Nelson is famous for its annual burger month competition, where over 35 contestants compete for the crown.

To use a sports analogy, Burger Month is the playoffs: a limited-time display of the top culinary creativity of Nelson’s in-house chefs each November.

That makes the rest of the year the regular season, and any sports fan will tell you: not all teams are created equal. We’ve set out to find burgers that bring something special to the table – literally!

This is just our opinion of course, but with nearly 100 Kootenay burgers consumed this year – we’re more educated than most when it comes to choosing a standout burger.

So what qualifies a burger for this list?

1. It needs to be available all year-round as a standard menu item. No “limited time” specials or off-menu items here.
2. An unforgettable experience. The best burgers immediately stand out as something special – usually with some discernible differentiating factor.
3. The “friends” factor. When something is really that incredible, you tell all your friends, or maybe even take them to enjoy it too!

Now that’s out of the way, here’s our picks for the best regular-season burgers in Nelson!

These are in no particular order – each one could be #1 depending on what mood you’re in!

Relish

The Jughead does a great job of keeping the DNA of a hamburger intact while adding that special sauce that makes a burger stand out from the crowd.

In this case, that special sauce isn’t a metaphor: sweet and savoury peanut satay sauce makes this one stand out from the crowd. A hint of spice, warm, and gooey, peanut sauce is something that we’ve grown to love, and it’s great here with thick cut bacon and smokey cheddar.

Relish’ is known for their’s famous gluten free onion rings make an appearance here in all their quinoa-encrusted glory – a pleasant crunch that adds a texture to this burger that’s delightful.

It’s hard to get your mouth around this one, but as the kids say: that’s a feature, not a bug. There’s a couple reasons for that.

The patty itself is a generous 6oz of house-made grass fed beef. We like a patty with real texture to it – nothing too homogenous, and this one fits the bill! The pretzel bun is more than up to the task of keeping this chunky burger together: chewy and robust.

It’s one of the best burgers in Nelson, and its uncharacteristic sauce makes this burger an interesting departure from your normal burger fare. Peanut sauce on a burger is definitely a unique flavour, so read your own mail here, but it’s one we think totally works here.

Main Street Diner

All these years later, Main Street Diner remains one of our go-to restaurants. With the biggest burger menu in the region, there’s plenty to choose from, and we’ve been going back and forth on our our favourite, but when it comes down to it, The Athenian has to be the victor.

This really is an establishment that can do it all, known as much for their excellent fish and chips and Greek specials as they are for their signature burgers.

Served on a fresh Fomi’s Bakery bun, these burgers are a great deal too – all coming in under $20 with fries.

While the “Burger au Poivre” (aka Pepper Burger) almost took the spot with it’s peppercorn crusted cream cheese, the Athenian leans right into Main Street’s strengths, wearing its Greek influences on its sleeve.

Garlicy yogurt tzatziki meets salty feta and fresh veggies in a fusion that comes up in conversation whenever we’re discussing the town’s very best burgers. We can see why too – with flavours like this and a price point under $20, it’s a perfect lunch. If you can get it on their sunny Baker Street patio, even better!

It’s not too heavy, with an airy whole wheat bun, and a bounty of fresh veggies and light flavours – perfect for days when you’re looking for something light and “healthy” (we won’t ruin it for you!).

We have to shout out their famous hand cut fries too. This isn’t the time to swap for a healthy salad. Live your best life!

Brixx Brewhouse

This burger isn’t dainty, and it isn’t subtle. What it is though is a full flavoured, full size burger that you’ll tell all your friends about.

It’s loaded up with all the cheese, sauce, and fried goodness you can handle. The savoury flavours at play here are so heartwarming: Guinness malt flavour meets smoky bacon and the seared smash patty for a deep base that’s topped off with a healthy does of their house made burger sauce.

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s some gourmet toppings here with a deep fried pickle and jalapeño, lending this burger plenty of WOW.

Top it off with fresh greens, pickled red onions, and wrap it in a soft house-made bun and you’ve got yourself a winner.

There’s other great burgers here too: chicken, blue cheese, brisket – you name it. All come set with the same big attitude that makes this burger joint one of our favourite local hangouts.

You just can’t get better than this… except that they’re on special for $10 every Thursday! 🤯

Louie’s Steakhouse

We’ve eaten nearly every kind of burger under the sun, including 39 burgers in 10 days during Burger Month, and we’ve never had anything like this one!

It’s completely in a league of its own, a fine dining culinary experience served on a bun.

At the heart of the burger is a 5oz filet mignon, served up however you like it cooked. That’s already a supremely tender cut of meat, and having it served on a burger is really something special. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth piece of heaven that needs to be experienced to understand.

Take our word for it though, this is a burger crafted by a master craftsman! You’ve never had a burger so satisfying, and the accompanying flavours are equally compelling.

Served up on a sesame and poppyseed brioche, thinly sliced prosciutto and ultra-soft gouda add a decadent fattiness, balanced out by fresh greens and a grilled tomato.

The spreads are equally luxurious, with bacon jam and duck fat mayonnaise creating a savoury sweet backdrop for the meat to shine. It all swirls together into a truly special burger that easily earns its $43 price tag.

Outer Clove

Some of the boldest flavours in town can be found at the Outer Clove – a restaurant famous for its passion for its generous use of garlic in its Eastern European inspired menu.

There’s really nothing else like it in the area. Even in the city, when was the last time you had paprikash, halusky, or goulash? We’ve been eating here a lot lately, and have really been enjoying a cuisine that for us, has been relatively unexplored!

Their Yumburger is made with an all beef patty, cheddar, horseradish-dijon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, but there’s a not-so-secret twist here that shouldn’t be missed.

Like all of Outer Clove’s menu items, it’s really the bold flavours that stick with you here, elevating an otherwise classic flavour profile to that next tier of awesome. The aforementioned horseradish-dijon pays a huge role here, filling your mouth with the intense, slightly spicy, signature bite of horseradish and the sweet tang of dijon.

The secret to this burger’s exceptional quality is actually the optional upgrade: a langos bun! It’s a fried Hungarian bread seasoned with raw garlic, salt and pepper, and is the magic ingredient here that turns this burger up to 11.

If you’ve been wondering where the garlic is, there you have it – it’s now an official Outer Clove dish! The langos bun is the most interesting bun option in town: a little crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, a perfect bun.

It really is essential to the experience, with a perfect texture and a delicious garlic flavour that pairs with the horseradish dijon for one of the best burgers in Nelson!

As a culinary and cultural destination, a visit to Nelson isn’t complete without putting the city through its paces, and what better way to do so than to try the city’s best burgers!

There are a couple of burgers we have yet to try, so if your favourite isn’t listed here, let us know and we’ll give it a try!

There’s plenty of incredible restaurants out there, so if you’d like more suggestions for where to eat when you’re in town, be sure to check out our food and drinks page.