This past Saturday, the 9th annual Downtown Burger Battle began. Each year dozens of restaurants in the downtown area have a chance to see which restaurant downtown makes the best burger. This year the downtown area set a new record for the most entries, with 27 different restaurants competing. The Burger Battle is held through the entire month of January with a play-off-like tournament at the end of the month. 

I personally love burgers and although I won’t be eating every single burger, I’m going to go through and rate each burger based on four out of the five categories that the competition will use: patty, creativity, toppings and bun. Due to not being at each restaurant, I obviously won’t be able to rate on customer service. At the end of the competition, I plan on rating the final eight burgers along with giving a full review here on the Statesman Website.

All eyes this year fall on Papa Woody’s. The wood-fired pizzeria announced they will be pausing their move until after the Burger Battle. Last year, Papa Woody’s won the competition with their “Uptowner Burger.” The Uptowner featured 1/2 pound ground chuck/brisket patty seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. This burger includes a healthy smear of cream cheese mixed with diced jalapeños, banana peppers and shredded cheddar on the bottom of a fresh pretzel bun, melted cheddar and Muenster cheese top the burger with wood-fired charred pineapple tidbits and thick Cherrywood bacon all drizzled with sweet chili sauce. It is served with a handful of fries, a fried pickle spear, and a side of ranch, according to the DTSF website. This year the reigning champion’s burger is “The Trail Boss” a “1/2 lb beef and brisket patty topped with a hunk of hand-cut potato, sautéed diced onions carrots, celery and then smothered with cheddar and jack cheese, all piled high on a hearty Kaiser Bun and served with a dunk of Cookies Chuckwagon Gravy. Three wagon rings (onion rings) and a handful of trail nuggets (garlic cheese curds) finish off your dusty trail experience,” Papa Woody’s states.

Personally, I believe that Papa Woody’s, Minervas, Phillips Avenue Diner, MacKenzie River, Bread and Circus, JL Beers, Fernson and Blarney Stone will be the final eight burgers but only time will tell. I’ll be back at the end of this competition to rate the final eight burgers.

The 9th annual Downtown Burger Battle takes place Jan. 1-31. Voting takes place on the DTSF Passport app. Photo By Downtown Sioux Falls