Holsteins BĂĄnh MĂŹ Burger
Holsteins' BĂĄnh MĂŹ Burger

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 and ReachNow, this will be a week long remembered.

Read on for the mouth-watering descriptions of 2017’s Burger Week offerings in Downtown + SW Portland from Swine, Rock and Roll Chili Pit, Tryst, Holsteins, and BRIX Tavern.

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MEGAN NANNA

Swine Moonshine & Whiskey Bar: General
The folks at Swine Moonshine & Whiskey Bar know whiskey. They also know how to make a hell of burger. The General is a house-ground burger cooked to order with country ham, pimento cheese, green tomato, and jalapeño ranch on white bread—a nod to the southern cuisine. The tomatoes are pickled, seasoned, breaded, and fried, and the spicy smoked jalapeño ranch adds just the right amount of kick. Pair it with one of their signature cocktails—I think it’d go great with a Portland Proper. 808 SW Taylor; burger available Mon-Sat 3 pm-close

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MEGAN NANNA

Rock and Roll Chili Pit: Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)
When your burger is named after an AC/DC song, you know it’s gonna flout convention. The Dirty Deeds burger has beef, sure—a third-pound patty, to be exact—but it’s then topped with Andouille sausage and something called Cajun sludge, which for the uninitiated, is all the tasty remnants left over from a New Orleans-style shrimp barbecue. The burger and sausage are smothered with the sludge, and it’s all tied together with chicharrón slaw made from pork rinds. This high-voltage burger isn’t for the faint of heart: If it were described in terms of AC/DC vocalists, it’d be more Bon Scott than Axl Rose. 304 SW 2nd; burger available Mon-Thurs 11 am-9 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-midnight

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MEGAN NANNA

Tryst: Sisig Burger
Tryst’s Sisig Burger takes its name from a Filipino drinking food that’s traditionally made with parts of a pig’s head and liver, and meant to be paired with an icy cold beer. This sisig is a little bit different, but should still go well with the frothy beverage of your choice. The spicy Sisig Burger starts with a pub bun dressed with lime aioli and banana ketchup, then fills it with an umami beef patty and layers of minced garlic, fresh red onions, serrano peppers, and housemade pork cracklins. Tryst calls it a “deliciously savory” treat “for those hot days with beer chasers and lively company.” 19 SW 2nd; burger available Mon 4 pm-midnight, Tues-Sat 4 pm-2 am

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MEGAN NANNA

Holsteins: BĂĄnh MĂŹ Burger
There are scads of cheap, great banh mi options in this city, but only the shake-slingers at Holsteins had the integrity to toss the noble burger into this delicious commingling of French and Vietnamese influences. Ladies and gentlemen: the Banh Mi Burger. This sweet mama’s got dry-aged beef and pork belly that’s slathered in oyster mayo, pickled daikon and carrot, jalapeño, cilantro, and, of course, sriracha. Wash it down with one of Holsteins’ alcoholic shakes, the way the French would want (probably). 1139 NW Couch; burger available Mon-Sat 4 pm-10 pm

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MEGAN NANNA

BRIX Tavern: Norm’s Burger
BRIX Tavern’s Burger Week entry is a throwback to Chef Kevin Kennedy’s childhood on Puget Sound. He’s recreated the burger he and his father used to get at the classic drive-in a half-mile from their house. “After harvesting shellfish or mushrooms with my father,” he remembers, “we would always stop by Norm’s Drive-In on Sunday afternoons. No seats, just a walk-up. They had five sandwiches and sodas.” BRIX’s Norm’s Burger is a recreation of the cheeseburger Kennedy would order each time—with grilled Oregon Farms sirloin, Tillamook cheddar, heirloom tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, caramelized onions, and chipotle aioli. It’s summer nostalgia, in burger form. 1338 NW Hoyt; burger available Mon-Thurs 11 am-midnight, Fri 11 am-1 am, Sat 9:30 am-1 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.

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