Just when you thought the largest commercially sold burgers weighing 1,794 pounds (ca. 814 kg) was the most bizarre burger you’ll encounter, we come up with 9 regular-sized burgers with the weirdest twists. Apparently, burgers have a way of mixing well with other dishes and even desserts. Or do they really?
In this era of #foodporn on Instagram, everyone’s looking for the next odd food combo. But why the craze with bizarre burgers, you ask? The Washington Post’s Roberto A. Ferdman says that people’s love for burgers reflect on the fact that 80% of food establishments selling burger say it’s their best-seller.
As they say, there is always a little madness in love. So here are the nine most insane burgers you probably didn’t know existed. Prepare to have mixed feelings at the end of this article.
1. Sushi Burger
Sushi burger is one of the strangest food combinations to have ever been invented. These two dishes come from different continents and possess strong distinct tastes, so this is quite an odd pairing.
According to Highsnobiety, the history of sushi burger goes way back its rise on Instagram in 2016. The first sushi burger was served back in the 1980s in a Japanese fast food chain called MOS.
It is known in the restaurant as The MOS Rice Burger whose buns are made of rice combined with barley and millet. The initial launch of the burger was in 1987 when the Tsukune Rice Burger was served.
This burger had ground chicken, daikon (mild-winter radish), and soy sauce seasoning. The burger was even copied by McDonald’s in Taiwan around those days of glory.
The absence of social media at that time, however, did not make it such a hot trend like it was in 2016. This madness has reached crazy heights.
Melbourne suddenly became home to a restaurant that serves many variations of this concept. They have sushi burger fillings such as teriyaki salmon, soft shell crab, cooked tuna, and more.
The sushi burger idea branches out to other trends as well. There was a time when rainbow-colored food was a thing, and sushi burger had a psychedelic version of it featuring vegetable rainbow rice as buns.
You’re probably wondering if sushi burgers are still a thing as they’re definitely a must-try. Well, they still are (ish)! There’s a 2019-published BuzzFeed video reviewing the difference between $10 sushi burgers and ridiculously priced $58 sushi burgers.
The BuzzFeed guys feature sushi and burger in one meal instead of the mashed up version, though. It’s interesting to see the odd concoction still alive in a more edible and less crazy way, at least.
2. Avocado Bun Burger
Avocados are an impractical choice for burger buns. They are taller than they are wide, so you could imagine how difficult it is to eat a burger assembled with them.
Avocados are also dome-shaped, so it’s quite impossible for you to take that typical bun-to-bun burger to bite (hack: use a knife and fork). Aside from that, this green fruit simply doesn’t seem to go well with cheese, red meat patties, or bacon.
This burger concoction was created by certified food genius Colette Dike or @foddeco on Instagram.
3. The Alphabet Sandwich
Nick Chipman of Dude Foods came up with this bizarre burger that has the weirdest ingredients, each one beginning in a different letter of the alphabet. Chipman gained popularity from creating the McEverything as well–a combination of 43 McDonald’s sandwiches.
The Alphabet Sandwich turned out to be way higher with 26 toppings compared to the 43-sandwich McEverything. You want to know why? Well Chipman happened to put the following ingredients:
- Avocado
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Doritos
- Egg
- Fish Sticks
- Garlic Bread
- Ham
- Italian Sausage Patty
- Jalapeño Peppers
- Krispy Kreme Doughnut
- Lettuce
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Noodles
- Onion Rings
- Pepperoni
- Queso Blanco Dip
- Ramen Noodles
- Spinach
- Turkey Burger
- Usinger’s Bratwurst
- Veal Parmesan
- Waffle
- Xylocarp (coconut)
- Yams
- Zucchini
Reading what A stands for alone was probably enough for you to confirm that this is indeed an insane burger right here. Also, let’s give the man credit for coming up with xylocarp — another word for coconut — to fill the X spot.
4. Ramen Burger
Ramen burgers has been around social media and all over the world for a few years now. Plenty of restaurants and Instagram foodies have even released their own versions of this burger.
But where did it all begin? Keizo Shimamoto is the man behind the ramen burger. The Japanese-American chef once starred in Ramen Dreams, a documentary film where he tries out different kinds of ramen from different locations.
He was even reported to have eaten 600 bowls of ramen in one year! So it was expected of him to invent such a quirky product of his love for ramen.
He came up with the ramen burger in 2013, which was introduced in Smorgasburg food market in Brooklyn, New York. That one night as enough to make the invention a global hit.
The ramen is boiled and pressed to form the buns and are charred with some sesame oil, arugula, and scallion-dredged beef patty. It does sound tasty, right?
The man’s passion for ramen even extended into another concept — creating a Fuji’s pineapple burger. In 2016, Shimamoto opened his ramen restaurant in New York, where he continues to introduce different ramen concepts.
5. Spaghetti Burger
Spaghetti Burger is the Western version of Ramen Burger, and it surely isn’t short of oddness as well. It’s interesting to have Italian Flavors in this fusion food for a change.
The show called The Chew featured this Italian Spaghetti-Meatball Burger in one of their episodes. The crew went to visit a restaurant in Philadelphia called PYT where this mad twist of a burger originated.
The restaurant never revealed its formula, but eventually in 2013, the social media foodies took it as inspiration. Various versions of spaghetti buns with different Italian toppings were released on blogs and Instagram feeds that year.
6. Black Bun Fried Frog Burger
This scary-looking burger originated in Yokohama City just south of the eccentric Tokyo. The buns of this burger alone are dyed dark black with bamboo charcoal, making the exterior look terrifying right off the bat.
Of course, the frog legs stretch outside the buns for a creepier touch. The concept was made as an addition to the Orbi Yokohama Museum’s exhibit on deadly poisonous animals, which includes some frogs as well. Yikes!
We’ve heard great feedback from people who’ve tried it, though. Many of them say the fried frog tastes just like chicken. So we suggest you just don’t look at this exotic patty too long to enjoy its flavors.
We doubt people are actually interested in making this burger in their own kitchen. The Orbi Yokohama Museum also hasn’t revealed the recipe for making this peculiar burger.
7. Deep-Fried Peanut Butter & Jam Sandwich Burger
This Deep-Fried PB&J Sandwich Burger is the inception of all these wacky burger concepts. It’s your childhood favorite and adult guilty pleasure in one. This might just top all the other sinful junk foods in the world.
The idea came from PYT in Philadelphia where the spaghetti burgers originated as well. The restaurant that claims to be “home of America’s craziest burgers” as stated on their menu.
When most of the burgers above are aiming to be healthier alternatives, this one is going for the complete opposite. Just when you thought a burger couldn’t get any greasier, you get this deep-fried peanut butter and jam sandwich infused with it.
The Daily Mail reports from their consultation with MyFitnessPal that the calorie content of these burgers amount to 2000 calories. Note that the amount is calculated just from 2 deep-fried kettle chip-coated PB&Js with a patty and a few bacon strips.
For comparison, a Big Mac from McDonald’s only has about 500 calories. So if you’re trying this, our prayers are with you.
8. Beer-Battered “Booze Burger”
Beers and burgers make a good pair, but Paradise Valley Burger Company in Paradise Valley, Ariz decided on infusing the beer with the burger itself. The popularity of this burger began in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives where Guy Fieri features this unique beer-battered burger.
For a good $9, one can enjoy this unique burger. It’s pretty cheap compared to most Instagrammable burgers.
About the taste, a review says that the alcohol was quite muted. Also, of course, it’s weird biting peppers and chili sauce mixed with the flavors of whiskey and vodka.
The restaurant never gave away its formula for its Booze Burger. Testers just gathered that these are what’s inside this alcoholic burger:
- 2 beer-battered deep-fried burger patties
- Whiskey-pickled peppers
- Bacon-vodka-green chile sauce
Patricia Escarcega of Phoenix New Times had interesting thoughts on the burger’s look. According to her, the burger is loosely packed and is definitely not a pretty sight to see.
The deep-fried cheese also looks like it was just cemented on the bun. In short, this boozy burger was as if formed by a drunk man himself.
Still, you would enjoy biting on the crunchy deep-fried parts of this burger. You’re also probably wondering whether this burger can give you a hangover the next morning.
Escarcega cites the cost of eating this burger as, “a food hangover, whose symptoms may include bloating, lethargy, and a compulsive need to count the hours until your next ‘cheat’ day.” Does that make you want to try this burger or put it on the hard pass file?
9. Southern Comfort Stuffed Burger
Southern Comfort Stuffed Burger seems just like your regular burger in one look. The twist? Booze! UrbanDaddy emphasizes on his blog that the fried bacon mac and cheese with a hint of Tabasco stuffed in the huge patty is what makes this burger distinct (apart from the alcohol content, of course).
The toppings include cheese, Southern Comfort, homemade spicy BBQ sauce, peach, and some crumbled Golden Flake Southern Heat potato chips.
Southern Comfort Burger is a more gastronomical version of the Booze Burger. It is served at The Nook in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. The restaurant is known for its secret ingredients like its secret peach topping in its Southern Comfort Burger.
This isn’t quite like any Southern Comfort treats we’ve heard before, and we’re not complaining! The description of the burger’s contents alone was enough to leave our mouths drooling.
Of all the weird burger twists in this list, we’re relieved to find one that has made its way to a fancy level. The Nook is certainly a must-visit restaurant in Atlanta for this and their other secret treats.
Honorable Mentions
Apparently, burgers topped with the weirdest dishes and sweets aren’t weird enough that desserts have adapted ingredients of burgers as well. Yes, your sweet tooth cravings have now gone wild with additional savory flavors.
Here are two of your favorite desserts with burger infusions that will completely change the way you look at both sweets and sandwiches (or even at the entire food world):
Burger-Flavored Ice Cream
An ice cream flavored with BBQ burger was born on the first National Burger Day of the United Kingdom on August 27, 2013. What better way to start a whole day dedicated to the famous comfort food, right?
The burger-flavored ice cream was served in Dalston Yard in East London, attracting more visitors to the burger fare. As expected, many people didn’t think the “innovative” creation was worth a lick or bite.
In 2018, the burger-ice cream pairing rose again when Cheeseburger Ice Cream started trending. This time, it was in the United States.
The Office Tavern Grill, which came up with the Unicorn Hot Wings in New Jersey created this cheeseburger-flavored ice cream. The release of the limited-edition ice cream was on September 18, which is National Burger Day in the US.
This version received great reviews because of the smooth, sweet-and-salty kick in the combination. Despite the burger being made of ground chuck, cheddar cheese, and applewood-smoked bacon, it still made quite an impressive ice cream treat.
Cinnaburger
Dude Foods’ Nick Chipman just couldn’t stop at The Alphabet Burger, so here we have The Cinnaburger. Chipman was inspired by a conversation he once heard on the FM 102.1 while driving home from work.
He remembers hearing something about how amazing it would be to have a burger made of Cinnabon buns. One day, when he smelled the aroma coming from the Cinnabon store, he decided to buy one.
Once he got home, he grilled a half-pound burger and fried bacon with it. He sliced the Cinnabon in half and stuffed the burgers and bacon in between.
Like most of the burgers on the list above, this one is also impossible to eat like you would a regular burger. You have to use a fork to eat everything intact… as in solid enough to give you hypertension.
The Pop-Tart Elvis Burger
Here’s another one of Nick Chipman’s Dude Foods burger experiments. This creation may not be as crazy as the ones we’ve already mentioned in this list, but this one has its own odd charm.
Chipman begins his blog on this recipe by saying that he feels like he could have been great buddies with Elvis Presley if he was alive during the star’s fame. He said it’s not about the interests of Elvis that have made him a talent figure but for his love for unhealthy things.
The Dude Foods author lets us in on a trivia that Elvis was into peanut butter, banana sandwiches, and bacon. He adds that Elvis ate those sandwiches a lot when he was alive that they have since then been referred to using the legend’s name.
This fascination made plenty of Elvis sandwiches in Chipman’s resume. He made The Bacon Weave Elvis Sandwich, The Spicy Elvis, Mini Elvis Doughnuts, and Elvis cookies. So what’s so strange about this pop-tart Elvis burger?
Well, Chipman combined ¼ pound of burger patty with banana slices, peanut butter, and a few slices of fried bacon. Also, of course, you’ve got pop tarts as the burger buns.
If that isn’t weird at all, we don’t know what kind of taste buds you have in you. This Elvis Presley burger tribute might not even be a hit for the icon’s die-hard fans.
Our Verdict
Like how we wanted this list to give you mixed feelings, we also share the same thoughts on this crazy list. Instagram has really changed the way we eat or view food that these burgers or desserts have turned into edible, 3D art canvases.
Like hit movies or series that get sequels or prequels made in their honor, burgers have that impact in the food world. It’s this staple and highly demanded meal that has got many people experimenting on the possibilities of extending its scope in the food industry.
The intersection between burgers, sweets, other distinct delicacies, and alcohol is a proof that burgers are here to stay despite the high calories they carry. The only question is, are you up for the challenge of trying these bizarre burgers?