No it's not Engine No. 9. It's not El Cap. Everyone's been to those two burger hotspots. I might have a new favorite St. Pete burger. And I'll bet you've never tried it.
El Cap has never really wow'd me. The burgers at Engine No. 9, while a little overpriced, are solid. But the burger I'm talking about is neither of those. This one has never been featured on one of those cable TV shows. It probably won't even come up on Yelp or Google Reviews.
It used to be called Babalu. It was a staple on 4th Street for years. It was a dive, but locals seemed to love it. When Babalu closed up a few years ago, honestly, I didn't shed a tear. The food was mediocre on a good day. It felt dirty. It was more of a dive bar than restaurant. An Irish Pub moved in.
The only reason I stumbled into McArthur's Irish Pub in St. Petersburg is because it's so close to the radio station. Given that it's an old fashioned European pub, on my first visit, I went with the fish and chips. Honestly, the fish was completely forgettable. I dug the chips. A year or so went by before I returned. I remember my buddy ordered the burger and it looked excellent. On my next visit, I skipped the fish and chips and went straight to the burger section of the menu.
Where to find the this undiscovered St. Pete Burger
I ate my first McArthur's burger last month. I've had 3 more since to make sure it's good before I gave them these props. The slabs of bacon are thick and cooked perfectly. The toppings are fresh. And the fact that McArthur's gives you malt vinegar to put on your French Fries scores major points with me.
After one bite my eyes widened. While it might not be the best burger I've had in the Tampa area, this is the best St. Pete burger nobody knows about for sure. It's not on anyone's list. But it might be on yours if you try it. It's juicy, but not greasy. The vibe of the place is chill and it's pretty cheap by St. Pete standards.
Like any good burger spot, they'll ask you how you want it cooked. No matter how I've ordered, it always comes out medium well to well. But I'm not annoyed. It's always been good.
Several different kinds of burgers
There's the basic Classic Cheese Burger. I have them add the bacon to that and am good to go. I tried the Bacon Blue Burger and if you dig blue cheese, that might be a better bet. There's the Jameson Whiskey BBQ Burger and a Mushroom Swiss too. The wings smelled good when they went by. One day I'll try those too but usually once I find something I like, I stick with it. And for me it's McArthur's burgers.
If you're one of our neighbors, they are on Uber Eats. Otherwise, pop 9246 4th Street North in St. Petersburg into your GPS. They're open 11-11 except for Friday & Saturday nights when the stay open until midnight. Beer prices are pretty reasonable. And they have live music most nights according to their website.
Happy National Cheeseburger Day. There are lots of burger bargains out there to celebrate this important holiday. In the fast food drive thru world, you can get a double cheeseburger at McDonald's for 50 cents. Burger King will give you a free cheeseburger with a $1 purchase. Wendy's is doing a buy one, get one free Big Bacon Cheddar cheeseburger deal. All of those require you to put their mobile app on your phone though.
If you want to step up your burger game (plus support local businesses), here are my 10 best picks for juicy, flavorful burgers here in the Tampa area.
#5: The Stein & Vine in Brandon
This is one of the things I miss about living over on the Hillsborough side. I only got to visit once or twice, but their take on the Juicy Lucy with the cheese in the middle was fantastic. (This burger in the photo is a different one, but it looks solid.)
#4: Shake Shack in Tampa
We FINALLY have our own Shake Shack in Tampa. Hopefully there are more to come. As great as the burgers are, the real star of the show is their Christmas Cookie milkshake... offered only seasonally unfortunately.
#3: Five Guys in Pinellas Park
Sure sure it's a chain. But those burgers are always done right. Whenever anyone complains that Florida doesn't have In-N-Out, I say you have Five Guys - which is way better. I lived in California for 5 or 6 years and had plenty of In-N-Out. And I'll still drop in whenever I visit the west coast, but Five Guys burgers are far better. But you could argue it's comparing apples to oranges because In-N-Out is far cheaper.
#2: Engine No 9 in St. Pete
My only complaint is it's a pretty pricy burger. Once you add tots, drink and a tip, you're spending around $20-$30. That said, that burger in the pic... I snapped that shot. It's my go to every time. So good.
#1: Portillo's in Brandon
I'm going to get a lot of grief about this pick and I get it. It's a chain. And Portillo's is known for their Italian Beef and Chicago style hot dogs. I've had both. But the winner for me on the menu is their burger. (Although the cheese fries and chocolate cake shake are close behind.)
