AT LAST. After an entire year of waiting—you’ve been so patient!—the Portland Mercury’s Burger Week is almost here!

From Monday August 7-Saturday August 12, at over 40 of Portland’s finest restaurants, you’ll find one-of-a-kind burgers that exist only for the Mercury’s Burger Week! And even better? Each of these wondrous creations will cost a mere $5!

Will this be one of the greatest weeks of your burger-eating life? Damn straight it will.
Thanks to the Mercury and our friends at New Seasons Market, Jim Beam, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Satchel, and ReachNow, this will be a week long remembered.

Read on for the mouth-watering descriptions of 2017’s Burger Week offerings in NW Portland from Lompoc Tavern, Elephant's Delicatessen, Kells Brewery, Boise Fry Company, and Lightning Will Bar & Grill.

The Lompoc Tavern: Proletariat BBQ Burger
Lompoc Brewing’s Proletariat Red Ale is one of the local brewpub chain’s flagship beers—so why not put all that malty, hoppy goodness into a Burger Week burger? That’s exactly what Lompoc did, topping a hot slab of their custom beef blend with Proletariat Red BBQ sauce, creating a barbecue-flavored burger that’ll go well with a beer. Plus, the burger is topped with a jalapeño-bacon jam, which sounds like unadulterated breakfast heaven, and bourbon-caramelized onions, so this’ll be a cheesy, oniony, beefy, beery, bourbony, bacony, barbecue-y burger for the ages. 1620 NW 23rd; burger available Mon-Sat 11 am-11 pm

Elephant's Delicatessen: The Pig Kahuna
Keeping in tradition with their previous Burger Week offerings the Pig Lebowski and the Pig Mac, Elephant's Pig Kahuna burger is constructed around a pork-based patty that sets it apart from more traditional beef offerings. Utilizing a staff favorite “hamloaf” recipe for the base, Elephant’s then coats the meat with a pineapple-bourbon sauce that brings things to just the right level of sweetness, before balancing it out with a little spice in the form of roasted jalapeños and pepperjack. Add a layer of shredded lettuce to provide a bit of crunch that doubles as a cooling note, then stack it all up on a homemade sesame seed bun, and you’ve got a scrumptious Burger Week offering. 5221 SW Corbett, 877 SW Taylor, 115 NW 22nd, 2730 SW Moody; hours vary by location

Kells Brewery: Ballycastle Sausage Roll Burger
Kells, the great, family-owned Irish pub in Northwest Portland, always manages to work up delicious Irish-themed burgers for Burger Week (last year was the Shepherd’s Pie Burger), and this year is no different, as they introduce the Ballycastle Sausage Roll Burger. It’s a ground pork sausage roll—with onions, spices, demi glace—in a burger! Order one, pair it with a pint, watch some rugby or soccer, sit back, and enjoy the experience. 210 NW 21st; burger available Mon-Thurs 11:30 am-midnight, Fri-Sat 11:30 am-2am

Boise Fry Company: Real American Hero Burger
The United States is in peril, so we need Boise Fry Company’s Real American Hero Burger more than ever before. It’s an all-natural, seasoned chuck patty topped with delicious charred onion aioli, thick-cut bacon, house-made dill pickles, and American cheese on a sesame seed bun. USA! USA! While you’re there, you should probably order a side of fries, too: There are six BFC locations, and the other five are in Idaho, so they really know how to serve a potato. 1902 W Burnside; burger available Mon-Sat 11 am-9 pm

Lightning Will Bar & Grill: Bánh mì Burger
For their Burger Week debut, Northwest Portland’s Lightning Will Bar & Grill decided to combine their passion for crafting tasty and unique burgers with their love of bánh mì sandwiches—resulting in a mouthwatering winner that’s guaranteed to lend plenty of Burger Week clout to this new kid on the block. Starting with a seasoned pork patty, Lightning Will’s doubles down on meat with a layer of braised and fried pork belly strips, then piles on a refreshing, pickled jalapeño Asian slaw that adds a flavorful burst to the burger’s hefty base. Add a fresh ciabatta bun that’s been coated with a sriracha mayo, and you’ll be savoring every crispy bite. 305 NW 21st; burger available Mon-Sat 11 am-2:30 am

Check out the full 2017 Burger Week map here.

And don’t forget…

• Be patient. Everyone loves Burger Week, which means there will be lines. It’s all part of the Burger Week experience—and if a burger sells out, you can always come back tomorrow.
• Tip, and tip well. Feeding Portland’s burger-crazed hordes is tough, thankless work—so make sure to show your appreciation to the brave chefs, wait staff, and bartenders who make Burger Week happen!
• Drink (and eat) up. While burgers are the integral part of Burger Week, all our Burger Week restaurants have other excellent offerings—drinks, sides, salads, and more! Humans cannot survive on burgers alone. (Trust us, we’ve tried. RIP, Ben.)
• Be social. Hit portlandburgerweek.com, use #portlandburgerweek, and check out the Mercury’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates, details, and reviews of the best Burger Week burgers—from this year’s most eagerly anticipated creations, to the unexpected ones that everyone will have to try.

Burger Week 2017 is almost here. Godspeed.