BirminghamBURGER 2026: Explore Downtown's New and Returning Kitchens

BirminghamBURGER is in its third year and runs through October 31. Twenty downtown restaurants are on the roster. Two of them, Besos and e Fiori Ristorante, were not open in Birmingham when the 2025 contest ran. All three restaurants that finished on the 2024 podium are entered again, and two of them are serving burgers that clearly build on the ones that placed.

As of October 12, about three weeks remain. In that time you can try this year's newcomers and the kitchens that set the original bar on the same few blocks, and the ratings decide the order.

The 2024 podium came back with sequels

In 2024, the first year of the contest, Downtown Publications reported that Adachi won with a burger called "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover." Hazel's "Surf and Turf" came second and Social's "French Dip" burger came third.

Compare those with the 2026 entries on the official BirminghamBURGER site:

• Adachi is entering "Look What You Made Me Do," another name with attitude from the reigning first-year champion.
• Hazel's is entering "Surf the Earth," an obvious play on the surf-and-turf burger that placed second.
• Social is entering the "Peppercorn French Dip Burger," which takes its third-place French Dip and adds peppercorn.

Two of the three podium kitchens built on the idea that already scored with diners and judges. That gives anyone who ate the 2024 versions a direct way to compare. The 2025 results did not turn up in the sources reviewed for this post, so the line from 2024 to 2026 is the one that can be traced.

Two entrants that weren't open a year ago

The other half of the story is about addresses that changed hands or opened this year.

Besos is at 239 North Old Woodward. MLive described it in May as a whole-food restaurant with cocktails and Detroit-style pizza, founded by Birmingham entrepreneur Dana Weeks Jr. and chef Matthew Kenney. Its contest entry is "The Humami." Early in 2026, previews of the year's openings had a different concept listed for that same North Old Woodward address. Besos is the one that actually opened, so this October is its first BirminghamBURGER.

e Fiori Ristorante opened June 17 at 115 Willits Street, according to Hospitality Career Profile. It is Luciano and Nicole Antakli DelSignore's Italian restaurant, with a floral and gift shop under the same roof. Its entry is simply the "e Fiori Burger."

The Free Press roundup of this year's contest names both newcomers among the participants. The quote from Erika Bassett, executive director of the Birmingham Shopping District, specifically mentions new restaurants joining:

"We're excited to see BirminghamBURGER return for its third year, with the excitement continuing to build each year. With new participating restaurants and creative burger combinations, it's an event our community looks forward to every October."

That quote comes from the Detroit Free Press, published September 29.

The full roster

Here are all 20 entries as listed on the BirminghamBURGER site, with the newcomers and the returning podium kitchens marked.

The table shows a few groupings that give you a plan for the remaining weeks. Two of the entries come from Italian kitchens, e Fiori and La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar. Two are named for seafood, Rugby Grille's Salmon Burger and Streetside Seafood's Buffalo Shrimp Burger. The Free Press notes that the field includes beef, vegetarian and seafood options.

How the ratings work, and what isn't published yet

According to the Free Press, each competition burger is an exclusive, limited-time item available through October 31. Diners who order one can rate it on presentation, creativity and taste, and they can order and rate as many times as they like. Prices start at $14 and vary by restaurant.

After the ratings close, the contest awards a People's Choice trophy, a Judges' Choice trophy and the title of "Birmingham's Best Burger." No announcement date for the 2026 results has been posted. For 2024, the Shopping District's press page dated the winner announcement November 5, a few days after that contest ended on October 31. The sources reviewed also don't describe the rating mechanism, so ask at the table how your restaurant collects ratings.

Creativity is one of the three scoring criteria. Hazel's and Social both built on their 2024 entries, so diners who ate the originals have something to measure them against. Besos and e Fiori come in without that comparison.

The last two weekends of October around it

The contest overlaps with the last two big downtown dates of the fall, both within walking distance of most entries:

1. Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city's Birmingham Pumpkin Patch takes over Shain Park. It's free and includes costume contests, bounce houses, food trucks, pumpkin decorating, face painting and train rides.
2. Sunday, October 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Farmers Market holds its end-of-season celebration at Public Parking Lot 6, 660 North Old Woodward, with live music, food trucks and children's activities, according to the city's program listings.

The Lot 6 address is on the same stretch of North Old Woodward as Besos at number 239. That puts one of the two newcomers a short walk from Sunday's market finale. After that weekend, the competition burgers stay on menus for six more days, through Saturday, October 31.

West Maple, after the burgers

The restaurant changes have a retail counterpart on West Maple. By late August, Birmingham By Design reported that Portland Leather had moved into 157 West Maple, the former Revive space.

A few doors west, Cherry Republic is preparing its first Metro Detroit store at 243 West Maple, in the former Detroit Guitar space. As of this writing, the company's Birmingham page still says "Coming Soon!" and "Opening fall of 2026," and lists hours as TBA. Birmingham By Design described plans for a shop under 2,000 square feet with free samples, a small wine-tasting bar, and sweets, snacks, baking mixes, sauces, tea and wine.

The next fixed date downtown is in December. Winter Markt runs around Shain Park December 4 to 6. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The holiday tree lighting is Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m. The Shopping District describes the tree as 41 feet tall with more than 40,000 LED lights.

Whether you've eaten your way through the burger roster or just know which side of Old Woodward and Maple you keep coming back to, Tom Holzer follows these same blocks closely and is happy to talk through how downtown's changing storefronts affect the homes within walking distance of them. Book a consultation when you're ready for that conversation.