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🍔 The Best Burgers For Madison Burger Week

It’s time to get the patty started in Madison, as Madison Burger Week has returned for May 15-22. Hosted by the Wisconsin Beef Council and the Cap Times, the week gives local restaurants and bars the chance to showcase some unusual burger creations (or highlight their existing favorites), with folks voting on their top picks.

I’ve managed to get out and try three of the more offbeat burgers that are available this week. Here’s what I thought of them:

Jordan’s Big 10 Pub, “The Beer Barrel Brat Burger”

This Regent Street bar always punches above its weight when it comes to both its tap list and its food, and always comes up with some of my favorite burgers during Burger Week.

This year’s edition is no exception. "The Beer Barrel Brat Burger" is Oktoberfest-inspired, featuring a Jenifer Street Market patty, a sliced grilled bratwurst, butterkäse cheese, beer braised onions, house-made beer mustard and some frankly unnecessary mixed greens.

The good news is that it tasted great – I rarely have mustard on a burger, but the savory spread paired well with both the brat and the burger. The bad news is that it’s so tall and unwieldy that it almost immediately collapsed in my hands, and half of it dropped on the floor. Eating off the floor of a campus bar is never a good move, so I sadly let it be.

Licari’s Bar & Grill, “The 65’er”

Real burger lovers know that this unassuming family-owned bar tucked away on Emil Street just off Fish Hatchery Road is a burger powerhouse, having won Madison Burger Week two years in a row.

Will they secure the three-peat with “The 65’er”? They’re certainly not holding back with a burger intended to celebrate the bar’s 65th anniversary, which keeps things spicy with its Jenny Street patty covered with a hot honey jalapeno cream spread, hot honey jalapenos, melted pepperjack, and a lot of bacon. (Seriously, they go nuts with the bacon at Licari’s.) A crispy jalapeno wonton is pinned on top by a toothpick as a garnish, and you can get it on an everything bagel or a Stella’s spicy cheese bun.

I went with the Stella’s, and surprisingly given all that heat, it was not a “Hot Ones” level of burn. Instead, it had a nice spicy-sweet balance that was really tasty. Also, it held together in my hands, which I guess is a selling point for a clumsy diner like myself.

Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace, “Chopped Cheese Crunch Wrap”

Having had two big burgers in four days, I was ready for something a little different to close out my Burger Week journey. I found it at Tex Tubb’s, which garnered inspiration from the Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme. A tostada is packed with grilled ground beef, cheddar jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, tajin aioli, and ketchup, which is then wrapped in a flour tortilla and grilled. (Tajin is the chili-lime seasoning you sometimes find on the rim of a margarita glass.)

It tasted so good, elevating the guilty pleasure of an iconic Taco Bell menu item with a “burger” that was packed full of flavor. Bonus tip: If you like heat, order the chips and salsa and get the hottest salsa, which has an unusual sesame-based tang.

May 22 is the last day of Madison Burger Week. If you want to try your hand at your own unusual burger creations this Memorial Day Weekend, we’ve got some tips for a certified grill king.