Chef Burger: A Popular Gourmet Burger Chain in Medellín

Chef Burger is a popular chain with 11 gourmet burger restaurants in Medellín with really good American style burgers.  They also use the slogan “The Best Burger in Town” but that’s debatable as Medellín has many other good burger places.

Chef Burger was originally the dream of four enterprising friends that started in August 2011 with its first gourmet burger restaurant in El Poblado.

This gourmet burger restaurant has been so popular that it has grown over the past six years to where it now has 11 restaurants in Medellín plus two in Bogotá and two in Cali. So, Chef Burger now has a total of 15 restaurants in Colombia. In addition, it has a food truck to enable Chef Burger to bring its gourmet burgers to some events.

The above photo is the Mexican burger at Chef Burger with beef grilled to order with lettuce, tomato, guacamole, cheese, onions and jalapeños with chili with meat and pico de gallo, photo is courtesy of Chef Burger.

The Royale burger at Chef Burger with beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, bacon and mushrooms

My Experiences at Chef Burger

I first discovered Chef Burger several years ago when I was living in Belén. I like good American style burgers. And Chef Burger specializes in American style gourmet burgers. So, I have eaten at this popular burger chain many times.

In addition, over the past several years I have eaten at six of their 11 restaurants in Medellín plus one of their restaurants in Cali. In my experience, the high quality is consistent in each of Chef Burger’s restaurants.

Pretty much each of the burgers I have eaten at Chef Burger has been good. They cook the meat to order correctly and it’s medium if you don’t specify. I normally order at Chef Burger the basic cheeseburger or the Royale that adds bacon and mushrooms.

In my experience, at some Chef Burger locations for lunch or dinner you may find the restaurant full due to the popularity. So, you may need to wait for a table at times.

In addition, they have free Wi-Fi available in each of their restaurants I have been to. So, I have used Chef Burger for several work lunch meetings when I needed Internet access.

The Avacado burger at Chef Burger, photo courtesy of Chef Burger

The Burgers at Chef Burger

Chef Burger specializes in gourmet style burgers. And they have a big selection of 17 different burgers on the menu ranging in price from 15,900 to 24,900 pesos:

1. Classic – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato and onion – 14,900 pesos.
2. Cheeseburger – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato, onion and two pieces of cheese – 17,900 pesos
3. Cheese and Bacon – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato, onions, two pieces of cheese and bacon – 19,900 pesos
4. Peruana – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, guacamole, lettuce, onions, jalapeños and onions – 23,900 pesos
5. Argentina – mixed meat grilled to order: 50 percent beef and 50 percent Argentinian sausage, mozzarella cheese, onions and chimichurri sauce – 22,900 pesos
6. Pampa – mixed meat grilled to order: 50 percent beef and 50 percent Argentinian sausage, roman lettuce, rugula, peppers and cheese – 23,900 pesos
7. Avocado – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, bacon and avocado – 22,900 pesos
8. Gringa – 150 grams of beef grilled to order with bacon mixed in, lettuce, tomato, onions and cheddar cheese – 20,900 pesos
9. Blue Cheese – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, mushrooms and blue cheese sauce – 21,900 pesos
10. Happy Chicken – chicken breast, lettuce, marinated tomatoes and mozzarella cheese with mayonnaise sauce – 19,900 pesos
11. Mexican – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, cheese, onions and jalapeños with chili with meat and pico de gallo sauce – 23,900 pesos
12. Philadelphia – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, roman lettuce, caramelized onions and Philadelphia cheese dip – 20,900 pesos
13. Sailor Jerry – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, lettuce, caramelized onions, Philadelphia cheese, bacon with Sailor Jerry BBQ sauce – 24,900 pesos
14. Sriracha – mixed meat grilled to order: 50 percent beef and 50 percent Argentinian sausage, mozzarella cheese, Portobello mushrooms, lettuce and coleslaw with mayonnaise – 23,900 pesos
15. Veggie – grilled Portobello mushroom, caramelized onions, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese accompanied with zucchini and pesto – 19,900 pesos
16. Viva Italia – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, roman lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, pepperoni with pesto sauce – 23,900 pesos
17. La Thai – 150 grams of beef grilled to order, roman lettuce, cream cheese, mix of peppers, carrots in soy sauce and aguacate – 23,900 pesos

Furthermore, you can customize the ingredients on the burgers as well (additions or subtractions). In addition, each of the burgers comes with a side of French fries, rustic fries, chips or a side salad.

The Rest of the Menu

This is a gourmet burger place. So, don’t go expecting to find much else on the menu. In addition to the burgers there are two salads on the menu priced at 14,900 and 18,900 pesos.

Chef Burger also has a few appetizers: mini-burger sliders for 22,900 pesos; French fries with cheddar cheese, marinated tomatoes, bacon and sour cream for 12,900 pesos and Argentinian sausage with rustic fries for 17,900 pesos.

In terms of drinks, Chef Burger has sodas, bottled water, juices and several beers and house wines to choose from.

Chef Burger restaurant at Mayorca Mega Plaza in Sabaneta

How to Get to Chef Burger

Chef Burger currently has 11 locations in the Medellín metro area that are listed below:

1. El Poblado: Calle 3 # 43-37, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 104
2. El Poblado: Calle 11 A No. 42 – 05, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 101
3. El Poblado: El Tesoro mall, local 1545, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 108
4. Envigado: Carrera 48 # 26 Sur-87, Contenedores, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 103
5. Envigado: Carrera 48 # 32B Sur-139, Viva Envigado Mall, 3rd floor, opened in October 2018.
6. Laureles: Circular 76 # 39 -07, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 102
7. Sabaneta: Carrera 48 # 50 Sur-128, Mayorca Mega Plaza mall, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 108
8. Belén: Carrera 82 # 30A-24, Los Molinos Mall, +57 4 448 2378 ext. 105
9. Belén: Carrera 70 #1-141, Arkadia Mall
10. La Candelaria: Carrera 43A # 30-25, Premium Plaza Mall, third floor
11. Buenos Aires: Calle 49 between Carreras 25 and 19, La Central Mall, opened in June 2018.

Chef Burger has locations in each of the five most popular neighborhoods for expats living in Medellín: in El Poblado, Envigado, Laureles, Sabaneta and Belén.

Chef Burger’s location in Premium Plaza mall that opened in April 2018

Chef Burger in Viva Envigado Mall

In addition, Chef Burger has four more restaurants located in Bogotá and Cali:

1. Bogotá: Parque 93, Calle 93 # 11A – 31 – 1^st floor of Hotel GHL Style 93, +57 1 432 6881
2. Bogotá: Zona T, Carrera 13 # 83-19, +57 1 402 9107
3. Cali: Ciudad Jardín, Carrera 105 # 14 – 03, +57 304 549 7700
4. Cali: El Peñón, Carrera 3 with Calle 1, first floor of Hotel El Peñón, +57 2 380 9743

Website: http://chefburger.co/

Hours (in El Tesoro, Mayorca, Los Molinos and Viva Envigado malls): noon to 9 pm or 10 pm all days.

Hours (Other locations in Medellín): Sunday to Thursday: noon – 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday: noon – 11:30pm.

The Best Burger Places in Medellín

We have looked at 11 of the best burger places in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley:

1. Chef Burger – a chain of 11 gourmet burger places in Medellín with very good American style burgers.
2. La Pampa – a chain of five Argentinian steakhouses that specializes in steaks but also has some good burgers.
3. Barbacoa Burger & Beer – a chain of four gourmet burger restaurants in Medellín with good American style burgers.
4. Grill Station Burger – a chain of four popular gourmet burger restaurants in Medellín with American style burgers, which use Brangus beef in their burgers.
5. Pigasus – a chain of four restaurants in Medellín with very good burgers and specializes in pork including chicharrón
6. Hello Burgers & Beer – a gourmet burger restaurant in El Poblado with burgers you can customize with your favorite ingredients.
7. Classic Diner – a restaurant in Envigado with a classic American diner feel and good burgers.
8. Jack and Roll – a popular burger restaurant in Envigado with good burgers.
9. La Burger Bar (The BGR Burger) – a popular burger restaurant in Envigado with good burgers.
10. Medellín Burger Company – a burger restaurant Laureles with burgers that only uses Angus beef.
11. Patrick’s Irish Pub – a large sports bar in Parque Lleras in El Poblado with good burgers.

In addition, we included Chef Burger in our list of the best burger places in Medellín.

Cheeseburger at Chef Burger with rustic fries and mushrooms added

The Bottom Line – Chef Burger

Chef Burger is one of my favorite burger places in Medellín and I recommend it. This chain has really good American style burgers, which I like.

But Chef Burger has competition so their slogan “The Best Burger in Town” is debatable. In my experience, several other burger places in Medellín like Barbacoa Burger & Beer, Grill Station Burger and Jack & Roll also have good gourmet style burgers.

Furthermore, all these gourmet style burger restaurants tend to have much better burgers than you will find at the fast food places like Burger King or McDonalds.

The only downside of Chef Burger is that some locations can get very busy, particularly at lunch or at night on Fridays and on the weekends. So, it may take some time to wait for a table and service may be slower than on less busy days.

Let us know in the comments – what are your favorite burger places in Medellín?

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Editors note: updated on May 20, 2018 with two new Chef Burger restaurant locations in Medellín and updated with new menu prices.

Editors note: updated on August 11, 2018 with a new Chef Burger location in La Central mall in Medellín.

Editors note: updated on October 6, 2018 with a new Chef Burger location in the new Viva Envigado mall.

Editors note: updated on August 19, 2019 with the current menu at Chef Burger and updated prices.

Editors note: updated on November 15, 2019 to remove the Chef Burger location in Mercado Del Rio Las Strada as this food market in El Poblado has closed and add a new location in the new Arcadia mall in Belén.