Detroit: Burger Battle in Eastern Market

Detroit

Jul 25

This was our first time attending the Detroit Burger Battle so we were not sure what to expect. It didn’t disappoint. The Burger Battle is a burger competition between local restaurants, showcasing their signature burgers. Each participant could sample as many burgers as they could handle and then were asked to vote for their top 3 choices.

This event was originally scheduled for 2020, but was cancelled because of COVID. Definitely worth the wait! Thanks to Randy & Michelle McKinstry for the invite.

There were 10 places that participated and it was not limited to just Detroit restaurants. All of these restaurants did an amazing job and we would recommend going there to sample their burgers for yourselves. Check out these photos and try not to drool! Here is a list of who was there and what they served:

Rolling Stoves from Farmington Hills Offered their PB&B. A smashed butter burger with bacon, caramelized onions, cheese, honey, pickles and peanut butter. Yes peanut butter, and it was off the charts delicious.
The Coop from the Detroit Shipping Company offered a short rib and brisket burger with a Caribbean kick served on a sesame bun with Havarti cheese, arugula, jerk mayo and mango chutney.
Kozy Lounge from Hazel Park (2019 winner) offered their Kat Burger. (Not Cat) A combination of fresh jalapeno, crispy bacon, Swiss cheese and honey.
Naked Burger from Clinton Twp and Rochester Hills offered their truffle burger. A double patty burger with a parmesan crisp, fresh truffle, caramelized onion, arugula and truffle oil.
PAO from Detroit offered a Surf and Turf Oscar Slider. A burger with lump crab cheese spread, smoked gouda, bearnaise and zip sauce.
Eat My Treats from Southgate served up the Nasty Nate. (possibly named after Nate Sergison ) A pepper jack cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno and secret sauce.
Sisters on a Roll from Detroit served a Reuben burger with sauerkraut, 1000 island, Swiss cheese on a caraway roll. They also offers a vegan option.
ImaginATE from Royal Oak offered a burger topped with candied bacon, cheese (which was torched to brown the top) pickles, lettuce and herbed mayo topped with a green olive.
Big Daddy’s Games from Eastpoint offered their Nite Nite Burger. Served on grilled Texas toast with garlic mased potatoes, honey chipotle glaze and Swiss cheese.
Frita Batidos (not Frito Bandidtos) from Detroit and Ann Arbor (2017, 2018 winner) offered a burger topped with beef brisket, a small sunny side up egg and served with corn relish.

All the burgers were good, but my favorites were Rolling Stoves, The Coop, Naked Burger and Frita Batidos. This was a great event, but it gets crowded really fast. There were over 2500 people there so the lines did get long in the peak of the event. Most lines moved quickly, but a few not so much. This was a good chance to try some burgers from places we otherwise may never have hit our Fun Food Friday radar, it definitely gave us some good locations to focus on for future posts.