bagel bakery rotterdam burgerbar

The best burgerbars aren’t that hard to find in Rotterdam. It seems that new places open their doors every month. Also other restaurants are making an effort to create a signature burger. SO here are the best hamburger restaurants of 2014.

Update 29/04/2015: I ate more than 35 hamburgers in a few weeks to proudly announce the winner of ‘The best hamburger restaurants in Rotterdam – 2015‘. If you are looking for the best veggie, best skinny or worst hamburger you can also read ‘The best alternative hamburger restaurants in Rotterdam‘.

After eating great hamburgers in Barcelona’s Kiosko and New Yorks Westville I was looking for places like that in Rotterdam. The last few years that hunt has become very easy: Rotterdams burgerrestaurants are all the rage. And even if you don’t like meat, you can enjoy some great veggie-burgers at some of them. So here’s my list of 5 great (ham)burgerrestaurants in Rotterdam. Oh, and feel free to read my posts on the best Thai restaurants or places to drink coffee in Rotterdam.

burgertrut rotterdam best burgerbar

1. Burgertrut – Boomgaardstraat 71, 3012 XA

Update: Burgertrut has moved to Hang 5, 3011 GG

Before I start glorifying the hamburgers at my nr 1 – recommendation, you have to know that the word Burger also means ‘civil’ in Dutch and that the term stands for narrow mindedness. The word ’trut’ means ‘bitch. So by now you can guess that this is not an ordinary hamburger place. When you enter Burgertrut, you’ll feel like you’re in an underground club with an alternative crowd. And sometimes it in fact is, because this place is also a club called WORM. Burgertrut moved to a larger venue, that used to be a gym. You can find them now next to the newest architectural highlight of Rotterdam: De Markthal. Nevertheless, their (veggie-)burgers are surprising – you’ll find the whole menu taped to the wall – and the atmosphere is great!

 

hamburg burgerbar proper burgers

2. Hamburg – Witte de Withstraat 94B, 3012 BT

This hipster burgerbar is located on the second floor next to popular bar ‘De Zondebok & ’t Zwarte Schaep’ in the same popular street where Burgertrut is located. The burgers at Hamburg are known for the quality of meat and because you can bring your veggie-friends too as they serve the finest vegetarian burgers. The concept of Hamburg is unique: you order at your table, but once your burgers are ready, you’ll have to pick ‘em up at the kitchen. The extra toppings and fries are a big plus here. Tip: try their Bubba Burger – with shrimp and blackpeppered mayonaise.

Burgerbars are all the rage right now, but a good burger does not have to be served in a hip concept-bar to be ok. In fact, the numbers 3 to 5 in my list are all classics. Why aren’t they my nr 1or 2? Just because it’s more likely that the top of my list will not be around anymore in a few years.

3. Nul10 – Westerstraat 39A, 3016 DG

Nul10 (Nul = zero, zero-ten is the areacode of Rotterdam) is a nice cosy restaurant close to the famous Erasmusbridge. The homemade burgers are not the specialty of Nul10, so don’t expect a menu with all kinds of burgers. However, try one of the burgers here and you’ll love ‘em! Fresh meat with Italian mozzarella will make sure that you want to take a nice walk along the river afterwards.

4. Bagel Bakery – Schilderstraat 57A, 3011 ER 

Long before the Netherlands discovered the bagel as a proper alternative to the common slices of bread, the Bagel Bakery was already serving the best bagels in town. And they still are. This no frills restaurant used to be divided in a smoker- and a non-smoker-area. That’s why you will see two entrances at the Bagel Bakery. During summer their terrace in front is a popular hangout for people working in creative industries and businessmen from surrounding offices. This is not a posh place though. Bagel Bakery serves the most delicious burgers (and bagels, ánd cakes, ánd smoothies). My favourite is the one with blue cheese, but I can assure you that all food here is great. So even if you decide to go for something more light, this is a good place to go!

Level – Pannekoekstraat 76a, 3011 LKlevel bar cocktail hamburger

If you add a lot of love to a burger, it magically turns into the best burger in town. Cocktailbar Level surprisingly created the best burger in town, according to local lifestyle-blog Bogue. The secret is a combination of organic meat, cheddar cheese, bacon, caramelized onion and a homemade pesto-inspired sauce. Needless to say that the bar is also a good place to start off your night in Rotterdam: it’s a great place for cocktails and close to the popular Oude Haven.

More burger restaurants

Rotterdam has definitely more good places for burgers. The Belgian quality burger chain Ellis will open soon next to Rotterdam Centraal. Eetcafé Opa was recently picked as the best burgerbar in Rotterdam by opiniated blog Bogue. My recent visit to Opa did not change my mind about my  TOM 5: Opa is a nice restaurant but the burger cannot compete with the others. It is mainly the sauce and the fries that make it worth to order, but if you go there you might as well order something else from their fab menu.

This blogpost was originally posted on March 31st 2014 and updated on August 23rd 2014 & October 12th 2014. Any suggestions or places that definitely need to be in this list, please leave a comment below.