September 15, 2007: Andrews hamburgers

On this Saturday we were blessed with sunny skies and an empty schedule, so we decided to venture southside to visit a Melbourne icon: Andrews Hamburgers. This place is the real deal, a 50-year-old family business that hasn't changed its spots (or wood panelling) over its lifetime. And why change when you've hit on the winning formula? The burger-with-the-lot is widely touted as the best in town.

Now that's all well and good, but such an establishment is unlikely to offer much to a vegetarian, right? Actually, Andrews Hamburgers do have a vegetarian burger and it's not a completely token latecomer: owner Greg Pappas told the Age that the patty - made of potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, coriander, parsley and feta - is from a recipe that his mother made at home. This is veering into the territory of Grill'd Urban Burger Republic, perhaps, but the rest of this construction is old skool Aussie takeaway: a well-toasted white bun, tomato and iceberg lettuce, gooey cheese, sloppy sweet onions and a big gloop of tomato sauce that's destined for your shirt front. It's messy and a tad greasy but an enormously satisfying sunny-day lunch, and good nostalgic value at $7.

If you do succumb to Andrew's old-world charms, consider atoning for your cholesterolic sins with a walk around the nearby lake.

Address: 144 Bridport Rd, Albert Park
Ph: 9690 2126
Price: vege burger $6.50