This Spanish Restaurant With The 'World's Best Burger' Took The Crown Of The Classic American Meal

While meat and bread aren't new to the human experience, meat patties within two bready slices? Fewer things could be more familiar or satisfying — at least since German immigrants in Chicago and New York figured out how to deliver said meat sandwich from food carts to people on-the-go. Since then, that most-American of belt-busters has spread across the world and into people's hearts — literally. And now, the circle is complete. From the original 1948 McDonald's to our new, modern wave of gastronomical burger boutiques, America has lost its greasy crown to a country much nearer to the hamburger's old-world, European place of origin: Spain.

Until the inevitable, next top contender comes along, those looking to chow down on the "World's Best Burger" will have to bypass the oldest restaurant in the world in Madrid, Restaurante Botín (and a favorite of Ernest Hemingway), and dig into Hundred Burgers in the beautifully-medieval coastal town of Valencia. Rather than topping the Michelin list, though, Hundred Burgers tops the World's Best Burgers list — the "Michelin Guide for hamburgers," as Hundred Burgers puts it. 

This annual showdown from the self-described "world's leading burger experts," Burgerdudes, involved said dudes traveling the globe for 10 years to stuff their faces with various forms of beef-in-bread. Their top 25 list spans dive joints, upper-crust restaurants, and food carts across the world — although most locations dwell in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Sweden, and Spain. Out of all of them, Valencia's Hundred Burgers won out.

The tale of Hundred Burgers began in 2017 when two friends, Alex González-Urbón and Ezequiel Maldjian, traveled to New York City to try the world's best burgers. They were so inspired by the trip that they launched Hundred Burgers in 2020 in Valencia and, through a combination of relentless craftsmanship and a true love for burgers, expanded to seven locations across the city, as well as three in Madrid, while still continuing to travel across the world to learn from the best burger-makers on Earth.

And when we say "craftsmanship," we really mean it. Hundred Burgers approaches burger-making like engineering, as evidenced by the ultra-meticulous cooking and baking methods on display in their Instagram account. Their original burger  — the Singular — starts with 60-day, dry-aged beef from Spanish-bred Rubia Gallega cows and builds from there. Beyond that, each menu item has its own unique flair and theme — like the Loser burger, made with spicy gochujang paste, and the Carlton Banks (yes, like the character from the "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"), a chicken burger. And yes, there are also plenty of sides like fries, kid's options, and even a veggie burger and fully-vegan salad. 

On top of such culinary delights, visitors who make the journey to Valencia to dig into Hundred Burgers can visit gobsmackingly beautiful sites like the La Lonja — the 15th and 16th-century silk exchange and UNESCO World Heritage Site — or take in the unbelievably detailed decorations of San Nicolás Cathedral. Just try and learn some Spanish (or Valencian) before you go. It might help you avoid the ire of locals who are justifiably tired of rampant overtourism across Spain. Otherwise: Dig in and enjoy.