It wasn’t so long ago when burgers in Cape Town were cheap. Fast forward to 2019 and not only are some of Cape Town’s best chefs featuring upscale burgers on their menus, but they’re also charging an arm and a leg for them.
When you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense for some burgers to be outrageously expensive. The higher-quality the ingredients are, the more expensive the final product is. Many chefs are using top-notch beef in their burgers, like Wagyu beef patties. Top it with some shaved truffles and a slab of seared foie gras or lobster and you’ve got the makings of a super-expensive burger.
Out of all the burgers in the city, these are the most expensive.
Hard Rock Café
Name: 24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger™
Price: R320
Rock ‘n roll restaurant, Hard Rock Café, added the world’s first edible 24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger™, to its menu. Through the Hard Rock Heals Foundation, a portion of all proceeds from the sale of the new 24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger will benefit a local outreach program. The burger costs R320, of which R20 goes to the charity.
Burger & Lobster
Name: The Wolf Burger
Price: R262
“Surf and turf” is taken to an entirely new level with The Wolf Burger, available on the blackboard menu at Burger & Lobster in Bree street. A hearty Wagyu beef patty takes a spot on a brioche bun, accompanied with swiss cheese and roasted garlic aioli. Stack a lobster tail on top and call it a day! Yes, this burger is ridiculously expensive, but this isn’t a list of the most morally defensible foods in Cape Town.
Truth Coffee
Name: The Brunch Burger
Price: R180
Not all brunch burgers play fair; some are clear dinner dishes barely repackaged for the late-morning meal. The juicy, 200g grass-fed beef and free-range bacon patty at Truth – a tourist hotspot – is served on a crispy potato rosti and topped with exotic mushroom and herb ragout, a slow-roasted plum tomato and zucchini fries.
Reubens at The One & Only
Name: The Burger
Price: R180
Well-known for his role as a judge on MasterChef South Africa, Reuben Riffel has a passion for creating fine yet uncomplicated food. This 180g Beef Burger seems fairly straightforward, but we are confident that it packs a punch thanks to Robertson spice.
Bascule Bar
Name: BASCULE Burger
Price: R160
Tantalize your taste buds with a this Wagyu beef, truffled mushroom sauce, fries and roasted garlic aioli burger and wash it down with one (or more) of the 500 whiskeys available at the bar.
Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers and Ribs
Name: The Ultimate Burger
Price: R182
Gibson’s is cool and trendy burger joint at the popular V&A Waterfront, specializing in gourmet burgers and ribs. Under their Rolls Royce section, you will find the Ultimate Burger. It has two patties (chicken and beef), bacon, tons of cheese, a bunch of sauce, and a bun that soaks it all up.
Leopard Bar at the 12 Apostles
Name: Bacon and Blue cheese beef burger
Price: R175
This burger comes with a spectacular view over the Atlantic Ocean and you also get to eat it in a place that looks like a rich uncle’s cigar room. The chef takes baby gem lettuce, sliced tomato, and a solid beef patty and tops it with crispy bacon, blue cheese, and barbeque glaze. The burger is served with crispy fries.
Mondiall
Name: The Gunslinger
Price: R165
The V&A Waterfront is almost disturbingly full of restaurants where you can eat burgers and Mondiall is another one of these. The Wagyu Beef Burger, of course, speaks for itself – this time accompanied with delicious caramelized red onion, mustard seed, and star aniseed.
Royal Eatery
Name: Fat Bastard
Price: R164
Several burger joints are on this list, but none is as classic as Royale Eatery in Long Street. They were the first gourmet burger establishment in Cape Town, after all, and has been around for over 15 years. The quirky waiters also resemble characters straight out of Pulp Fiction, but it’s not just about the environment. The burgers are really good. The Fat Bastard will make you see double, as it comes with a double 160g patty, double bacon, double egg, double cheddar cheese, and caramelised onions. It’s exactly what you want to eat while slightly buzzed and that’s convenient considering this is a place you probably came to drink. That being said, if you’re sober, it’ll make you pretty happy, too.
