Madero

Madero is the work of Junior Durski, a self-taught chef who turned cooking from a hobby into a business in Curitiba, in southern Brazil. He opened a fine-dining restaurant under his own name in 1999, and the first Madero Steak House followed on 7 June 2005 in the city’s historic centre. The chain calls its cheeseburger “the best burger in the world” and puts the line on its website.

In 2014 the group launched Madero Container, one of the first fast-casual formats in Brazil, which serves a burger-focused part of the steakhouse menu. Since 2015 a central kitchen in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, has made or supplied almost all the food served in the restaurants, and in 2017 the group added a cheaper fast-casual brand, Jeronimo. By the end of 2022 it had 275 restaurants across its brands.

Every Madero cheeseburger is built the same way: fresh-baked bread, lettuce, tomato, Cheddar, homemade mayonnaise and a flame-grilled patty of pure beef. The burgers differ by patty size, 180g for the Madero line and 130g for the Junior line, and by whether they come with bacon or a second patty.

Restaurants across Brazil, as Madero Steak House and the smaller Madero Container.

• El Corral (Colombia, since 1983). Colombia’s own burger chain, bigger at home than any American import. Also built on beef, cheese and a double stack.
• Bembos (Peru, since 1988). Peru’s own burger chain, with fried plantain and egg on the menu. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Giraffas (Brazil, since 1981). The Brasília fast-food chain where the burger comes with a fried egg. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Bob's (Brazil, since 1952). Brazil’s first fast-food chain, founded by a Wimbledon champion. Also built on beef and cheese.