WE still love a bonza Aussie burger from the pub or fish’n’chipper, with bacon, egg, beetroot and even pineapple if you really must have THE LOT.

But, in the past year or two, a new breed of burger specialists have emerged in the city and suburbs, who have taken our obsession with a juicy, charred pattie between two buns to the next level.

These folk don’t just make their own patties ... many will hand-grind the mince, finding precisely the right ration of lean meat to fat, arguing over the merits of chuck or brisket, even the best breeds of cattle.

TELL US: Who makes your favourite burger in Adelaide? Let us know in the comments

Recipes for pickles and relishes are tightly-held secrets and the old sesame-seed roll has made way, in many cases, for a sweeter, glazed bun.

So here are some of our best new-age burgers. Roll up your sleeves, throw away the knife and fork, and tuck in.

More: SA’s best restaurants and chefs named at 2013 Food Awards

More: Our 50 best restuarants in 2013

Cheeseburger ($14.90) at STREET ADL

The East End newcomer serves up a beefy treat that pays homage to pedigree. Chef Jock Zonfrillo makes sure the beasts in his burgers are beauties.

MAIN EVENT: This ain’t no two-dollar steak. The patty is a cut of beef that’s a majority mix of rump with chuck, derived from old-fashioned breeds of South Devon, belted Galloway and Dexter, all with a very specific type and content of fat, which ages 12-16 weeks on the bone along with the meat. Cooked in a fire pit of burning red gum wood and traditional mallee charcoal to make sure meat ‘caramelisation’ occurs.

ON THE SIDE: Crispy golden chips or go light with some green beans.

SECRET SAUCE: The ketchup on this burger is filled with an Aussie mix of bush tomatoes flavoured with an infusion of cinnamon myrtle, aniseed myrtle, mountain pepper and dorrigo pepper. And the mayo is handmade, light and fluffy.

285 Rundle Street, Adelaide; ph 8227 0344

News_Image_File: The cheeseburger at STREET ADL, in Rundle St.

No.1 ($9) at Burger Theory

The food-truck pioneers now have permanent digs in the East End where the queues are much shorter, the beer and cider are on tap, but there’s a little less romance in the production-line service.

MAIN EVENT: The burger that has spawned many imitators is still up there among the best with its glazed Breadtop roll, pattie packed with juice and flavour, and that addictive, what-do-they-put-in-it truck sauce … a bit too much of it on our last visit.

ON THE SIDE: Chips, of course, hot, golden and salty but no longer hand-cut.

DON’T WANT BEEF? The chicken burger is made from (Greenslades) thigh, not breast, so it’s not dry or stringy. With crisp prosciutto on top, it’s like a roast in a roll.

8-10 Union St, Adelaide; 0419 815 660

News_Image_File: The No.1 burger at the food truck Burger Theory, Adelaide.

More: SA’s top chefs reveal their secrets

More: Download The Advertiser’s 2014 Food Guide

The Biggy ($13.50) at Fancy Burger

George Fantis opened this Blackwood burger bar four years ago and now has shops in the city and Kensington Park.

MAIN EVENT: The aptly-named Biggy has a juicy SA beef patty layered with bacon, cheddar, fried free-range egg, herby mayo, lettuce, tomato relish and beetroot in a robust wholemeal bun. Quite a handful but thankfully not too sloppy and definitely not greasy.

ON THE SIDE: The chips are addictively good.

DON’T WANT BEEF? Broad choice of lamb, chicken and vego burgers, steak sangers and mini burgers for the health conscious.

237 Main Rd, Blackwood; ph 8370 0388

(Also at 17 Synagogue Place, Adelaide, and 402 Magill Rd, Kensington Park)

News_Image_File: The Biggie at Fancy Burger, at Blackwood, Kensington Park and the city.

The Nordburger ($7.80) at Nordburger

Midway down The Parade, this narrow, minimalist space is purpose built for cooking and eating burgers — down to the sink for washing sauce-streaked fingers. Nice touch that.

MAIN EVENT: One of our favourites in this tasting. The pattie is top-shelf, coarsely ground, slightly pink in the centre, a little rough around the edges so they caramelise nicely. The crusty sesame seed roll (not bun) also contains lettuce, tomato, pickles and perfect ratios of mustard, ketchup and their own creamy concoction.

ON THE SIDE: The chips are crinkle-cut for extra crunch. The cornflake milkshake will have you wondering how they know what you have for breakfast.

DON’T WANT BEEF? Hot-diggity dog, that’s okay. Or, for a change, try the panko-crumbed mushroom burger with house-made slaw.

168 The Parade, Norwood; ph 8331 9923

News_Image_File: Victoria with the Nordburger — handily found at Nordburger on The Parade. The burger that is, not Victoria.

The Chuck ($9) at Chuck Wagon

Tucked away at the end of O’Connell St lies some of Adelaide’s most mouth-watering burgers.

MAIN EVENT: Keep it simple and go for The Chuck with its juicy 160g patty generously smothered in mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato held together with a sweet and light bun. You may need to wear a bib for this one, however, and adding a slice of provolone for $1 is well worth it.

ON THE SIDE: Jalapeno poppers for the adventurers or chilli cheese fries for those after an authentic plus-sized US affair.

DON’T WANT BEEF? The Pollo Loco burger speaks for itself with double-crusted deep-fried chicken, coleslaw and cheese.

175 O’Connell St, North Adelaide; ph 8267 4070

News_Image_File: The Chuck, at Chuck Wagon in North Adelaide.

Signature ($11) at Burgastronomy

The name’s a mouthful and so are the burgers at this North Adelaide haunt, which has helped cement O’Connell St as the burger boulevard of Adelaide.

MAIN EVENT: Shunning the sweet, glossy buns favoured by competitors and boasting a bigger burger size than the slider-esque portion of many peers, Burgastronomy have let simple flavours come together to do the talking in their Signature offering. Juicy, salty but with a touch of sweet thanks to some sturdy pickles and liberal lashings of ketchup and mayo, the hand-ground MSA premium-grade beef is cooked to pinky perfection.

ON THE SIDE: Get your serve of veggies with some sweet potato fries, which are crunchy and salty on the outside but house a smooth and soft interior.

DON’T WANT BEEF? The Shroom — a Portobello mushroom paired with sweet balsamic onion, rocket, cheese, tomato and mayo makes a meal of the mushie or the hot bacon bird is a great chicken option.

19 O’Connell St, North Adelaide; ph 8267 1052

News_Image_File: Burgastronomy’s ‘Signature’ burger, found at North Adelaide.

#1 Republic ($10) at Burger Republic

Some serious dude food is infiltrating this smart food precinct. BP keeps it simple with a tight burger list. “House sauce” is smeared on all, but each can be switched up to fit your whims.

MAIN EVENT: The beef patties are coarsely ground, nicely seasoned with faint remnants of pink, on lightly glazed buns. The basic namesake burger is best beefed up with bacon, or move up a notch to the juicy “Sweet Thang” featuring aged cheddar and caramelised onion with or without blue-cheese sauce.

ON THE SIDE: Great spindly chips are much better than the sweet onion rings, plus dozens of chilli sauces to choose from.

DON’T WANT BEEF? #3 Chookman is a lemony/rosemary-basted thigh, #4 Garden is crumbed mushroom, or, go healthy with a breadless “burger in a bowl”.

110 King William Rd, Goodwood; ph 8357 0810

News_Image_File: The No.1 Republic at Burger Republic at Goodwood.

Relish’d at Relish’d Burger Bar

The beachside strip offers some good fish’n’chip-shop versions, but this little burger specialist is a cut above.

MAIN EVENT: The bun is a sweetie with a glaze you can check your lippie in. The pattie, made from beef sourced on the Fleurieu Peninsula, is cooked through but has good meaty flavour, and there’s plenty of moisture from generous squirts of herb aioli and tomato relish.

ON THE SIDE: If you’re eating in, the burger is served with a big knife stabbed into its heart, but only first-daters will feel the need to cut it in half.

DON’T WANT BEEF? Relish’d has a full range of options with lamb, chook and vego.

730 Anzac Highway, Glenelg; 8294 2777

News_Image_File: Relish’d Burger Bar’s namesake burger — at Glenelg.

Hamburguesa ($12.90) at Lucky Lupita’s

Queues still form outside the door of this tiny Mexican canting hidden away in the shadows of the Flinders Medical Centre. We love the smoked beef short ribs, the corn, and the soft tacos but the LL burger has a legion of fans for good reason.

MAIN EVENT: It’s the sauces/salsas that set this burger apart. There’s a choice of three: chipotle mayo, jalapeño/coriander and our choice, the “hogao”, a Colombian tomato and onion relish. The pattie is made from beef minced in-house, with lettuce and tomato in a Breadtop bun.

ON THE SIDE: Lightly pickled red onion rings should go straight into the burger. Crinkle-cut chips rate 9.5 for crunch.

DON’T WANT BEEF? Go for the soft tacos, perhaps with potato, poblano, pumpkin and smoked corn.

Unit 1, 4 Rupert Ave, Bedford Park; 8277 4004

News_Image_File: Lucky Lupitas’ Chipotle Burger at Bedford Park.

The Stanley Burger ($10.90) at the Stanley Bridge Tavern

Last, but by no means least, we thought we’d head out of town and track down a proper pub burger. The Stanley Bridge Tavern is in the small Hills hamlet of Verdun, only 30 minutes from the CBD if the traffic is kind. It has a cosy front bar, plenty of tables out the back and a resident Jack Russell that seems to run the place.

MAIN EVENT: It’s the fried egg that makes this burger, bursting at first bite and dribbling its golden goodness over a plump house-made pattie, rashers of bacon, lettuce and tomato relish. The soft bread roll has been singed on the grill — perhaps a tad too long in our case.

ON THE SIDE: A good bowl of spring-loaded curly chips. The kids will love them.

DON’T WANT BEEF? Benny’s Pork ribs in a sweet and sticky marinade are the house specialty.

41 Onkaparinga Valley Rd, Verdun; 8388 7249

News_Image_File: The Stanley Burger at the Stanley Bridge Tavern in Verdun.

But what if I don’t eat meat?

Vegetarian winners include Bliss Organic Café’s Bliss Burger with an almond, bean and lentil patty and homemade soy sugar-free mayonnaise (7 Compton St, city).

House of Donkey (188 Sturt St, city) has an ever-evolving seasonal menu (think Portobello mushroom and grilled peach burger on organic ciabatta bun with avocado, tomato, leafy greens and haloumi).

Vego n Lovin It (Level 1, 240 Rundle Street) is an oldie but a goodie with a board full of burger joy.

Meanwhile Manu Perez’s mobile burger stall dishes out tasty quinoa and haloumi creations. Catch him if you can.

— Katie Spain

OVER TO YOU: Where’s your favourite burger in Adelaide? Let us know below in the comments

Burgers reviewed by Simon Wilkinson, Dianne Mattsson, Kylie Fleming, Sam Kelton, Jess Leo and Kate Bowden