Rob Bailey | bailey@siadvance.com

... according to the most recent Best of Staten Island Awards — and countless emails, phone calls and in-person shout outs from borough burger eaters. Don't agree with the finalists you and your fellow readers' voted into the winners' circle? Feel free to sound off about your faves in the comments section.

UPDATE: This list has swelled to WAY more than "10 Best." The borough's burgers are just that good.

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Lauren Steussy | lsteussy@siadvance.com

Duffy's Tavern -- 650 Forest Ave., West Brighton; 718-447-9276

YES, we know. This is the one gold standard for many borough burger pundits, so we will start here: On a typical lunch hour at Duffy's on Forest Ave., you'd be hard-pressed not to find their famous burger on the plate of every customer.

"We hand out the menu, people go right to the burger," said Terrance Moore, a bartender at Duffy's, a perennial "Best Burger" winner in citywide polls.

Every day the West Brighton favorite serves up to 90 of these half-pound burgers, on the same grill that the restaurant has used since opening about 30 years ago. Fresh ingredients, good-quality meats, a steady cooking temperature — not much else, Moore claims.

Duffy's burgers focus on meat over toppings. But with a rotating offering of special toppings like mushrooms or blue cheese, meat-lovers and topping-lovers alike can have the best of both worlds.

Burgers are served on an English muffin instead of a regular bun; all the better for soaking up the meat juice, cheese and other flavors.

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Korzo Klub -- 977 Bay St., Rosebank; 718-541-4692; KorzoRestaurant.com

The Korzo burger already has the Food Network stamp of approval (see video above), but Maria and Otto Zizak decided that S.I.'s North Shore would be the perfect location to expand their brand of unpretentious, thoughtfully sourced food.

The wife-husband team already own two successful farm-to-table restaurants in Brooklyn: Korzo and Brooklyn Beet Company.

Now, with the garden and rooftop of the free-standing building, formerly home to Zest, the Zizaks will harvest fresh herbs for their restaurant, just like they do for their South Slope and Bay Ridge venues. This place will be called Korzo Klub.

"We're excited about the neighborhood," said Otto. "We're about comfort food — but well-sourced. It's not over-priced. It's comfort food with that sensibility of bringing good meat, good produce."

READ ALL ABOUT KORZO'S FAMOUS DEEP-FRIED BURGERS HERE.

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Lauren Steussy | lsteussy@siadvance.com

Nurnberger Bierhaus/Bierhalle -- 817 Castleton Ave., West Brighton; 718-816-7461; NurnbergerBierhaus.com

With 10 ounces of prime ground beef, pretzel buns imported from Germany and fried onions to give it a satisfying crunch, Nurnberger's burger will take you from Germany to America and back.

The burger is a lot of meat — a fact you may momentarily forget in the midst of its many other toppings. Customers can pick from several different types of cheese, in addition to the standard lettuce and tomato mainstays.

Oh and did we mention there's bacon involved?

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Rob Bailey | bailey@siadvance.com

The Phunky Elephant -- 1271 Bay St., Rosebank; 718-448-4282; ThePhunkyElephant.com

Restaurateurs Patrica Gaja, her father Andrzej (Andrew), and Jerry Agro debuted their "gastropub" concept in 2012. Three years later, it's also the vibrant home of a flourishing outdoor dining scene, open mic nights, regular live entertainment — and a Readers' Choice Award-winning Phunky brunch.

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Photo courtesy DaddyO's BBQ

DaddyO's BBQ -- 181 Bay St., Tompkinsville; 718-284-4096

Yes, Greg Fosdal is famous in the borough barbecue game — but he's got burger game, too. Check out the juicy specimen of a bacon cheeseburger above. And then cast your gave below: That's a dainty little thing Greg calls his "Junkyard Burger."

And if you don't have this hearty of an appetite? No worries: These beefy babies are perfect for sharing. Check out the full menu at Daddyosbbqbar.com.

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Photo courtesy DaddyO's BBQ

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Rob Bailey | bailey@siadvance.com

Jody's Club Forest -- 372 Forest Ave., West Brighton; 718-727-6338

Chef Tisha Monohan cooks 200 pounds of corned beef for an average Staten Island St. Patrick's Parade crowd — stocked with everyone from high-powered politicos to highly intoxicated 20-somethings — at Jody's Club Forest. But for some Best of Staten Island Award nominators, it's all about her good, old-fashioned cheeseburger.

ABOVE: Cheeseburger on an English muffin pairs well with a cold beer chaser at Jody's Club Forest in West Brighton. Chef Tisha Monohan at work in the kitchen. (Staten Island Advance photos)

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Rob Bailey | bailey@siadvance.com

The Hop Shoppe -- 372 Van Duzer St., Stapleton; 718-448-3400

Take a peek inside Stapleton's Hop Shoppe, which serves up action-packed craft beer, award-winning pub grub and inventive, fresh cocktails. (Video by Lauren Steussy/Staten Island Advance)

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Also at Hop Shoppe ...

... The "Freedom Tower."

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Hilton Flores

Craft House -- 60 Van Duzer St., Tompkinsville; 718-442-3433

Hamburgers are tucked on a toasted, picture-perfect seeded roll and cooked to temp. The best of these, arguably, is the Blues Burger. It is stuffed with blue cheese and topped with piquant buffalo wing sauce. Bonus on the bang-up, hand-packed beef patties: Crafty, sweet-and-sour pickle hunks, served sometimes with a smidgen of its pickling seasonings. These tasty sandwiches come with a pristine romaine leaf, ripe tomato slice and a tidy ring of red onion. Overall, it makes a nice presentation on a disposable plate.

ABOVE: Craft House's BBQ & Beer Garden Blues Burger infused with blue cheese crumbles topped with bacon and drizzed with buffalo sauce. (Staten Island Advance/Hilton Flores)

Craft Houser has a comfortable main dining room with booth seating, a counter for copping a quick bite and a showcase of a local artist’s work around the room. Outside, there is a patio with picnic tables. But the most convivial spot might be the initial room, which has a bustling bar and a welcoming vibe.

As for the other food, the macaroni and cheese, a side dish, is spectacular — properly cheesed, seasoned with copious black pepper flakes. Al dente green beans baked with crisp bacon bits and blue cheese might not be the healthiest way to eat veggies — but, wow. Jalapeño corn breads baked into muffins were delicious, albeit weighted down with no royal crown, so to speak, on top. Still, that flat look is the cost of a rich and moist creation.

Cobb salad with bacon crumbles, blue cheese, sliced hard-cooked eggs, chunky croutons and lots of red onion proved fresh and filling. Served in a wooden bowl, it’s one of the few items presented on solid eating ware.

Fried chicken and waffles are stupendous hard-fried, heavily seasoned chicken pieces with crackling skin and tender meat over vanilla-forward waffles — once presented crisp and once soggy, forgivable as they are so darn good. This item comes topped with a maple-sriracha glaze. Fried shrimp tossed generously with Old Bay is coated in a crunchy crust, offered with small, plastic soufflé cups of homemade tartar sauce and a bit of creamy, crisp coleslaw.

Rib rack entrées and the rib tip app were falling-off-the-bone yummy. But the acrid aftertaste smacked of Liquid Smoke, as opposed to a three-dimensional flavor process courtesy of a proper hardwood smoke.

How neat to have a brew or soft drink served in various-sized mason jars — that is a nice touch. But the beer menu needs some tinkering. Among the bottles, cans and tap selections, one might gather there was an American, East Coast theme going on.

Desserts are solid tastes. Oreo cheesecake served in a mason jar is just perfect — smooth and tangy with crunch. Red velvet ice cream sandwiches made with those aforementioned winning waffles is an excellent choice as is banana pudding. Strawberry shortcake is another house-made item.

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Rookie's Bar & Grill -- 1547 Arthur Kill Road, Arden Heights; 917-460-0454

This options, dubbed the "5 Tool Burger," entered the game too late for our "Best of" competition — but it looks so good we gotta shout it out. Yes, that bun is made of TATER TOTS. Click the video above see how it's made.

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Photo courtesy Ernest Moerlins Jr.

Noto's Casa Cucina -- 150 Greaves Lane, Great Kills; 718-948-2112

Several readers emailed us to shout out the Noto's burger.

You know this thing is juicy — after all, proprietor John Noto founded V.J. Soriano's, the popular butcher shop and Italian specialty store next door to his restaurant, in 2006.

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Staten Island Advance | Pamela Silvestri

The Pizza Parlor -- 6 Sneden Ave. Annadale; 718-356-4233

Another new (as of Feb. 1, 2018) discovery, courtesy of SILive food editor Pamela Silvestri: Sure, the almighty "Pizza" gets above-the-title treatment here: But take a look at this juicy, mushroom-, pickle- and bacon-topped burger. Curious? Check out the customer reviews on The Pizza Parlor: Burgers & Pizza Facebook page.

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Photo courtesy O'Neill's

O'Neill's Irish Pub -- 1614 Forest Ave., Port Richmond; 718-273-4481

So, how does a self-proclaimed "Irish Pub" do a burger? With the Big G, of course. Feast your eyes on O'Neill's Guinness Burger, topped With melted Irish cheddar, rashers (Irish Bacon) and Guinness BBQ Sauce on an English muffin. Check out the full menu at OneillsStatenIsland.com.

Click HERE for "10 more reasons you should try your luck at O'Neill's."

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Max's Es-Ca -- 1559 Richmond Rd., Dongan Hills; 718-980-5006; MaxsEsca.com

Chef Max Calicchio and his business partner, Alison Marchese, obviously specialize in upscale Italian cuisine — but readers made them a surprise contender for "Best Burger." Bottom line: Italian food lovers also love the "Es-Ca Burger" (your choice of cheddar, swiss, mozz or American with lettuce and tomato) and "Marina Burger" (a Montreal-crusted sirloin burger with cheddar bacon, fried onion rings and chipotle mayo).

Year-round, the popular eats at Max's Es-Ca include braised bone-in short ribs, grilled octopus and a cadre of housemade desserts. But as spring got underway, Calicchio brightened his perennial crowd-pleasers with citrus notes plus greens such as leeks and asparagus.

A sneak peek at seasonal specials came from the Dongan Hills kitchen at a recent wine dinner shepherded by Dani O'Brien, the New York district manager from Rodney Strong Wine Estates.

ABOVE: Chef Max Calicchio, of Max's Es-Ca, gives an cooking demonstration at 2014's Rome Through Richmond Town event at Historic Richmond Town. (Staten Island Advance/Vincent Barone)

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Pamela Silvestri | silvestri@siadvance.com

Standard Burger -- 4115 Hylan Blvd. and can be reached at 718-317-2333 (BEEF); StandardBurger.com.

Standard Burger took first place in Time Out NY's citywide "2015 Battle of the Burger" challenge in Lower Manhattan. The Great Kills gourmet burger joint crafted its signature "Texan" patty for sampling by a crowd of approximately 2,700 guests.

Co-owner Joseph Tranchina said his team of cooks included all the partners of the Standard operation — Joe Covello, Todd Baslin, Sammy Lazoja, Fuji Lazoja and reality show "The Profit" star Marcus Lemonis.

"Marcus spent the whole time with us...He was on the grill making burgers — it was a good time," said Tranchina.

The competition was fierce with about two dozen burger venues from around New York City presenting their creations. Contenders included J.G. Melon of the Upper East Side and Marc Forgione's American Cut of TriBeCa plus standing winners from the competitions' past two years.

"We got there at about 2:30 p.m. to set up and event started at 5:30 —we prepped the charcoal grill which was a challenge," said Tranchina with a chuckle. The Standard team is used to cooking on a commercial griddle.

"The burger ended up getting a nice char on it," he said. Standard prepped 680 burgers overall, cutting them into fourths for samples. The gang decided to serve "The Texan," the restaurant's most popular burger.

"We went with exactly that. It's our number one burger and the numbers are there to prove it," said Tranchina. He said there was talk among the owners about changing the roll. But they rethought that since attendees from the burger showdown who came to Staten Island to buy "The Texan" wouldn't be able to get exactly what they had sampled.

The Staten Island burger bosses used whistles to attract attention to their stand and walked through the crowd.

"We made sure everyone tasted our burgers," said Tranchina. Guests cast their vote for favorites with a coin. And, ultimately Standard became the champ.

Standard Burger came to the South Shore in 2012 with famed butcher Pat LaFrieda's mix of beef on the menu. All the trimmings on those burgers plus a menu of hot dogs, onion rings and fries at 4115 Hylan Blvd. were switched up for jazzy burgers, artisan breads, a potato bar, gourmet cupcakes and an ice cream component. The menu overhaul came about from an appearance on "The Profit."

Other Standards will be opening soon.

"We have been looking on Staten Island, we've been looking down in the Charleston area and the Bay street area down by the ferry there," said Tranchina, adding a research company is checking demographics in prospective locations.

The newest partner in Standard is Fuji Lezoja who was the restaurant's original cook but was fired at one point on the reality show.

"Fuji's been back since the new concept," said Tranchina. "He has a long background with food and culinary. Sometimes relationships don't mesh in the beginning. But we like Fuji and he's doing a great job."

Standard Burger is located at 4115 Hylan Blvd. and can be reached at 718-317-2333 (BEEF) or via the website StandardBurger.com.

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OK, what's your beef?

Sound off about your favorite borough burgers by emailing bailey@siadvance.com.