A small chain founded in Valencia in 2020 has won first place in the annual survey by World’s Best Burgers, known as the Michelin guide to burgers, says Eugene Costello
A small chain founded in Valencia in 2020 has won first place in the annual survey by World’s Best Burgers. It’s also known as the Michelin guide to burgers. Hundred Burgers has taken the number one spot in The World’s Best Burgers annual ranking. It has four locations in Valencia.
It’s the first time a restaurant outside of the United States has won. This represents huge kudos for the chain launched only four years ago. As well as the four outlets in Valencia, the chain has three more in Madrid. The jury considered 800 eateries in 60 countries so it is a great honour.
Founders Alex González-Urbón and Ezequiel Maldjian says its started as a game. “In 2017, born out of our passion both for burgers and for the culture surrounding them, we bought two tickets to New York. We had the aim of trying the 15 best burger joints in the city in four days, and to tell the story on Instagram.
How it all started
“It went so well that we decided to travel the world doing the same thing. We would choose a city and spend three or four days trying all the best burgers in order to rate and rank them. London, Paris, Los Angeles, Dubai, Buenos Aires, Berlin…
“And that’s how Hundred Burgers was born. It’s a tribute to, and a reflection of, the hundred places that inspired us and taught us everything we know about burgers,” they say.
Hundred Burgers was praised by The World’s Best Burgers jury for “its artisan approach and its constant growth in search of perfection”.
Daily labour of love
The Valencia-based chain is known for making all the ingredients for its burgers in-house. Every single morning they bake the demi-brioche. They also chop and mince dry-aged Galician blonde cow meat for its hamburgers every day. “We are the best burger in the world. Thanks for everything and to everyone. Thanks to our families and friends for suffering with us every step of the way,” wrote the creators of the best burger in the world on their social media.
They say, “To make the best possible burgers, it all begins with buying our own cows and choosing the best parts of each one. Once chosen, we work daily on the blend, mixing different percentages of fat and playing with the blend in order to achieve an unforgettable taste.
“Then we cut and mince the meat every day at our sites and we make the burgers one by one by hand so that the whole process is entirely artisanal. If you come regularly, you’ll notice that some days the taste is stronger and other days less so. That’s natural. Each cow is its own world, with different characteristics that vary. If it is always ‘perfect’, then it’s not real.”
Spain leading the way in gastronomy
Two other Spanish burger restaurants make the top 25. At number ten is another Valencia eatery, Soul Coffee in Paiporta in Huerta Sud. And at number 17, Briochef in Madrid.
Considering that Bodega El Capricho (near León in northern Spain) has been separately voted second best steakhouse on the planet and with no less than 15 restaurants with three Michelin stars (including Quique Dacosta in Denia, within the Valencian community), there really never has been a better time to be a gourmand in Spain.
• For locations and more, visit https://hundredburgers.com/