National Burger Month is celebrated each year in May, and Pensacola is full ofdining options to explore. Whether you're looking for something timeless and classic or more of a contemporary spin, here are 12tried-and-true burger spotsto check out this month. Let's dig in.
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Brown Bagger
3808 N. 12 Ave and 6820 Caroline St.
While Pensacola loves and defends its old-school favorites, Brown Bagger food truck has won over the hearts of locals for a gourmet burger experience. The truck, which opened in 2022, is a collaboration between Tim Thompson and Ellis O'Neal, and the two now have two flourishing locations outside Alga Beer Co.. and Milton’s Gulf Coast Garage Patio Bar. While there are many interesting varieties to try, we recommend experiencing the food truck’s namesake, The Bagger Burger, which comes loaded up with a quarter-pound wagyu beef patty, American cheese, grilled onions and is topped with their signature Bagger Sauce on a potato bun. However, there are plenty of fun specials to try, and they change every month. This month, they're serving up the Chopper Burger prepared with quarter-pound wagyu smash patties, melted shredded cheddar, grilled or fried onions, bacon, steak sauce, and served on a potato bun described as "hearty, tangy, and savory."
McGuire’s Irish Pub
600 E. Gregory St.
If you don’t want to pay for a steak at McGuire’s, a great alternative are the steak burgers. Prepared using McGuire’s steak trimmings, the burgers are three-quarter pounds of lean beef with a blend of seasonings rubbed into handmade patties. While there are over two dozen options to choose from, including wild options like the brie and blueberry chutney burger and the Terrible Garbage Burger, the “Big Daddy Burger” is among the most famous and one we would proudly recommend. The Big Daddy, featured on the Food Network, comes topped with bacon, cheddar and jalapeno.
MI SU Street Food
9 E. Gregory St.
MI SU is another long-time Pensacola favorite, famous for its signature smash burger. Owners Alden and Hylene Garcia have developed a faithful following for the flavorful, thin-smashed burgers that fuse flavors of Mexican American fast food. The best-selling MI SU Melt is a prime example, which is prepared with one or two patties, white cheese, onions and peppers, a chorizo aioli and chimichurri. The two have since expanded from just their food truck to also offer a brick-and-mortar, sit-down experience at Nolita’s Parlor & Eatery in downtown Pensacola. Pop by after to end the night with a sweet treat and indulge in one of their specialty sundaes. For more information, follow MI SU Street Food on social media.
TOPS Choice Hamburgers
401 E. Cervantes St.
While TOPS has several locations across the Gulf Coast, its Pensacola location is a well-known staple for a reason. It’s a drive-thru and pickup-only establishment with a streamlined menu that keeps the focus on good food. The quarter-pound burgers are made to order with 100% beef patties and traditional toppings: mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, onion and ketchup. If you’re looking for something a little old-school, TOPS is a must. The greasy brown paper bag says it all.
Blue Dot Barbecue
310 N. DeVilliers St.
When asked where to find a good burger in Pensacola, you will undoubtedly hear Blue Dot as a top contender. Founded in 1946 by Blue and Dot Robinson, hence the name, Blue Dot has remained in the family for three generations. The shop is known and adored for its no-frills atmosphere that focuses on creating a timelessly crave-worthy burger.
"Mayo, mustard, tomato, onion. salt and pepper," owner J. Byron Long said. "It's a simple burger, and it's worked for all these years." It’s unpretentious, unassuming, and tucked into a brown paper lunch bag straight off the grill. The burger is to be ordered unadulterated, without modifications. Only in 2022 did they begin adding cheese, andPensacola just about lost its mind.Stroll through the historic Belmont-Devilliers neighborhood, and pop inside to taste it for yourself.
Sauce Boss Burger Co.
319 N. Tarragona St.
Owned and operated by Eli Cook, Sauce Boss Burger Co. has also become a crowd favorite for fresh burgers. One unique thing about Sauce Boss is that you can usually always find a collaboration with another Pensacola area chef or business to develop the rotating burger of the month, producing one-of-a-kind creations that are only there for a limited time. Another highlight is the handcrafted sauces paired with each signature burger. For a first visit, you may want to try a core item such as The Handlebar (a black garlic patty melt on sourdough) For the spring season, they've expanded beyond burgers to offer three varieties of po'boys, including a lemon pepper, Seoul Hot Chicken and Chopped Cheese variety.
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3-D Eats & Tea
6881 U.S. Hwy 98
What started out as a humble food truck owned and operated by Sean DeSmet has blossomed into a sit-down service restaurant and bar at 6881 U.S. Highway 98. While 3-D Eats is getting a little fancy with its dining room, the burgers have held onto their roots and come packed with all the same flavor and quality that customers have come to know and love. The Bacon It Rain is a crowd-pleaser, based on a custom-blend burger and loaded with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles on a Martin’s Roll. You never know where DeSmet is going to roll up, most recently right on the field at the Blue Wahoos Stadium. If you see the line wrapping around the bus, you know you've found it.
Sammy Barker's
875 E. Nine Mile Road
Sammy Barker’s is another fan-favorite for their take on American street food, which, of course, includes the hamburger. The burgers are made special with choice cuts of beef that are ground fresh in-house daily, then hand-balled, smashed and seared.
One of the top burgers to taste is the Battle of the Bay Winner 2020, which was voted by a judges panel as the winner of the 2020 Burger Battle by the Bay. It comes topped with smoked gouda, bacon onion jam, red cabbage slaw, sweet red peppers and the trademarked Sammy sauce.
Greazy Burger
2806 W. Michigan Ave.
While we realize Greazy Burger is the new food truck in town, how many places nowadays can you find a mouthwatering smash burger for only $5? Owner and chef Donnie Deluna, who also owns a popular Asian food truck, Something Asian, wanted to create a burger spot that customers could integrate into their daily routines. Not only are they value-priced, but they are also packed with flavor and cooked fresh to order. So far, some of the crowd-favorite specialty creations have been the Smushroom Burger, prepared with a semi-smash filet patty, provolone cheese, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and the Black N Blue Burger, cooked with blackening seasoning and topped with blue cheese, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. However, you can't go wrong with the Greazy Signature burger served with their signature sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
Smash ‘N’ Dash
1919 Creighton Road
When we asked our readers for their go-to burger spot in our 2025 PNJ Burger Bracket, votes came pouring in for Dustin and Peyton Cleckler’s food truck Smash ‘N’ Dash, which ultimately took the title. The food truck has a permanent place at Creighton Road, serving its now-famous smash burgers with scratch-made seasonings and sauces. The two take pride in their work and have the arm pain to prove it from smashing each burger by hand for hours. Among the most popular is the Big Bacon, a double smash burger that is so filling that he has to give a disclaimer to customers with small appetites.
Proper Burger
9 E. Garden St.
You’ll notice that the menu comes short and sweet, and that’s for a reason.Proper Burgeris going back to the basics with creating an incredible smash burger. The menu keeps it simple with high-quality ingredients, starting with a custom-made Costello’s Butcher Shop meat blend, crisp lettuce, ripe tomato, pickles, onions and cheese, topped with a brioche bun and slathered with a signature Proper sauce that ties it all together. Recently, Proper has loosened up a little bit on offering some fun specials, including Spicy Hawaiian and their Breakfast Burger. The burger patties can come single or double, with the choice for fries. The fries are made using beef tallow, giving it an extra delicious flavor. While you’re there, pair with a handcrafted cocktail from the B Side bar next door.
The Reef
63 Via De Luna Drive, Pensacola Beach
Branded as the best smash burger on the island,The Reefhas become a local's respite for good food at relatively low prices on Pensacola Beach. While the classic smash burgers are always available, they also have a rotating “burger of the month” that experiments with unique flavors, like this month’s smash burger of the month, including their signature double patty served on Pumpernickel Rye bread topped with a house made A-1, Swiss cheese and caramelized onion.
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal:Pensacola's top burger spots for 'National Burger Month'
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