Huxtaburger

Huxtaburger opened in Collingwood, an inner-north Melbourne suburb, in late 2011, as a deliberately quirky spin-off from Huxtable, a restaurant nearby that held a chef’s hat in the Good Food Guide. A short menu of American-style burgers, chips and shakes turned it into one of the city’s cult burger spots.

The brand grew around Melbourne and then interstate, and began franchising in the late 2010s. It is known for cheeky marketing as much as for its food. Its latest menu is built around the idea of “fewer things, done properly”: a handful of beef burgers built on smashed patties, three chicken burgers and a vegetarian one.

The patties are made from Victorian beef and wagyu with nothing but salt and pepper, smashed thin on the griddle, sometimes with onions or jalapeños pressed into the meat. The buns are plant-based, made without preservatives, topped with sesame and toasted in butter, and the sauces are developed by the company’s own chef. The Basic can be stacked up to four patties high.

Restaurants in Melbourne and other Australian cities, many of them franchised.

• Hungry Jack's (Australia, since 1971). Burger King by another name, because in Australia the name was already taken. Also built on beef, a special sauce and cheese.
• Better Burger (New Zealand). A New Zealand fast-food chain built on fresh, never-frozen beef, local farmers and compostable packaging. Also built on beef, a special sauce and cheese.
• Grill'd (Australia, since 2004). Australia’s “healthy burger” chain, where your change goes to a local cause. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Lord of the Fries (Australia, since 2004). A Melbourne chip van that became Australia’s all-vegan burger chain. Also built on beef and cheese.