With the space-themed 2021 Beijing Burger Festival at Langyuan Station taking place this Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, Sep 19-21, everyone here at Jingkids has had burgers on the brain. What’s more, we’ve been fiercely debating the secret to an absolutely mouthwatering, tender, juicy, heart-achingly good burger. Of course, most people will say it lies in the beef. But be it USDA choice, Australian wagyu, ground chuck, ground sirloin, fatty, lean, or even plant-based, beef options in the capital aren’t what they are in the States, arguably the home of the burger. All of which got us thinking: Beef quality aside, what other ingredients or cooking methods can be used to achieve a truly exceptional burger? To find out, we spoke with three home chefs and found out their secret ingredients for the perfect sizzling burger.

Amy Bailey, active mom of three boys and enthusiastic volunteer, reveals that “the secret to having a crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside burger is to only flip once on a hot grill. And the brioche buns!  You can never underestimate the power of a buttery soft bun.” Her recipe for a mouthwatering crispy burger also includes applewood smoked bacon slices, which I can attest is one of the best culinary creations of all time, and sadly really hard to find outside of the US.

Expat marketeer and mom, Claudia McDermott agrees with Bailey about the brioche buns, which are a staple of her minted lamb burger with pickled beetroot and feta cheese. After combining a handful of finely chopped mint leaves and shallot, half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (or brown mustard), a pinch of dried thyme, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce with the minced lamb to make the burger patties, her trick is to warm the beetroot before adding it to the burger. Then crumbling feta cheese on and covering the burger in order to melt the feta just slightly.

And guess what ingredient makes an appearance again with expat translator Paul Harris, who feels that “restaurants often skimp on the bread, or they try to go gimmicky with something like ramen buns or four patties, but all you really need is fresh brioche or potato buns, ground beef with 20 percent fat and plain old American cheese.”

Thank you to Bailey, McDermott and Harris for sharing their secret burger ingredient and cooking tips! If you want to win a pair of Burger Fest tickets as well, just share YOUR secret burger ingredient or special burger cooking tip in the comments below. The most liked comments will win!

Meanwhile, if you don’t know the secret to a mouthwatering burger but want to find out, you’ll have your pick of Beijing’s finest bun slingers all weekend long. Just scan the QR code below to purchase your tickets!

KEEP READING: Burger Fest + Mid Autumn Mooncakes! This Week’s Top Family-Friendly Events

Images: Unsplash

What is it about burgers that make them so devoutly loved by all? Well, whatever the reason, we couldn’t be more thrilled that back in the 1800s, Sir Ham Burgerston* – inventor of the hamburger – decided to combine his bread, salad, meat, and cheese into one easy-to-eat combo. Because if it weren’t for this intrepid foodie’s daring and innovative mind, the Beijinger never would’ve had the opportunity to host its annual, not to mention highly-anticipated, Burger Festival!

Every summer the Beijinger’s Burger Fest brings together the city’s most beloved slider slingers for a weekend of food-filled fun. Folks get to eat, play games, dance, listen to great music, watch ridiculously silly entertainment, and simply enjoy some amazing summertime vibes with friends and family all weekend long.

This year’s theme is “A Burger Oddyssy” so think everything space-related. However, if a full spacesuit in August sounds a bit too sweaty, feel free to take some inspiration from your favorite cosmic flicks such as Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, or perhaps even Marvin the Martian.

This year’s Burger Fest will take place Aug 6-8 from 11am-8pm at Wangjing Walk. That’s three days of Beijing’s biggest, juiciest, most mouthwatering beef-on-bun belly busters – not to mention plenty of live entertainment, games, drinks, and all-around awesome times. It will be one small bite for a burger fan, one giant chomp for burger kind.

Per tradition, the fest will also mark the start of the Beijinger’s 2021 Burger Cup, an all-out battle royale to decide who will be elected best burger of the year! There’s no better way to decide who you’re voting for than to come out to the fest and give each patty a try!

Tickets are on sale now and you can snag an early bird for RMB 30 by scanning the QR code below.

Or better yet, win tickets to Burger Fest by simply telling us where your favorite burger is in the comments below! Then get your community to agree with you by liking your comment before 6pm Sunday July 18. The top three most liked comments will win 3 tickets each to Burger Fest 2021!

*There is no Sir Ham Burgerston.

KEEP READING: Day 1 of Burger Fest – Don’t Miss Out on The Fun!

Images: Uni You

Over the past week, our buds at the Beijinger profiled hamburgers that push the limits of what a bun and beef can do, from Japan’s rice burger to the tallest and cheesiest options around town. This, however, only begins to scratch the surface of burger innovation, and specifically, Beijing’s creative affinity for the beloved cuisine. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most unique offerings at this weekend’s Superhero Burger Fest, hosted by the Beijinger and JSS Delivery service, Sep 18-20 at Wangjing Walk.   

Vegetarian Double & Spicy Vegan Burgers by QMex

The Veggie Burger that packs an unbelievable punch!

As a preview of what’s to come for QMex Bar & Grill’s ever-expanding meatless menu, the TexMex staple will be unveiling two new options at Burger Fest, a Vegetarian Double Burger and Spicy Vegan Burger, both of which use China-based faux-meat purveyor Zhenrou for the patties. The vegetarian burger is a guilt-free twist on the classic cheeseburger, featuring two patties, two slices of cheese, mayo, and QMex’s special sauce. Not to be outdone – by their own options no less – they’ll also be slinging a Spicy Vegan Burger, complete with two patties, a vegan paprika cream cheese, jalapeño slices, tomato, lettuce, and vegan mayo.

Unagi Kabayaki Burger by The Music Bar

No, really. You have to try this one.

It’s said that not all heroes have capes, and to be sure, not all burgers have beef. In fact, some, like the Unagi Kabayaki Burger by Shunpachi’s executive chef, David Liu, which is made from tender, mouthwatering eel cooked in a garlic shiso butter mayonnaise and topped with egg between two seaweed buns, rounding out that authentic nori-infused unagi unadon flavor. This is truly unlike any burger you’ll find at the festival, let alone in Beijing, and is a must-try for every seafood lover who’s sick and tired of beef-centric burger options.

Secret Beef Rib Burger by Steam Rhino

It’s prehistorically delicious!

Whereas most restaurants are content with simply grinding up some beef, shaping it into a patty, and throwing it on the grill, Steam Rhino is going a different route: fry up some ribs, douse ‘em in a savory sauce, and throw those suckers on a bun with a little mixed lettuce for good measure. This succulent, finger-licking creation is for the devout carnivore in your group, the one for whom no burger is ever burger-y enough.

Cholo 2.0 & Chicken Manchurian Burgers by Side Street

Side Street will be dropping two Burger Fest exclusives this weekend, both of which are spinoffs of classics from their menu. The first is a Cholo Hamburger redux, the Cholo 2.0, made from a meat patty that clocks in at a whopping 150g, topped with fried chorizo, goat cheese, mozzarella, chilaquiles, and sour cream. The Chicken Manchurian is a reimagined version of their cauliflower Manchurian appetizer, featuring a fried chicken patty coated in spicy Manchurian sauce and served with a bit of blue cheese dressing to counter the heat. And for their plant-based friends, they’ll also be turning out a vegan version of the Squatter, with a zhenrou plant-based patty smothered in decadent BBQ sauce.

Vegan Dessert Burger by Ping Dynasty

You can have your burger and dessert it too!

First, Ping Dynasty looked at Beijing’s craft beer market and seemingly thought, you have fun with that, we’re going to do something a little different, resulting in their delicious, crisp ciders. Now, they’re looking at Burger Fest and seemingly thinking the same thing, because the results are nothing short of mind-blowing. Billed as Beijing’s first dessert burger, this colorful concoction is entirely vegan and packs more than enough fruit to balance out all the grease and booze you consume over the weekend.

The Burger Cup 2020 is less than 5 days away! Take this opportunity to score an amazing deal for the entire family with this Groupon deal! It doesn’t have to be your family alone. Feel free to bring your kids and your kids’ friends for a day of flavor, food, and fun! Just scan the QR code above to score this amazing deal before time runs out! See you all at the Burger Cup 2020!

Photos: Courtesy of restaurants.

This article originally appeared in the Beijinger. 

One beloved past time that I truly miss from my home city of London has to be a visit to the pub (a bar, traditionally known as a Public House in the UK and other parts of the globe with a culturally specific aesthetic), to enjoy hop-fueled midweek “pub grub” and after-work drinks on a Friday night. Our friends across the pond, as well as our good friends to the east in Australia, share our love of pub culture although it may come in different variations.

Although the bars in Beijing far from resemble either the traditional pub or what has now become known as “gastropubs” in London and other cities (serving ale with revamped traditional English or fusion cuisine), a wave of trendy bars offering craft beers brewed on site, and burgers that incite prolonged “best burger in Beijing” debate, have arguably taken first position above the humble branded-beer-only watering-hole.

Queue: the new Great Leap Brewing (GL) in all its finery, nestled beneath the Nuo Center in Lido. GL #12 closed its doors back in May last year to the despair of many and has now become their corporate headquarters. News soon followed regarding their brand spanking new branch, and I for one was happy to know that an indulgent cheeseburger was only a few blocks away from home.

A slightly nautical looking bar adorns the middle of a quaintly intimate space, with wooden booths to the sides and some of the more familiar low sitting wooden benches and tables that encourage (and sometimes require) communal dining in the other two locations. Exposed brick and metal characterize the walls, and I especially love the Concrete Island that is the bar and their use of raw and natural materials to create a refined but rustic look.

The new GL Lido branch has had a few teething problems (no heat during their soft opening), is maybe a little on the difficult side to find when first setting out (there is no visible signage to or outside the property), but delivers yet again on a range of fragrant, crisp, malty, and peppery beers available on tap, including rotating Guest Beers and specialty menu items, such as The Reuben (RMB 95, see below). Like GL #45 in Liangmaqiao, the menu includes both a selection of burgers and New York style pizzas.

My go-to meal to partner the well-balanced Honey Ma Gold (RMB 35) has always been the coma-inducing cheeseburger (RMB 65), but with the introduction of their new weekday deal and a few recommendations, I now have an extended list of favorites.

From Monday to Friday you can choose any burger, salad or two slices of pizza and enjoy a free soft drink, Pale Ale #6 or craft ginger beer. Your meal should always commence with the Spinach and Cheese dip (RMB 40), a creamy delight, well-seasoned and laden with perfectly wilted buttery spinach. The first scoop, with what I have always described as the best in-house tortilla chips, will quickly lead to the last, but slow your roll and don’t give in to the temptation to order another, or you may regret it later when trying to tuck into your main.

Spinach and Cheese Dip

The beer battered fried chicken, albeit a little on the greasy side (RMB 40) – though I would argue that grease should always accompany a beer – are tuck-in-alicious and served with Spicy Mayo and Green Goddess Dressing. Another new try for me, were the crispy oyster mushrooms (RMB 45) that make a great addition to shared starters and a good option for vegetarians needing a fried-fix. Lightly peppered and earthy, there really is no need to reason why this should be added to your order.

Beer Battered Fried Chicken

The Reuben really was worth the cheeseburger trade-in. Melt in the mouth corn beef with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and toasted rye bread was indulgent and felt more like a filling continental brunch option. If burgers are not the order of the day on your visit, then this should be. If you go for any of the pizzas, you’d better like your cheese with a side of garlic. The Little Nunzio (RMB 130) is perfectly crisp and thin (like any good pizza should be), with hearty flavors such as the featured house-made sausage. However, make sure you’re happy to have your pizza laden with garlic, and of course omit this option on date nights!

The Reuben

The new Wabi-Sabi Japan Pale Ale (RMB 35), made with wasabi, was a lot subtler than I expected. I waited for a taste that packed a punch on the palate, but was left without the robust finish I was hoping for. Nonetheless, this craft creation that combines the styles of Pale Ale and IPA is pleasant enough. What I will order more of is the Mikkelle, Berliner Weisse Mango (RMB 40); fruity and tangy, and more reminiscent of a medium-dry cider. This one would be best enjoyed during Beijing’s long summer months, or you could just stay wrapped up and pretend you’re sipping this beverage while sitting under the sun. Finish off your meal with the Hand Crafted Apple Tart with vanilla ice-cream (RMB 40), which reminds me of a right-way-up tarte tatin and is YUM!

Hand Crafted Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice-Cream

A plus is the customer service, which has one-upped the other locations. Friendly, smiley staff in cool GL-branded tracksuit get-ups are always ready to assist you with a good command of the menu in English. The only thing you need to watch out for is enjoying this new haunt more than one ought to during the working week. Check out www.greatleapbrewing.com for more information on the different locations and menus.

Great Leap Brewing, Lido, Rm103, Nuo Center, A2 Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District (010 64347221) 将台路甲2号诺金中心一层103室

Photos: Nicole Bonnah

Undoubtedly, it’s been said time and time again: Beijing is a city with countless dining options. From mobile kowlongmian carts that roam the streets to five-star sit-down restaurants of all cuisines to even the infamous universal sprawl of fast food, this city is a sheer agglomeration of different cultures and unique flavors, sure to satisfy almost any palate that comes through. With that said, we all know that some of these options, unfortunately, aren’t exactly the family-tailored establishments we oftentimes look for when we want to take the kids out for a pleasant, feel-good lunch or dinner on the weekend.

Fortunately, the city isn’t also without its countless establishments that cater perfectly to a comfortable group visit that is guaranteed to leave you satisfied and with full bellies. Feel welcome to try one of these five great family-friendly restaurants on your next family night out!

1) Haidilao Hot Pot

As the old saying goes, no food tastes better than food you cooked yourself. Enjoy a tasty and social experience as the family sits around a table with a hot pot in the center, where you can dip in all your favorite delicacies—from lamb to seafood to pork brains (yep!)—that arrive uncooked at your table. Be sure to order their shoulamian, a dish and a show rolled into one!

You can find Haidilao at various locations throughout the city.

2) Din Tai Fung (Soup Dumplings)

Experience a refined rendition of a unique cultural cuisine. Din Tai Fung is renowned the world over for their signature xialongbao, a mini steamed dumpling packed with meat filling and a soup that is indescribably rich in flavor. Enjoy xialongbao and various other cultural delights in a vibrant and pleasantly busy atmosphere that plays homage to the vibes of traditional Chinese dianxinfang (“Dim Sum Houses”).

You can find Din Tai Fung at various locations throughout the city.

3) Moka Bros (Healthy Fare)

Ever dream of collapsing into an inviting beanbag chair and chowing down on a tasty meal at the same time? Well, Moka Bros has got you covered. From Poké bowls to quinoa salad to fresh smoothies, this restaurant offers countless healthy options that are a treat for your taste buds (and your waistline). Be comforted to know that the kids will be eating fresh and locally sourced ingredients, all while enjoying the fun, homey atmospheres their various locations provide for customers.

You can find Moka Bros at various locations throughout the city.

4) Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub (Wings and Burgers)

A brew for the parents and a burger for the kids. For years in tow, Slow Boat Brewery, first in the hutongs and now in Sanlitun has reclaimed the crown this year after their back-to-back victory in the 2015 and 2016 Beijing Burger Cup with their award-winning “Fryburger”—a beef patty topped with cheese, house aioli sauce, and a golden tower of beer-battered French Fries. Other delicious options include their signature wings, a sweet dessert selection, and (of course) their very own craft beer for the adults. Though their menu may be bold and adventurous, their venue is simple and aesthetic, a perfect setting for a family dinner out and about in the city.

You can find Slow Boat Brewery at #6 South Sanlitun Street, Chaoyang District.

5) Kerry’s Kitchen (Brunch Buffet)

If the kids won’t eat, let them run around in the Adventure Zone and work up an appetite! No, seriously, Kerry’s Kitchen Brunch at the Kerry Hotel in Chaoyang offers a kids’ play area in conjunction to their mouth-watering buffet of both Eastern and Western classics. The dining area is spacey and inviting, and their Buffet Package offers complimentary wine and beer for the grown-ups.

Photos: Haidilao.com, Everythinghapa.com, Thebeijinger.com, Tripadvisor.co.uk, Lumdimsum.com

The Results are in: after a month-long battle that began with an appearance slinging Anxiety Burgers at our Launch Party in August, last year’s runner-up Slow Boat Brewery outpolled The Local to earn the title of champion of the 2015 Burger Cup.

Slow Boat rose to the top on the heels of their signature Fryburger, a concoction featuring fries built right into the burger and served with their house-made dressing dubbed “Ayi-ioli.”

“Putting fries in the burger is just pure genius,” said one voter, a sentiment echoed by more than a few Slow Boat partisans.

“Their burgers are that perfect bite of beef and cheese," said another. "Salty, savory, creamy, a crispy bun … and just enough grease and aroma to bring everything together.”

Slow Boat also won accolades for their Anxiety Burger, a blue cheese-laden version they served at the Launch Party in August.  “I literally have pangs for the Anxiety Burger – it’s that good,” said one voter. “The bun is fluffy but the burger isn’t so greasy that the bun gets soaked and falls apart. It’s juicy and has an ample portion of creamy blue cheese to give it a kick.”

This year’s runner-up, The Local, received abundant praise in the final round as well, particularly for the generous heaping of avocado served on their signature Dry Rub Avocado Burger.

“The avocado for a Californian really gives the burger the down home feel for me,” remarked one voter.

"I tried [the Dry Rub Avocado Burger] for the first time on Sunday! It was amazing, the meat was juicy, not dry, plus the slight pepper burn from the spices and the smooth and cooling avocado,” gushed another voter. “Even [if]they don’t win, they have a winner on their hands. I will go back with friends."

In the other race of the match, three-time champion Home Plate BBQ outpolled Great Leap Brewing to claim a solid third place in the overall poll.

With that, the Burger Cup comes to a close for another year, and we have our final rankings of the city’s Best Burgers from 1 to 64, as determined by you.

It was a big year for change in the annual rankings, with 25 percent of the competitors making their Burger Cup debut this year. Top ranked among the first-timers was Jing-A and their trio of sliders at No. 16. Three other first-timers also cracked the Top 25: Loft Eatalicious (#21) Kenny’s Burgers (#22) and Groovy Schiller’s (#24).

Other venues found their fortunes surging in this year’s contest. Shunyi’s The Garage, which placed No. 46 last year, rocketed 31 places to No. 15. The second largest jump was by Cafe Flatwhite, one of the many vendors to feed the hungry masses at the Launch Party, which leaped 23 positions from last year’s No. 49 to land at No. 26.

Others that saw their burger fortunes rise this year included the Opposite House’s Village Cafe, The Filling Station, Pinotage, and The Bookworm.

Others fell in the annual rankings. Among those that slipped the largest number of slots were Rumi, Paddy O’Shea’s, Beer Mania, and Windy City. Two venues closed during the competition: Flamme and Twilight, and others either closed down over the past year or fell out of the top 64, including Burger Bar, Chef Too, Main Street, The Box, Burgers & Beer, Alibi, and the Iron Horse Saloon. Two other prominent spots stopped selling burgers: Migas and Kro’s Nest.

So there it is – the 2015 Burger Cup in a nutshell. Click here to see the final rankings, including a look at the Top 12 and how they ranked compared to last year. Don’t forget to narrow the gaps in your own burger knowledge by trying the ones you have yet to sample – you can’t go wrong with any of them!

This post first appeared in thebeijinger.com on September 16, 2015 and has been slightly modified.

There’ll be a new Burger Cup champion this year as upstart Slow Boat has toppled the only winner we’ve ever known in the Burger Cup – three-time champ Home Plate – in a close Final Four race. Meanwhile, in the other match of the Final Four, The Local avenged last year’s loss to Great Leap Brewing by narrowly outpolling them this year.

This sets us up for a final battle featuring The Local vs Slow Boat to see who will be the next champion … and you have a mere three days to decide: thebeijinger.com/2015Burgercup

Get in there and vote before noon Thursday (September 17) to crown the new champ.

Home Plate, meanwhile, takes on Great Leap for the bronze in the same ballot.

On its path to the final match, Slow Boat sailed past Nola, 4corners, Union, and finally, Home Plate. The Local, meanwhile, survived challenges from Café Flatwhite, Q Mex, Blue Frog, and Great Leap.

And now for a closer look at the two burgers vying for the title:

The Local Bar and Grill‘s The Dry Rub Avocado Burger
One hundred percent imported Aussie beef, seasoned with The Local’s mildly spicy dry rub, topped with lettuce, house salsa, cheese, and half a ripe avocado, served on a buttery, not-too-sweet bun. Served with a small salad and a choice of fries, onion rings or sweet potato fries. Best accompanied by a beer margarita.

Slow Boat Brewery & Taproom’s Fryburger
An all-beef patty topped by beer-battered fries and a blanket of cheese, dressed with Slow Boat’s home-made “Ayi-ioli,” served on a lightly grilled sesame seed bun. Served with a generous slice of pickle. Best served with one of Slow Boat’s own brews, such as the Captain’s Pale Ale, Monkey’s Fist IPA or the Slutty Mermaid Triple IPA (10.8 percent).

For those of you keeping track at home, here is our updated wall poster:

We also asked you to rank the competitors that did not make it into the Final Four this year, to serve as initial seedings for next year’s Cup. Here’s the rankings, #5 to #8:

5. Blue Frog
6. Union Bar & Grille
7. Let’s Burger
8. The Big Smoke

Add this to the data we collected earlier and you have our list straight through to #83:

9. Q Mex
10. Frost Coffee, Cocktails and Dining
11. Plan B
12. Lily’s American Diner
13. Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q
14. 4corners
15. Flamme
16. The Garage
17. Jing-A
18. Katchup
19. Luga’s Villa
20. Stuff’d
21. Village Cafe, Opposite House
22. Loft Eatalicious
23. Kenny’s Burgers
24. Lush
25. Groovy Schiller’s
26. Temple Bar
27. Cafe Flatwhite
28. 1F
29. Yuppie & Yummy
30. Fly Pizza
31. Nola
32. Paulaner Maximilian
33. Biteapitta
34. The Filling Station
35. The Cut, Fairmont Beijing
36. Morton’s of Chicago
37. Ramo
38. Paddy O’Shea’s
39. The Den
40. Pinotage
41. The Bookworm
42. The Irish Volunteer
43. Beer Mania
44. Grandma’s Kitchen
45. Domain, East Hotel
46. Hungry Horse
47. Windy City
48. Grinders
49. Bistrot B
50. Jamaica Blue
51. Frank’s Place
52. Eudora Station
53. Laker’s
54. Peter’s Tex-Mex
55. Rumi
56. Waspark
57. The Old Bike Café
58. Sunbake & Brew, V-Continent Beijing Parkview Wuzhou Hotel
59. Burger Me
60. Park Side Bar & Grill
61. The Smokeyard
62. Twilight
63. Burger Break
64. Helen’s Café
65. Park Square
66. Burger Counter
67. XL Bar
68. Angry Burger
69. Craft, Crowne Plaza Lido
70. Pebbles Courtyard
71. Food Studio, Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing Hotel
72. The Corner
73. One East
74. The Kitchen Table, W Beijing Chang’an
75. The Golden Era 50’s Diner
76. Nasca Café
77. Uncle Sam’s
78. Must Guette
79. Little Britain
80. Steak Exchange, InterContinental Hotel
81. Fuel, Langham Place
82. MRL
83. Pentalounge, Penta Hotel

To get you in the mood for voting, read up on all the action and develop a healthy appetite via our Burger Brief series or take a look a last year’s final seedings.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on September 14, 2015

Images: the Beijinger

After one huge party and over 20 days of cut-throat voting between 64 of the capital’s top patty slingers, here we have it, the Final Four masters of meat in our 2015 Burger Cup competition. Based on the frequency at which we often find ourselves at these four establishments it may come as no surprise that they’ve worked their way to the top, testament to the consistently mouthwatering grub that they make and an atmosphere that we yearn for after a grueling day at the office, dreaming of nothing more than belly-shaped bun (and an ice-cold brew).

In the end it was Home Plate BBQ that flipped Let’s Burger, whereas Slow Boat Brewery shunned Union Bar and Grille, and Great Leap Brewing took Big Smoke Bistro by storm, securing the place of three of the same competitors that entered last year’s final. The big difference this year is that The Local squeezed by Blue Frog, compared to 2014 when they were eked out Big Smoke Bistro. We’ll put that down to them putting extra creamy avocados on their dry rub burgers over the past 12 months.

Now the big question is, can Home Plate make it a whopping four years in a row? If you haven’t voted yet, this would be the time to show your allegiance to one of these four Beijing heavyweights by voting at www.thebeijinger.com/2015burgercup – you have until noon on Monday (Sep 14) to cast your vote before we move into the The Finals on the same day at 4pm. The ultimate winner will be announced shortly after The Finals polls have closed at noon on Wednesday (Sep 16).

Check here for the updated brackets to see exactly where each of the top 64 seeds fell.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on September 10, 2015

The hamburger may well have European origins, but it took the Americans to see the potential of this seasoned beef patty as comfort food at its best. The charred, slightly crunchy exterior and the soft juiciness within, is a thing of beauty, but you’ve got to get all the components just right. The bun can’t be too soft otherwise it just becomes impractical. A juicy burger would see off such a bun in minutes. Something more robust, like a sour dough roll, has the texture and structure to hold up despite all the juices. Golden-brown brioche has emerged as the burger bun of choice in restaurants where words like “artisanal” are found. However, you can’t beat a soft white slider bun, with a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. And for best results, toast the cut sides of the bun.

The burger needs a high fat content, so that it stays moist, and a decent crust. It needs to be cooked medium-rare, because a well-done burger is nothing short of a chewy tragedy. Cheese is not mandatory, but decent pickles are and nothing beats the traditional gherkin. Lettuce adds nothing whatsoever, you just get leaves that wilt into soggy submission. The same goes for warm, spongy slices of bland beef tomato. For me, salad has no place in the perfect burger. Everyone has their own idea of burger perfection, and which Beijing restaurants serve up the best burgers.

In the beijinger’s Burger Cup 2015, only two Shunyi restaurants made it through the first round of the competition. The Garagewent the furthest, reaching the final Sweet Sixteen. Loft Eatalicious made it through to the second round. Those that fell at the first, included Pinotage, Lakers, The Filling Station, Jamaica Blue, and Hungry Horse. It’s a tough competition and I think most of you will agree that whilst these guys didn’t make the finals, they all serve up some pretty decent burgers. Voting is now open in the Final Four, click here to place your vote.

Hungry Horse
You get a 250g burger (RMB 55), which has a nice crispy exterior thanks to some good char grilling. It comes served in a nicely toasted sesame bun, with sliced tomato, pickles, and lettuce. There’s also a thick slice of raw onion, which I’m sure most diners will promptly take out. The meat is seasoned with a touch too much salt, but the texture’s nice and meaty.

The Filling Station
The perfect size burger (RMB 70), served with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. They use good quality, imported beef, and you can taste it. A great texture, the burger is cooked just right so that it’s still nice and juicy. A bonus is that it’s served alongside some really good coleslaw.

Lakers
This popular pizza joint also serves up a range of burgers. The meat (RMB 50) is seasoned with a little too much salt, and could have been cooked for slightly less time, but overall a good burger. It comes with the usual fillings and is served up in a big soft bun.

Jamaica Blue
The burger is less char-grilled, and the texture is quite compact. It has great flavor though, and is perfectly seasoned. The plain white bun is lightly toasted, with the burger sitting on a bed of lettuce and topped with sliced tomato. The highlight is the really tasty caramelized red onions, a great value burger at RMB 49.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Sally Wilson, Steven Depolo (Flickr)