Gallery Almost Every Burger From The 2012 Philadelphia Burger Brawl

In the middle of a crazy Philadelphia spring weekend that involved the Broad Street Run, Philadelphia Sandwich Experiment, First Friday, and several major sporting events, was the Philly Burger Brawl, an annual competition at the Fleischer Art Memorial that brought out 23 local restaurants to battle it out for the title of best burger and raise money for Meredith Elementary School.

There were many pleasant surprises and a few disappointments. Overall it really came down to execution and who was best prepared for cooking outside on a charcoal grill with hundreds of people descending on them at the same time. The best burgers were cooked to order, literally right off the grill and into my hands, while the stalls that were sandbagging and plating 30 burgers at a time ended up with wilted lettuce, soggy buns, and dried out patties. Some of the chefs seemed like they were really there to compete, with full crews painstakingly topping each burger beautifully, while others showed up mostly to help out the charity—which raised a whopping $65,000.

The Winners

People's Choice Winner Bobby's Burger Palace

Judge's Choice Winner The Capital Grille

Online Vote Winner Good Dog

My Top Five

1. Misconduct Tavern 2. London Grill 3. Loco Pez 4. Square Peg 5. Table 31

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