The Best Burger in Cairo 2008 - The Results are In!

This took a lot of thought, and even then, my perfectionist nature prevents me from unequivocally declaring an outright winner. So many factors taken into account, and so many voices were heard, each nominating their own favorite restaurants for the bragging rights.

After taking everything into consideration, I stripped each burger down to its bare essentials. I judged only the Burger and not the sides offered, nor did I examine the quality of the service; it came down to the Bun, The Patty and The Toppings.

Without further ado, I give you, my non-existent reader, the Best Burger in Cairo.

The TBK Original - The Burger Kitchen

Granted, it is a bit odd to have the best burger in Cairo come from an operation that has no Dine-In option, but bear with me: We get to eat the burger in the comfort of our homes. That is special. It brings that "comfort food" element back to the hamburger, because let's face it, that's what a Hamburger is for a lot of people. It's a safe choice. A mainstay of our increasingly fast-paced eating habits.

So what makes this burger so good? The soft bun. How it holds the entire ensemble of vegetable, assorted sauces and beef together without getting in the way. The Burger patty, seasoned only minimally with salt and pepper, cooked to perfection (at medium well) and clearly made from good quality meat. The vegetable toppings - crisp fresh lettuce and onions, hearty thick tomato slices, all playing Oscar-worthy supporting roles to that Great Burger Patty. My only caveat is the conspicuous absence of sliced pickles, which would add a nice sharp vinegary note to the burger to cut the richness of the beef.

With the TBK Original, we really can have it our way. This unprecedented even for Burger King, since the toppings come in a separate plastic vessel for hygiene and to allow us to choose what goes where. This appeals to my perfectionist nature, and gives me control over each and every bite.

In second place - a very close second place - is the Gambini Burger from Casper and Gambini's. It is no secret I am a fan of their food, and this burger is no exception. the toppings are just right, a mixture of shredded lettuce, pickles, onion and tomato. The ground beef patty is thick, often cooked medium and is firmly ensconced inside a whole wheat bun.

In third place, Crocodile Grill also makes a wonderfully suprising Appearance. While this restaurant fails on so many levels, it beats all expectations and delivers quite handily. I highly recommend trying their 3 cheeses burger, oozing with cheesy goodness, excellent toppings and an almost perfect beef patty; it suffers from the classic Egyptian misconception that all meat should be served Well Done, and as a result, the burger relies heavily on the toppings and accompanying sauces to provide the required moisture.

Every other burger I've tried fades into the background. Ruby Tuesday's has a decent burger, as does Chili's. Burger Joint earns some kudos for their burgers, although the quality of the meat has dropped off significantly since the main owner left to establish Burger Kitchen.

Dubious honors go to Johnny Rocket's, which lost much of its initial steam because my 3rd trip there yielded a burger nowhere near as good as the first two. Contrary to what I had experienced before, the burger was dry, and the bun was stale. I am putting this down to lack of consistency and officially give them their first Yellow Card for crimes against the Burger.

I await your comments, lads and lasses. Sound off!!