Mark Post with his Cultured Burger

Top 5 Most Expensive Burgers in the World

You might wonder what does food have to do with geekery and cyberpunks. Well, it’s not any kind of food – I’m talking about hamburgers – the staple food of every IT specialist.

Besides, the hierarchy of the world’s most expensive burgers has just been rearranged and I simply must blog about it! If you want to experience the burgers first hand, the locations are given in the brackets. Just ask your chaufeur to enter these in your limo’s GPS. Thanking @Lyndoman for the news tip, I’ll crack on with something fairly modest.

5. The DB Royale Double Truffle Burger – $120

DB Double
DB Double

This double stunt is served by DB Bistro Moderne in New York (95 W 44th St, New York, NY 1003640.756136, -73.983011).

Does it look a bit raw to you? It’s not. The pink bit is short ribs braised in red wine.

The impressive list of ingredients include foie gras (no thanks, I won’t sign the “Ban Foie Gras” petition), black truffle and a selection of veg. Latter presumably being the most expensive ingredient.

4. Le Burger Extravagant – $295

Serendipity Burger
Serendipity Burger

Although it sounds French, it’s not. This burger AKA Serendipity burger is served by Serendipity 3 in New York (217 E 60th St, New York, NY 1002240.761854, -73.965296). The recipe is simple – upgrade each ingredient from mainstream to the best available and voilà!

It’s not just some Cheddar. The cheese comes straight from James Montgomery in Somerset. The golden caviar is…erm… made in China (forget what I said about the best available), then there’s Japanese Waygu beef, Pacific sea salt and truffles. And to get those expensive beef fibres out of your teeth, you’re given a solid gold toothpick. Now that’s what I call extravagance.

3. Kobe Beef and Maine Lobster Burger – $777

Kobe
Kobe

Served at Le Burger Brasserie in Las Vegas (Audrie street, Las Vegas, NV 8910936.113621, -115.169491).

If you’re ok with wasting thousands of pounds at a roulette, why not do something that provides both pleasure and nutrition for a fraction of what you’ve wasted at a roulette?

Considering the context of its location, this burger is not that expensive. It’s got chunks of Maine lobster over a nice piece of Kobe beef, drizzled with a century old vinegar (phooey!) and it’s served with a bottle of real Dom Perignon.

2. FleurBurger 5000 – $5,000

FleurBurger
FleurBurger

Can be ordered at “Fleur by Hubert Keller” in Las Vegas (3948 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 8911936.092102, -115.173171). Recently the world’s most expensive hamburger. I don’t quite understand how it is different from the “Le Burger Extravagant.”

Just like the $295-burger, the FB5000 is made of Wagyu beef, and truffles. Probably what makes it different is the special sauce and Hubert Keller’s magic touch. Also you get a vintage bottle of Chateau Petrus – now you can’t just walk into any restaurant and order a Chateau Petrus, can you? So who managed to trump Hubert Keller?

1. The Dutch Googleburger – $330,000

Mark Post with his Cultured Burger
Mark Post with his Cultured Burger

Now that’s a great name, I hope you like it. Served at 6211 Maastricht, Netherlands, 50.847030, 5.685775 (well, not yet). This burger was grown from bovine stem cells in a lab at Maastricht University in the Netherlands by Dr. Mark Post and his team.

The so far biggest and loudest case of GM food was sponsored by Sergey Brin according to the Grauniad. It took two years and significant resources to grow the meat in a tube, however, the planet’s overpopulation is a growing concern and we simply have not enough space on Earth to rear cattle.

However, Sergey Brin has revealed that he sponsored the burger out of animal welfare concerns. Right, I have to finish this off quickly – my local butcher is closing in 5 minutes. And I also have to pop a cheque in post – in support of the anti-GM food activists! That’s why the ending of this article is a bit rushed, I do apologise!

So…

This was the Top5. For the aspiring chefs who dream about breaking into this list of expensive burgers, it’s worth remembering that not everyone considers overpriced burgers a great idea.

The all-time favourite of bloggers and pub quiz makers – the “The Burger” launched in 2008 by BurgerKing in London was dismissed as a PR stunt while the $175-burger offered by the Wall Street Burger Shoppe in New York City, wasn’t as successful as expected and the famous café has recently closed.

Have you recently eaten an expensive burger? Or have you tried synthetic food (the seafood sticks don’t count)? Please share your experiences in the comments section.

Photo credits: 5,4,3,2 – publicity images. 1. David Parry / PA Wire via http://culturedbeef.net

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Arvid Linde is an independent SEO consultant, award-winning journalist, MSc in engineering, published author and a technology addict. More info on the about page.