In its early days, Brodburger started off in a bright red food van stationed at Bowen Park in Barton/Kingston. Locals came from all over the Canberra region just for its burgers. The queue was notorious – at least a 1 hour wait for the best burgers in Canberra. Fast forward a few years and Brodburger has expanded into a large eatery, just a few hundred metres from its original location next door to the Canberra Glassworks in Kingston.
Brodburger opens at 11.30am on the weekend, so some friends and I met up a few weeks ago at 12 noon to get in early. Not early enough though! All the tables and seats both inside and out were taken. It would have been fine if it was just 2 people, but since we were a group of 8, we would not have fit. Luckily there was an empty long wooden bar table outside (with no chairs) but nobody minded standing up to eat. Orders are taken and paid for at the kitchen counter and there was already a bit of a queue.
I love that Brodburgers come with your choice of cheese (swiss, cheddar, blue or brie). The Brodchicken ($14.50) is my favourite with flame grilled butterflied chicken breast, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, Spanish onion, homemade aioli and tomato relish. The chicken is succulent and SO juicy – every single time. Gotta love consistency. It’s also a really big chunk of chicken which tastes fantastic with bacon. The whole mix is delicious. You know it’s good when there is complete silence from all 8 people around the table. A side of chips are an extra $2.50 with your order.
J ordered also ordered the Brodchicken but asked for chilli sauce in his. The chilli sauce turned out to be some kind of chilli paste laden with hot chilli and seeds. Very intense but he liked it.
My friend’s double cheeseburger with egg looked unreal! 2.5 pound beef patties, cheese, onions, mustard, and the addition of egg.
Brodburger recently introduced its new burger – the Frango. Consisting of two chicken schnitzels, bacon, piri piri mayo, tomato and lettuce, this will certainly make you full. So much schnitty! I wonder if I could improve it with cheese?
Brodburgers also come in the baby-sized versions for those that cannot finish the original sized burgers. My friend ordered the baby brodburger ($8.50) filled with a flame grilled beef patty, lettuce, tomatoes, Spanish onion, homemade aioli and tomato relish. I must admit that I prefer the brodchicken to the brodburger!
My vegetarian friends are always happy with the Brodveg ($13.50) filled with grilled mushroom, eggplant, zucchini and capsicum, fried haloumi cheese, homemade aioli and tomato relish. A vegan-friendly option is also available with eggless aioli and no haloumi.
I haven’t had a chance to try out anything else besides the burgers. There are onion rings, calamari, and marinated veggies on the menu. Some friends ordered the calamari ($4 for six).
Did you know Brodburger do milkshakes? My friend ordered the chocolate milkshake ($5.50 from memory).
Brodburger is still just as popular and packed now as it was back in its caravan days. It’s quite noisy inside and I much prefer having an outdoor spot especially in summer. For takeaway orders, electronic buzzers are provided. Best to ring up and place your order first as the wait time is usually 40 minutes plus. The original burgers are a little pricier than burgers you get elsewhere but they are also MASSIVE in size. I love that the Brodchicken and the other Brodburgers are consistent in size and taste each time. Most allergies are catered for from gluten free buns, the Brodveg, and a vegan-friendly option.
Brodburger is open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch, and Tuesday to Saturday for dinner.
P.S. If you didn’t already know, the red caravan has been reinvented into Brodburger’s sister business, BrodDogs at The Hamlet in Braddon.
Foodgasm 8.5/10
Value for money 8/10
Service 7.5/10
FPJ score 24/30
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