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Attic Backpackers’ Top 5: Burger Joints in Auckland

Who doesn’t love a juicy burger and a sizable side of fries. There’s no question between our Team, we love burgers of all shapes and sizes, gourmet or fast, stacked or simple, meaty or vegan. Thankfully, there are so many brilliant burger bars to try here in Auckland. But, how to choose? There’s the age old debate over the inclusion of pickles? Single or double patty? Layers of sharp Swiss? crumbled cheddar or blowout with blue? whatever your preference, we’ve grilled our list of Auckland’s favorite burger bars down to just 5 must visits.
Read on for the whole list….

  1. Burger Burger (Best all-round experience)

The Burger Burger story launched in Auckland back in 2014. Fast forward to 2020, and owners Mimi and Adrien opened their sixth Burger Burger restaurant in the flashy new Commerical Bay food-court. There are three Burger Burgers just in Auckland alone! Fortunately the closest of their laid back, eat-in, burger-based restaurants can be found just a short 10 minute walk towards the Harbour from The Attic Backpackers.

Mosey on into any Burger Burger, from Auckland to Christchurch, and you’ll instantly get those Aloha vibes. Every restaurant features bright, colourful and beach-feel furnishings combined with a real laid back atmosphere. The team here do seem purposely hands-off, but only in a good way.

Burger Burger could be one of many great Auckland burger joints – and they do make some fantastic burgers which I’ll cover shortly – but the reason they make our list comes down to; Their vibrant restaurant experience and in their fully fleshed out menu. Chargrilled Brocolli? Yep it’s banging, ‘Bunnace’ burgers (which are essentially no-bun burgers) and utterly delicious milkshakes made using Duck Island ice cream with a dairy free option (The ‘shakes deserve a visit just on their own).

Burger-wise, whatever your preference is, the BB team have you covered with 14 burger combinations to try including 4 Vegan options. We absolutely love their Kiwi classic, with locally sourced grass-fed beef patty, bacon, aged cheddar, pickles, cos lettuce, tomato, fried egg, beetroot, tomato jam, mustard, mayo. Sooooo good!

The Burger Burger team also do great drink specials with Wednesdays being ‘Wine Not’ $5 wines, beers and tequila shots! They also offer great value jugs, cocktails and spritzs any day of the week. So even if you’re not hungry for burgers, you’re in for good times.

A meal for two at any of their Auckland restaurants, including a drink, is going to set you back about $70. Their mind-blowing Milkshakes are just $12 so don’t miss out!

2. Burger Geek (Best Burgers)

Out of all the burgers that I’ve had the privilege to chow down on since arriving in Auckland, Burger Geeks have by far, the best burgers (patty and all), with sublime combos of fillings, flavours and value across their whole menu. On my first visit to Burger Geek, I ate what was quite possibly best burger that I’ve eaten in my 31 years.

You’ll find the Geeks and their famous smash patty burgers over at over at 175 Symonds Street. Their unassuming little eatery is just outside Auckland CBD and about a 15 minute walk from The Attic Backpackers towards Mt Eden. Open daily for Lunch (except Sundays) and dinner, until 9pm.

The geeks have experimented and perfected their house blend of Wagyu and Beef mince to result in a truly phenomenal patty. They then grill this magnificent meat using the all too famous ‘smash-patty’ technique, which utilises the sciencey-sounding “Maillard reaction”, to give their patties a thin and juicy, yet crusty surface that just makes you want to savour every bite.
For added amazement, order either their Bishop, Swanson or Raynor burgers to beef up your experience; The Geeks add in thick slices of bacon that has been applewood-smoked the whole week prior in-store, and then nicely charred around the edges. Oooph!

There’s 9 different burger choices on their menu; With 5 beef based, 2 buttermilk chicken centric and 2 veggie picks. I loved their buttermilk chicken burgers, both of which are the right amount of crunchy and creaminess along with the required richness of flavour in the sauce department. But, the Geeks are all about their famous beef patties, and what brings me back to their Symonds Street spot again and again.

Sides-wise the geeks nail it again, setting themselves ahead of Auckland’s gourmet burger bunch with a fully rounded menu that delivers across the board. Order a side of hot wings with 4 tempting choices of sauce and a bowl of their rosemary shoestring fries – neither of which disappointed!

A meal for two, with a good range of their scrumptious sides and a drink each is going to round out to about $45.
Go there now!!!!

3. Wise Boys (Best Vegan Burger)

A Wise Boys Burger really is the pinnacle of Vegan fast food. Offering an entirely plant-based menu covering everything from classic cheese to crispy friend ‘chicken’. The Boys have been earning plaudits from meat eaters and vegans from across Auckland for their use of simple combinations of fresh and quality ingredients to create bold tasting burgers. Combined with The Boys’ sustainably sourced packaging and in their eco-friendly business practices, you can rest assured that you’ll be chewing your way through Auckland’s greenest burger.

Starting in 2015 from a cobbled together food truck in Raglan. The team have, thankfully for us Aucklanders, grown out of their recycled material food truck. These days, The Wise Boys (and also teamed up with a lot of wise girls) have two permanent fixtures in the city, with their closest being at the flashy Harbour Eats food court. You’ll find them a 10 minute walk towards the harbour from us here at The Attic Backpackers. Though on occasion, you might be fortunate enough to find them flipping from their original truck at a festival, pop-up event or market around the city.

For me, my Wise Boys experience started with their classic cheese, featuring a soft kidney and black bean patty, cheese, veggies, pickles, relish and American-style mustard. Mind you, I’m not normally a fan of bean-based patties but from first bite I was hooked. The freshness of the veggies combined with the rich flavour and seasoning of the bean patty and the sauce combo, actually resulted in a taste significantly better than the majority of meat-based burgers that I’ve previously chewed my way through. On return trips, my go-to, is absolutely their Crispy Fried Chick with tangy slaw, pickles, cheese, housemade sriracha mayo and the boys’ signature garlic aioli.

Other worldy flavours on offer are their Morrocan with spiced kumara patty and fresh veggies, Smoke n Fire with tofu and satay sauce filling, The Spicy Mex with the same amazing bean patty topped with salsa, chips and dips and The Shroomin Show featuring grilled tempeh strips and a panko crumbed portobello mushroom. All burgers topped off with their signature Garlic Aioli sauce. Heaven.

Two burgers, side of Classic thick cut fries and a drink each will round out to about $50, which for planet-friendly eating – is a banging bonus.

4. Rosier Burgers (Best out-of-town burgers)

For those of you confined to Auckland City – sadly you’ll miss out on an experience at Rosier Burgers. Often referred to as ‘The best burger in the West’, Rosier’s award-winning barbecue mastermind Dion Angove has been firing out the good stuff from his Glen Eden based corner kitchen since early 2019.

Rosier Burgers’ unpretentious little kitchen can found on the corners of West and Rosier and has that familiar neighbourhood fish’n’chippie vibe, with a giant chalk board menu and rough around the edges feel. The Rosier team did recently spruce things up and added a few seats and a few darker paint tones to the walls for those hungry folk who simply can’t wait to get home to wolf their burger down or opt to dine in.

Dion and his team are all about using only the best of the best ingredients; Fresh and premium quality organic meats and veg are used in every burger to live up to the rave reviews that that swamp their google listing. By partnering up with their Glen Eden neighbours; Clarks Organic Meat Specialists and The Crafty Baker, the Rosier team ensures only the softest and tastiest brioche and sourdough buns, and only the mightiest of meats go into every burger.

The firm fan favourite is their Double Cheese, and wow, what a burger. This beauty houses two scrumptiously ‘smashed’ patties, is overflowing with swiss cheese, red onions, mayonnaise, and topped off with a generous portion of pickles.

Other big names on their menu include the fresh tasting D’s Lamb Burger with beet and tzatziki dressing, The Hawaiian Dragon with a chili salted pineapple and fiery chili mayo. Want a Challenge? Death by Chicken – Double Beef, Double Cheese and an Southern Fried style chicken breast with Jalapeños and Rosier special sauce. Disgustingly dreamy. Since you’ve gone all that way, round off this tantalising experience with crunchy beer battered chips, or a side of hash nuggets. Oof

The whole shebang for two, including two burgers, two sides and two glorious ‘shakes comes to $60. Well worth the drive out.

5. Better Burger (Best value burger)

Most of the Burger joints on our list fall strongly into the gourmet burger experience category. For better or worse, Better Burger falls into an upscale fast food experience, with more in common than the BK’s, Maccas and Carl Jr’s than some other entries on our list. With social media frequently referring to Better Burger as Aucklands answer to America’s In’n’Out burger group. However, that doesn’t mean that your visit to Better Burger is going to be just another mediocre fast food feed that you may find anywhere else in New Zealand. These guys really are raising the bar for fast food eateries in all the right ways. With just three outlets, all found here in Auckland, we’d hardly tar them as a burger chain, more of a food group that we’re very fond of.

Better Burger is all about simplicity, and a fuss-free experience. With just 4 burgers to choose from on their menu, a limited selection of burgers means none of those big menu selection anxieties. Also resulting in faster service and more care and love going into every bite. As a company they’re doing great green things on the sustainability front, with every single bit of their packaging being 100 percent plant-based and compostable.

Their burgers are world beaters among the Auckland fast food scene, with the Double Cheeseburger being my favourite; A simple, no frills burger that boasts a quality amount of pickles and just oozing with cheese. Fresh lettuce, tomato and red onions match perfectly with the two decently seasoned patties, all snuggled between their ridiculously soft buns.
There’s also the Chicken Burger, single patty Cheeseburger and the veggie token to round out the menu – their Mushroom Burger. All Better burgers come with the same veg & cheese fillings, leaving you with just one simple choice – what kind of patty, and how many?
Sides and Shakes are also better at Better Burger. With their Epic fries adding heaps of gooey cheese, crispy fried onions and tangy mustard plus BB’s secret sauce to their already grand shoestring fries.

The best thing about Better Burger, is absolutely their low low prices. With absolutely fantastic value found across the tiny menu, burgers start at just $8. Meaning you can score a mean meal for two for less than $35!


This article is part of our Team Attic Top 5 blog series, showcasing The Attic Backpackers team’s Auckland favourites, including everything from dining experiences to dive bars, nature walks to nightclubs. Non of our Top 5 series blogs are written in conjunction with any paid advertisments or product sponsorships. All information is correct at the time of writing.