Best burger in Exeter area?: Here are the 19 restaurants competing for the title

Melanie Matts
·3 min read

EXETER — Who makes the tastiest, most mouthwatering burger in the Exeter area? We may soon find out.Nineteen local restaurants are competing for your votes from Feb. 10-19 to be crowned champion in the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce's Eat Local Burger Bowl.

Jennifer Wheeler, president of the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce, said the intent of the first-ever Burger Bowl is not for restaurants to create a new menu item but to build on, highlight and promote what their menus already feature.

"Everyone had a burger, and everyone has a special take on their burger," said Wheeler.

The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Eat Local Burger Bowl from Feb. 10-19.
The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Eat Local Burger Bowl from Feb. 10-19.

Who are the competitors in the Eat Local Burger Bowl?

The list of restaurants competing for the title are well known for their burgers.

The Exeter Inn & Epoch Gastropub is offering its Georgi Burger with Folsom’s Sugar House, braised pork belly, pickled green tomatoes, leaf lettuce, brioche, and farm egg while the Galley Hatch Restaurant in Hampton will be serving their Galley Hatch Burger topped with a fried colossal onion ring, tomato bacon jam, gorgonzola, and truffle arugula on a buttery rosemary peppercorn roll.

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Kate McGrath, owner of The Railpenny Tavern in Epping said they selected their “french onion burger” with shredded gruyere, sherry caramelized onion, thyme aioli, mesclun greens on a butter grilled brioche bun “because it’s bomb!”

“I love that we’re doing this,” said McGrath. “I think it’s great for us to come together as a community and support the restaurant scene because it has grown quite a bit over the last couple of years.”

The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Eat Local Burger Bowl from Feb. 10-19.
The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Eat Local Burger Bowl from Feb. 10-19.

Whym in Hampton is putting up its Swasey Burger while Sawbelly Brewing is putting the spotlight on its SawBELLY Burger.

Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields has entered their “meatloaf burger.” Owner Melani Taillon said that it is “poutine on steroids if you will.”

“We are so excited to be part of the first-ever Burger Bowl!” Taillon said. “The Burger Bowl is a great promotion to the local restaurant scene. A little friendly competition, tons of fun and amazing food.”

Other competitors include 401 Tavern, Backyard Burger and Wings, Street, Jonny Boston’s International, Lexie’s (Epping location only), Oak House, Popovers at Brickyard Square, Sea Dog Brewing Co., The 101 Grille, The Beach Plum, The Takeout Station, The Trackside Cafe, and Wing Itz.

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Here's how the contest works

Visit the 19 participating restaurants during the nine days of the contest to sample and place a vote for your favorite burger. You can also visit https://bit.ly/3HRFZXf to vote.

Each person is allowed to vote five times. You can choose one restaurant for all five votes, or rank five different ones according to your choosing.

You have until Feb 22 to place your vote.

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What does the best burger winner get?

The winner not only gets bragging rights but will receive a trophy to display in their establishment after the winner is announced on Feb. 24.

The Exeter Chamber of Commerce hopes to make the Burger Bowl a yearly event. The champion will keep the trophy until the following year's competition, and have the opportunity to compete for their continued reign.

The idea behind the Burger Bowl, according to Wheeler, is to support local restaurants, especially after the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry.

“While many restaurants have taken advantage of some of the funding available to them, this event, we thought, was a great opportunity to celebrate the resilience of our restaurants and the support of the community,” she said.

This article was produced as part of The Community Journalism Project and is being shared with partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information on the project visit www.collaborativenh.org/community-journalism-project

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Eat Local Burger Bowl 2023: 19 Seacoast NH restaurants competing