom Burger, and more.
www.cheezeesgrill.com
Beachcomber
2 A Street
Just a few steps off the beach, you’ll find some pretty fancy burgers being served up by the folks at Beachcomber. Try the Brie Burger (chargrilled and topped with caramelized onion rings, horseradish bacon-aioli, melting brie, and baby greens), the El Loco (chargrilled and Cajun-spiced, topped with a Monterey Jack/Cheddar blend, pickled jalapeños, and guacamole). There’s even a fried shrimp and tartar sauce-topped burger or the classic veggie burger. Kinda reminds us of that Jimmy Buffet song “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
www.beachcomberstaugustine.com
Photo by Rob Futrell
The Press
525 FL-16 #101
The Press is certainly one of the local burger experts, so we suggest making a couple of burger trips. And you can start with a burger that caters to the St. Augustine obsession with the datil pepper – The Datil Burger. It’s a ½ pound burger stuffed with a Datil pepper & scallion cream cheese and grilled to perfection. Then switch the the Conquistador – bacon, chorizo, manchego, onion straws, lettuce tomato raw onion, pickles, and chimichurri. But you still won’t be out of delicious burger options.
www.thepressstaugustine.com
Gas Full Service Restaurant
9 Anastasia Boulevard, C
This is one restaurant with a menu full of burgers, so make sure you come hungry. You can start off with something classic (and Food Network-famous) like the Jalapeno Popper Burger – a half pound burger stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños then panko-breaded and deep fried – or grab the Half Tank – a half pound burger topped with “beermento” cheese, full-service slaw, bacon, and fried pickles. And that’s just the beginning.
www.gasrestaurant.com
Featured image by Rob Futrell
