Another great year at BurgerFest! It was definitely the hottest one I've been to with temperatures nearing 90+°. First things first: there is no admission fee and parking is free. Always park along the side streets or in the school parking lot. It's a walkable distance. If you have a mobility impairment, it might be hard to find a parking spot during peak times since a lot is going on in the village. Food tickets: 50¢ per food ticket and no item is over 12 tickets (so for $6 you can get a full portion of a burger or other entree). I brought $20 with me and was FULL. I had around 10 tickets left over which I passed along to a friend who was staying later. The burgers: I am SHOOK that people say they can't seem to find burgers at BurgerFest... there had to be around 15-17 different types and styles of burgers! From a burger taco to pierogi and grilled cheese - to ice cream sandwiches- lots of creativity along with the classic burgers. Entertainment: Terry Buckwald is always a crowd pleaser and kept our spirits high in the heat! Lots of fun with those we sat by! Oh- did I forget to mention that there is shade areas with tables and chairs??? They have a good amount of tents to cool off under and sit/eat food! Main Street has a lot of fun with their performers and car show! Will be back again next year!!! read more

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What better way to spend a Saturday than to Judge Burgers at Burgerfest, I get to bring my Critiquing and Opinions where they can be shared with other Big Time Foodies. I get to Judge with other Yelpers, unfortunately we don't get to try every single one (out of 23 Burgers that were at the Festival, I only had 6) I met with my other Yelp Judges (Perry, Josh & Matt) and we were off. We were only assigned to 3 Burger Stands (we had to rate them in between 1 & 5 to pick the best one. The burger we choose goes up against the burger the other Group chooses to win the award for Best Burger). 1st one was Big Belly BBQ we were to Judge the Sirloin Steak Burger with Mushrooms & Onions (I thought the Burger was perfectly Cooked, couple strips of Juicy Bacon but there were hardly any Mushrooms and way too many Caramelized Onions. I loved that they used Cheez Wiz, Perry, Josh & Matt all thought they should've used sliced Cheddar or Something. It was also very messy to eat. The Mac n Cheese they had was to die for Our next burger was from Soho Project (This stand was all about serving Vegan/Veggie Burgers, the patties were made from either Black Beans, Spinach, Beets or Spicy Mushrooms, No Meat in these Burgers). we chose the Black Bean Patties topped with Lettuce, Mango Salsa, Jalapenos, Guacamole and a homemade Sriracha Ketchup (This was our favorite burger, All the different colors it had made it look very appetizing to eat it was so Vibrant. You get Smokiness from the Black Beans, Sweetness from the Salsa, Crunch from the Lettuce and Spiciness from the Ketchup & the Jalapeno's, Smoothness from the Guacamole and the Multigrain Bun as the thing holding it all together. The patty was so soft it broke apart so easily. Out of the burgers we tried this was our favorite). Although I'm not a Vegetarian, this was amazing Burger. Lastly we tried 2 Burgers from the Grandview Drive-In, Mostly we had to wait 10 minutes for the Burgers. The first was the Shredded Beef Burger (It looked more like a Pulled Pork Sandwich and didn't resemble a Burger one bit. The Meat felt warm, the sauce was overpowering. We didn't like it at all, The Pizza was worse than that. A Burger topped with Canned tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese, like Perry said (take 2 American Classics and turn it into something not so great, it was an Amalgamate Disaster). Burger was Burnt and Overcooked, I also didn't like that Canned Pizza Sauce Flavor. When it was time to try the other Burger that the other Yelp Judges picked for us to try, we weren't that Ecstatic. From the Comfort Zone Café we tried the Chiavetta's Chicken Dinner Burger (It was more like a Chicken Patty, it was dry and that Vinegar Sauce overwhelmed my Mouth). In the end between the 8 Judges we Picked Soho Project for the winning Burger. After the Judging was over I went over and waited in line at Lomo Lomo to try there Penang Burger. It was the best burger that I had there, Angus Beef Patty topped with a Spicy Red Curry Peanut Sauce and a mixture of Toasted Rice & Red Quinoa with a Kimchi Pickle on the Bottom all on a Homemade Sweet Potato Bun (I loved the heat from the Peanut Sauce and I told them they should market those Sweet Potato Buns). I also went back to have another Black Bean Burger from Soho Project along with a side of Fire Roasted Salsa and a cup of Mixed Berry Lemonade to wash it all down. Then I finished it off with Something Sweet, I went over to Nitro Magic (Ice Cream made with Liquid Nitrogen right before your very eyes). First time I've ever seen Liquid Nitrogen up close in Buffalo. Choices were between Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint & Salted Caramel Pretzel (I chose Vanilla) to see a Liquid-y Puddle of Ice Cream going back to its frozen state within seconds was Remarkable. my time here was amazing, If they need me to come back and Judge again. I'll be There !!! read more

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Think Taste of Buffalo but less crowded and a few less vendors. Dont get me wrong I love the concept of the taste but its always so crowded, so hot, and each line is so long you sometimea lose your appetite. Hamberfest is awesome because you get the same concept but much less people, shorter lines and your not getting hit by a stroller every 20 feet. It also includes food vendors as well as people selling crafts, jewelry, face painting for the kids and various other items. This was mh first time coming and ill definitely be back next year! read more

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The Hamburg BurgerFest is a great place for families and friends to hang out. It is situated in a pleasant atmosphere and the Village of Hamburg looks like an idyllic American venue. There is a car show, craft booths, music, kids activities, and of course burgers EVERYWHERE. My favorite "burger" was done by The Comfort Zone Cafe. It was the Chiavetta's Chicken Burger. Absolutely delicious! Try it. You'll thank me for it later. read more

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I had a ton of fun at the Hamburg BurgerFest, mainly because I was fortunate enough to be there as one of the Yelp Elite judges for "Best Burger." Livin' the dream! This was my first time in Hamburg, it seems like a nice little town that I will definitely come back to check out in the Burgerfest offseason. I've included here my tasting notes from the four burger vendors whose offerings we were asked to sample and judge. Big Belly BBQ: First up in the batting order was Big Belly BBQ. They were dialed in with a big food truck, serving up lots of barbequed fare including stacked burgers. I do love a good charbroiled burger now and then - Big Belly definitely delivered on that taste-of-summer grilled meat pleasure. The burger was loaded with thick and meaty bacon, and the side of creamy mac'n cheese was un-believable (if we had a prize for mac'n cheese, they would have won hands down). I think they could have done better than putting "American" cheese (aka Cheez Whiz) on the burger, a nice slice of cheddar would have been much better. Also the mushrooms didn't do much for the burger except make it sloppier and soggier than it should have been. The Soho Project: OK, some people don't consider a veggie or black bean burger a true "burger", but it's 2016 and frankly it's time to expand our common understanding and appreciation of what a burger can be. Soho's Sunset Burger was simply outstanding. A perfectly cooked black bean burger was the launching point for a carnival of taste, texture and colour. It all came together perfectly - the crispness of the lettuce, the smokey spice of the ketchup, the silkiness of the guacamole, the sweetness of the mango. The fresh multigrain bun was the best vehicle for delivering this prize to the palette and my palette was so happy! Grand View: Grand View came out swinging for the fences with the banner on their table proclaiming "The Best Burgers Around." OK, well, unfortunately, don't believe the hype. I sampled two burgers here - the pulled beef and the pizza burger. The pulled beef burger was essentially a Sloppy Joe, without the added fun of a Grade 5 sleepover with your childhood friends and all-you-can drink Root Beer ice cream floats. It was pretty boring, not very flavourful and was served on a not very fresh bun. The pizza burger was no better. They took two great American classics, pizza and hamburger, and made it into one not-so good experiment. Both the burger patty and the pizza topping were dry and overcooked, both desperately lacking in flavour. Comfort Zone: If I can include a veggie burger into the broader definition of a "burger", I have to include a chicken burger as well. I really liked the vibe at Comfort Zone, they seem to be trying hard to do the right thing and serve up some good food and positive vibes. As much as I wanted to like the chicken burger, I just couldn't get passed the overwhelming vinegar taste of the burger. Overall, the burger was just too dry for my liking, mainly because of the thick and somewhat mealy bun. In the end, The Soho Project burger won "Best Burger" at BurgerFest. It was a fun atmosphere, with a live band, lots of interesting vendors and a very family friendly vibe. The only drawback was the somewhat limited seating in the food court area (which offered respite from the heat on a steamy mid-July day). read more

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Italianfest? Or Burgerfest? Coming up the skyway to the Outer Harbor for the Italianfest we found it was just way too insane to find parking. We were in line for 30 minutes trying to get down to park. Nope, not dealing with that.... back into the skyway heading for Burgerfest. Great choice!! Nested in downtown Hamburg. We had a great time. Lots of good vendors. One of the streets had a local talent stage where high school students could sing and stuff. There were several food trucks and also other foods to select from. We stayed several hours, listened to Hit-n-Run on the main stage. No issues finding parking. Several streets and areas to park. Overall, it was a real good time. We'll come back next year. My only suggestion is that they should consider bringing in a local winery or two to serve and make it a beer and wine tent. read more

Always a fun event to take the family too. Part of Main Street hosted an antique car show, as well as parts of Buffalo St and Main St had local vendors, etc. a decent selection of food is present (and there are not just hamburgers). Stop by next year! read more

This was no burger this year. Lots of food trucks and cool venders throughout the event. It was disappointing to get there and not taste what was advertised. read more