Sydney’s favourite burger was just named one of the world’s best

The Gidley’s famous gourmet burger has been named one of the world’s best in a yearly list compiled by the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants panel.

While food fads come and go as fast as you can say edible flowers, burgers hold steady as history’s most beloved, and indulgent, meal. So when one is marked as the “world’s best,” it’s a great source of pride for chefs and burger fiends alike.

Sydneysiders have long known that The Gidley, Liquid & Larder’s stately CBD steakhouse, pumps out one of the most elegant and delicious burgers you’ll find anywhere. Now the world has caught up, with the aptly named Gidley Burger locking down the ninth spot in a list of the world’s top 10 burgers.

Considering famous burgers like the signatures at Chicago’s Au Cheval, New York City’s 4 Charles Prime Rib and Reykjavik’s Tommi’s Burger are nowhere to be found on the list, The Gidley’s inclusion is a big deal for Sydney’s food scene. And it’s a nice bit of validation for locals who have championed the glorious creation for years.

Notably, it was the only burger in Australia to make the list, making it Australia’s best burger.

So what makes it so good?

The $26 Gidley burger is stunning as a far as burger architecture goes. We included it in our list of Sydney’s ugliest burgers, but truth be told it is quite a beautiful piece of work. The steakhouse takes two precision-crafted beef patties from Liquid & Larder’s in-house butchery and lightly fries them until they’re medium rare. The full-flavoured patties are then slapped onto a soft milk bun with perfectly melted mature cheddar and pieces of dill pickle.

The most important part: consistency. By keeping things simple and having complete control over the taste of their meat, The Gidley has landed on a winning formula. There’s the option of adding a fried egg or bacon rashers to the already monstrous stack, but we think it’s best to keep things as they are.

You don’t have to go to The Gidley to get the burger

That’s right. You actually don’t need to frantically search for a Gidley reservation to try the kitchen’s famous burger. Liquid & Larger’s Surry Hills seafood bistro, The Rover, also serves it.

It’s a little known secret, but The Rover actually put The Gidley burger on its menu at the start of 2024. And while The Rover is fantastic on its own (get the eel pate with glazed crumpets), it’s almost always going to be easier to get a spot at this criminally underrated restaurant and bar.

What other burgers made the list?

According to the judging panel, the #1 best burger in the world right now is coming from London, flipped by Shoreditch barbecue joint Salt Shed. In fact, London grabbed a total of four spots on the list. Here’s the full round-up for your convenience.

1. Salt Shed, London
2. Gasoline Grill, Copenhagen
3. Bleeker, London
4. Hundred Burgers, Valencia
5. Black Bear Burger, London
6. La Birra Bar, Miami
7. Burger & Beyond, London
8. Wagyumafia, Tokyo
9. The Gidley, Sydney
10. Nowon, New York City

The Gidley

Address: Basement/161 King St, Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 9169 6898
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday (12pm – 12am)

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