Junk Burger Madrid is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?
Yesterday, I compared a Scottsdale institution, City Hall, to a landmark in Madrid Ten Con Ten (see Ten Con Ten Madrid vs. City Hall Scottsdale). Today, I’ll compare Junk Burger Madrid to Shake Shack Scottsdale, though the comparison is applicable to all franchise locations.
What They Have in Common
- No Tipping: I’ll start this post the same way I started my Shake Shack review by applauding that I do not have to tip at either place. Shake Shack eliminated tipping in its restaurants and tipping in Europe is not common. As an anti-tipper, I love this.
- Price: Neither of these places is cheap. In 2018, a specialty burger at Shake Shack was $9.59. In 2023, a specialty burger was between 13 and 14 euros.
- The Fries: When I wrote the review for Shake Shack, I had not sampled the fries. A reader wrote, “Didn’t try the fries? The fries make the meal.” I went back and tried. They did not. At Junk Burger, I tried both the regular fries and the Cajun fries. They were nothing special, especially for 3.4 euros each.
What Is Different: The Burger!
Shake Shack’s burger is marginal at best. Junk Burger’s is the exact opposite. It is a hypnotic trance of meat cheese and secret sauce. Despite the steep price, one burger was not enough. While I enjoyed the Timeless, I highly recommend the Lady Cheese. Both were juicy and cooked to perfection. Neither were tiny. Contrast this with Shake Shack whose burger looks like a slider.
Back to Price
At Junk Burger, 2 burgers, 2 fries, 2 cokes, and 1 beer was $50. I assume that is roughly the same price at Shake Shack. Who can afford or rationalize this price for fine dining? Tip or no tip, that is not sustainable.
Overall
Junk Burger claims to be the best burger in Madrid. I’ll take it a step further and say it goes beyond that.
TPOL’s TIP: Junk Burger is located at Calle de José Abascal, 31, 28003 Madrid, Spain. Check out their clever interactive menu.
And why would someone go to Madrid to have burgers? Geez…
Why would they sell burgers in Madrid? Because people from all over the world like burgers. Stupid comment but thanks for sharing your petty thought.
[…] Madrid residency, I have tried to balance both (see Best Tapas Madrid: No Budget Cuts Here & Junk Burger Madrid: Way Better Than Shake Shack). The reason I have gone to fewer Spanish restaurants and more diverse places (see A Taste of […]