A Cristiano Ronaldo burger? Restaurants cook up World Cup burgers.
While much has been made of McDonald鈥檚 World Cup-themed menus in Brazil, Japan and Australia, it isn鈥檛 the only restaurant scoring big with burgers tied to the event.
In terms of ambition at least, the championship is, appropriately, a draw between two English restaurants,聽聽in Royal Tunbridge Wells and聽The Diner聽is Islington. While McDonald鈥檚 devised burgers representing four countries in Australia and seven in Brazil, both these restaurants have created burgers for each of the 32 World Cup participants.
What tops The Barn鈥檚聽Ivory Coast Burger? Alloco, an Ivorian聽聽 condiment of banana fried in chili peppers. Its home-team聽England Burger聽has Stilton cheese. The Diner鈥檚聽England Burger聽has roast beef, gravy, horseradish and cheese. Its聽Brasilian Burger聽is topped with feijoada, the Brazilian stew of beef and pork. The Barn鈥檚 World Cup burgers are 拢6.95 (with chips, onion rings and salad). The Diner鈥檚 burger, served with fries, are 拢10.
尝辞苍诲辞苍鈥檚听聽in London pays homage to Diego Maradona鈥檚 controversial goal in the 1986 World Cup with its 鈥淗and of God Burger.鈥� The burger is topped with slices of Argentine chorizo and is 鈥渟erved on a bed of astroturf.鈥�
础迟听聽in Glasgow, Scotland, 鈥淭he Lean Machine鈥� burger borrows the nickname of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. The build is two beef patties, two slices of low-fat Swiss cheese, spicy peri-peri chili mayo and tomatoes inside a lettuce bun. The joint offered to put it on a brioche bun if Portugal was eliminated. So close.
Earlier this month, Bread Meats Bread honored legendary Ronaldo with 鈥淭he Phenomenon鈥� burger. Three beef patties, triple, roast beef, bacon, slow-cooked onions and house-made gravy.
Another Scottish joint,聽聽in Edinburgh, created聽The Samba Burger聽to celebrate Cup mania. That鈥檚 100% good Scottish beef plus guacamole, pineapple, chorizo, cheese and fresh tomato salsa for 拢5.29.
聽in Frankfurt, Germany, calls its World Cup burger the聽Mundial. It has beef, tomatoes, lettuce, mozzarella, sweet chili sauce and mango slices.
While the World Cup runs, draft beers are just $3.50 at Toronto鈥檚聽聽and the聽World Pride Burger聽is $8.95. That build starts with Angus beef and then adds tomato-and-pesto chutney, spinach, Swiss cheese and caramelized onion on a house-made brioche bun.
For France鈥檚 match with Switzerland,聽聽in Paris created a聽Switz聽Burger聽with marinated beef, a croquette of Gruy猫re cheese and blue-veined mushrooms, iceberg and Thousand Island dressing.
England was eliminated before聽聽could even dream up a burger. But the night England was eliminated GBK threw in a free San Miguel beer for anyone who ordered its special聽X Burger. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all to soothe the damage that infernal Suarez did to the English football team,鈥� said the chain. Burger and beer: comfort food.
