How You Will Select Beijing’s Best Burger for 2018

Burger, burger, burger ... Would you believe that our list of burger brands in Beijing has reached 174?

Can you name 174 dumpling brands in Beijing? How about 174 different duck restaurants? Yes, the humble burger has taken root in Beijing, and we’re not just talking Mickey D’s here: we’re talking premium, upscale burgers retailing for as much or more than standard entrees. And of infinite variety. So where to begin? Who serves the best?

Not even the most gluttonous burger fan could possible scarf down one of each (at a rate of one every other day, it would be 11.5 months before you tried them all.

READ: Beijing's 12 Best Burgers of 2017, as Voted by You

Thus we begin our annual odyssey of tapping into the collective consciousness of Beijing’s international community of foodies.

Be it the seasoned Westerner who grew up on burgers or the local resident who has traveled extensively and sampled the best the world’s cuisines have to offer, this international palate of taste buds here in Beijing will guide us to the List of Lists for 2018.

So how are we going to do it? We’re not – you are.

Eat Before You Vote

We’re first asking you to train your palate. The fun begins this weekend at our annual Burger Festival at Galaxy Soho where you will have more choices than you can possibly fit in that stomach of yours. Come both days to try as many as you can.

On Sunday night, we’ll release the preliminary round of voting – you’ll have 120 to choose from, each in four lists. The eight venues with the highest number of votes will then be seeded in our 32-contestant bracket, where each will go head-to-head until but one champion remains.

We urge you to eat before you vote – so that when it comes time for you to select the best, you are an informed voter.

This is a contest we do not take lightly. We do everything in our power to ensure the ultimate outcome of this exercise – an authoritative list of Beijing's Best Burgers – is both fair and reflective of the wonderful selection we have on hand.

So rev up your gym routine because you're going to be downing a lot of calories in the form of burgers, buns, and sides (and beer ... can't forget beer) over the next month.

What we hope to do is inspire you to visit as many new places as possible – you may think you know Beijing's best burger, but how can you be sure if you haven't tried them all?

How Voting Will Work

The 2018 Beijing Burger Fest (Jun 16-17):

Put your sampling into overdrive. Come out on Saturday or Sunday (or both) to experience one of (if not the biggest) cook-out in Beijing's modern history: the 2018 Beijing Burger Fest. We'll be there from 11am to 8pm; tickets are RMB 30 at the door – sorry, all early bird tix are sold out.

This will be your chance to check off the spots you have yet to try – we'll have more than three dozen to choose from.

You can also expect a fantastic lineup of entertainment to fill the moments when you aren’t stuffing your face.

The 2018 Burger Cup (Jun 17 through early July):

After you have had plenty of time to sample burgers, it's time to put them to a vote. We'll give you an initial ballot with the Top 100 contestants spread into four brackets, and you will choose which ones deserve a spot in the next round.

There is a week's worth of meals between now and closing of the first round of voting, so it would not be a stretch to think a reasonable foodie could expand their burger horizons by sampling new choices without growing too weary (or unable to fit into one's normal trousers).

On Jun 22, the top eight contestants from each bracket will go on to be seeded into a 32-contestant World Cup-style sudden death competition bracket. This bracket will be put up for another round of voting – and also gives you a chance to “fill out your dance card” so to speak and try those top vendors before casting a ballot.

In each successive round, the number of contestants is cut by half. We'll keep doing that until only one remains: Your burger champion for 2018.

So what are you waiting for? Go out and gorge!

Early bird tickets are already sold out for our Jun 16-17 Burger Fest at Galaxy Soho – but you can buy at the door. For details on how to get to the festival, click here. See you between 11am and 8pm on Saturday or Sunday!

Images: wallpapers4screen.com, Uni You