The 2023 Newport Burger Bender contest broke records and sold thousands of burgers.
The Newport Burger Bender contest, which ran February 17 to 26, featured a record-breaking 56 burgers from 42 restaurants. Competing restaurants served more than 6,200 burgers. This year over 1,800 people voted for their favorite burger.
Chef Erica Costa and The Mooring Restaurant in Newport won this year’s trophy for best beef burger: The Feast. It featured a half-pound Angus beef patty with Cacoila, port wine cheese spread, fried potato sticks, a sunny side egg and a red Portuguese hot pepper served on Portuguese pop bread.
Chef Marissa Lo and the Boat House Restaurant in Tiverton received a trophy for best non-beef burger: Salmon Banh Mi. Her burger inspiration included a Gyoza salmon burger, Asian BBQ sauce, pickled carrots, radish, jalapeño, cilantro, and sriracha mayo served on a toasted sesame bun.
The Newport Burger Bender, first established in 2017, encourages chefs to create unique and mouthwatering beef and non-beef burgers for the contest. Sponsored by Discover Newport, the annual event runs in February. Visit DiscoverNewport.org for a full list of competing restaurants and burgers.
