Five Dollars Will Buy You One of the Best Burgers in Philadelphia

America's burger craze has shifted from the $15+ luxury burger to the reasonably priced, roadside snack that could rival any fancier competitor on quality. While the best of the best still require visits to restaurants like REX 1516, Village Whiskey or Pub & Kitchen, it's now just as easy to grab a quick, affordable burger to meet our needs. Call it the Shake Shack effect.

The famous $5 Fountain Porter burger

For our cheap dollar, the best of the bunch is at Fountain Porter in South Philly. The no-thrills corner bar just off East Passyunk Ave. serves up a $5 patty with cheese, lettuce and tomato on a potato bun. That's it.

The minimalist Fountain Porter burger, perhaps the best of its class in Philadelphia, is cooked to absolute perfection - crispy on the outside, pink on the inside with juice oozing out to coat the bun. You can knock 'em back like White Castle (without the undesired after shock).

Before arriving at Fountain Porter, we thought the burger was the only thing on the menu. You can actually get a variety of pickled items, cured meats and cheeses as well, but the burger is the star of the show. I wish the fries were a bit crispier, but they were still quite good for the price. The spicy pickles were a nice snack, too.

Fountain Porter also has one of the best beer selections around. It's really the perfect spot for a quality brew with an affordable burger, even if you buy two!

*Kid friendly? Not ideal, but with an adventurous spirit you can sit in the back and make do. You'll need to get there early before the crowds roll in. At 5 p.m. on a Saturday, we were glad to see another tiny table with two toddlers. It was loud enough inside that any noise they or our little guy made was drowned out, but if your child doesn't do well with noise, then Fountain Porter isn't the best option for you.

Inside shot! Pretty simple but delicious.

Fall Day Trip Idea: Wyebrook Farm

We visited Wyebrook Farm at the tail end of fall last year, so we held off sharing that experience until now. Just about an hour from Center City in Honey Brook, PA, it's a great destination to get your fix of fall colors, farm animals, hot cider and a delicious farm-to-table lunch.

Grab a burger and cider at The Café window and sit outside at one of the picnic tables. We got there early but by 12 or 1pm all the tables in the photo above were packed with families making a full afternoon out of their visit. As you can see, dogs are welcome, too.

The grass-fed beef, heritage pork, pastured chicken, lamb and goat dishes served are all raised at Wyebrook Farm and vegetables are sourced from other local organic farmers. Some days there is live music and you can always bring your own wine or beer. The Café is open Wednesday - Saturday, 11AM - 4PM.

Good Stuff Eatery Brings More Great Burgers and a Celebrity Chef to Philly

Good Stuff Eatery opened yesterday on 18th St. between Chestnut & Sansom. It's the latest in a fast casual burger craze that has swept the U.S. over the past few years. Good Stuff comes to Philly with pretty big street cred - celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn (Top Chef, Iron Chef, etc.) is behind it and has already captured the D.C. market. We had Good Stuff burgers a few years ago in D.C. and loved them so this Philly opening came with much anticipation. 

Details on the burgers below, and for lots more photos of opening day, check out our Facebook album.

The place was packed right away but seemed to keep people moving quickly. I was fortunate enough to enter an hour early and chat with Chef Spike. The most interesting part was actually witnessing the scene one hour before a grand opening - contractors screwing in last minute fixtures, gigantic crates of potato rolls being carted around, rugs still being rolled out, stuff literally everywhere. But it all came together in time for a nice ribbon cutting and celebration with the Mendelsohn family and Philly owners, George & Elaine. 

By opening time there was a line down the street and around the block! Filled up quickly. 

Avance + Border Springs = The Best New Burger in Philly?

Border Springs lamb, onion marmalade, harissa mayo and feta on a sesame potato bun. Those, folks, are the ingredients for the next great burger in Philly.

Avance burger with a side of chickpea fries

Readers know we’re big fans of Border Springs Farm. Their lamb sandwiches are some of the best in Philly and their founder, Craig Rogers, is passionate about making lamb more mainstream. (listen to our podcast interview with Craig)

When we heard that Avance, the new restaurant in Le Bec Fin's old space, was using Border Springs lamb in its burger to rave reviews, we knew we had to check it out. It's definitely one of the best burgers in Philly, if not the best.

We are not alone in this feeling: both Craig Laban and Adam Erace loved the Avance lamb burger, too.

The healthy-sized burger comes with the refreshing and flavorful twist to traditional toppings listed above. The bartender raved about the sesame seed potato bun and we couldn't agree more. It was soft, tasty, almost like a slightly denser brioche. The lamb meat was cooked to an absolutely perfect medium rare. There was nothing to dislike about this burger. Even the $18 price is worth it. Go. Get. It. Now!

(keep reading for more tips about drinking/dining at Avance)

Inside the Avance lamb burger

If you need another reason to go, local writer and foodie extraordinaire Joy Manning, who ate a nearby table, said the dry aged duck was one of the top five things she’s had in Philly. High praise indeed from an expert.

Even better, you don’t need a reservation to get the burger, duck or anything else off the Avance menu. Just head to the downstairs bar, which reminds us of a high-class gastropub/cocktail bar. It filled up quickly by 7:30 on a Friday night. The scene was low key and the bartenders were conversational. With this undertone and a menu that brings in local providers like Border Springs, it represents well chef Justin Bogle's goal to create a dining experience that fosters community among the local farmers, the kitchen and its guests.

Speaking of the bar, we sampled a variety of cocktails and all were quite good. Toe to Toe is a nice, lightly fruity option for the tequila drinker. Run 'n Gun really does remind you of sitting around a campfire, as the bartender described. We didn’t try the Panda at the Disco, but the glass is covered in liquid nitrogen first so we got a show every time someone else ordered it - apparently it's popular.

Local 215 and Chewy's at The Porch at 30th Street

Last up in our series on food trucks at The Porch at 30th Street... Local 215 and Chewy's.

Duck and pork buns from Local 215

Local 215 

This truck is all about locally-sourced seasonal foods. At right are a duck bun (braised duck with cucumber pickled radish, baby greens, cilantro and chili aoili rolled in housemade Laffa bread) and a pork belly bun (slow braised pork belly, chili aoili, and baby greens also in Laffa).

I paid $7 for the two, plus $3 for a huge side serving of polenta. The buns' contents were very good, but the bread was kinda dry. Polenta was pretty standard. Ignore the Subway wrapper, I promise it was somebody else's.

Local 215 will be back at The Porch on Fridays in August with other entrees like pork shoulder, lamb
sausage and roast turkey. Twitter: @Local215

Six Great Hamburgers in Philadelphia

The hamburger is one of the most hotly-contested food categories in cities across America. After reading Food & Wine's new list of the Best Burgers in America, and feeling disappointed that none from Philadelphia made the list, we decided to share just a few (there are many!) of the awesome burgers we've had recently right here in Philly, but didn't get to write about yet. Some are well known, others less so, but perhaps you'll find one you haven't tried before...