Do fries come with that? Burger week shows out in Owensboro

Owensboro is known for its distinctive cooking flavor of BBQ boasts being the barbecue capital of the world. That is debatable according to some. But wait, another commodity classic has broken out and entered the game. Hamburgers! Although it’s not classified as a delicacy, burgers tend to show up as a mainstay on most American food menus. But my city has taken it to another level with a contest titled Burger Week. Though the 2026 10-day presentation of mouthwatering specialty hamburgers has passed and we missed our chance to participate, it will be back around next year. This hometown annual event originated on the east coast and migrated here several years ago, and no one could accurately tell me when it began. But for 10 days local restaurants staked out in the highbrow competition to prepare the tastiest, most original hamburger to be crowned Burger Week Champion in Owensboro. 

              Burger Week highlights locally owned restaurants and encourages residents to explore the flavor creations while supporting area businesses. Each judge votes for a contestant and the votes are tallied to determine a winner.  This year’s top honor went to Hillbilly’s BBQ food truck with their Double Tap burger. Selling 2,883 burgers, the Double Tap consisted of a smash style patty of ground brisket topped with a layer of pulled pork with a smear of garlic aioli to capture the top spot.  The people’s choice was the Libertalia Coffee & Bagels food truck who sold 7,354 Buc ee Brisket Jam burgers. J’s Good Grub took second place by a narrow 0.02-point margin with his Motownphilly Burger. Past winners included Shiloh’s Lounge & Grill with second place, and in 2024 J’s Good Grub tied for the championship with Basil’s Food Truck.

              Hamburgers are sold for $8 by each participant. In this year’s burger count organizers reported 59 entries. Last year 49 restaurants sold over 63,000 burgers. That’s 8 tons of beef! Listening to some of the buzz around town, a hot dog week contest is brewing with organizers for June or July. Owensboro’s Burger Week runs the first week of March each year – right at the beginning of basketball’s March Madness.