Here is the Official 2024 Burger Week Winner…With a Special Twist…

Owensboro Burger Week 2024 wrapped up this past weekend and WOW! What an exciting time! With a record-breaking number of 40 restaurants participating, it was a blast going around town trying all of the creative and delicious offerings.

A huge thank you to Visit Owensboro, The City of Owensboro, and sponsors Kentucky Beef Council, Green River Appliance, German American Bank, and Hill View Farms Meats for supporting and promoting this event. It's become a local holiday as far as I'm concerned. At only $7 a burger, folks came out in droves to try the culinary creations. I was only able to try 16 of them, but every single one knocked it out of the park.

Owensboro Restaurants Made Thousands of Burgers for Burger Week 2024

What I loved most was seeing old friends at some of my favorite spots and making new friends as I visited restaurants I'd never been to before. Some of them like Libertalia and Basil's Food Truck are brand new to the scene which is why supporting local business owners is so important and honestly what Burger Week is all about. Here's one of the highlight reels from Burger Week Day One.

@92.5_wbkr First Day of Owensboro Burger Week 2024!! They were all DELICIOUS!! What are you excited to try? #owensborokentucky #owensboro #owensboroburgerweek #visitowensboro #garysdrivein #nikosbakeryandcafe #windyhollowbiscuithouse #oldhickorybbq #libertalia #jordys #realhacienda #carnivalcafe #foodies #meatsweats #wbkr ♬ Beast Mode - ROKKA

Many of the restaurants even sold out of their Burger Week burgers! Multiple times! It was fun to follow them on social media to see what their daily burger counts were. I was amazed that some of them were able to sell hundreds each day from their little kitchens or outdoor set-ups made especially for the occasion. I know all 40 of the participating restaurants were busting their buns (literally and figuratively) to put out quality burgers for us all to enjoy.

Grippos, Funnel Cakes, and Pimento Cheese, Oh My!

The creativity this year was seriously impressive as well.  From Crab Rangoon, to Ghost Pepper cheese, to peanut butter, the ingredients were next level! Lots of salty and sweet flavor combinations meant there was something for every tastebud. This year, Owensboro Burger Week welcomed the first Afghan-style burger thanks to the folks at Pamir Afghan Cuisine.

Owensboro Burger Week 2024 People's Choice Winner

This was the first year the community got to join in the fun of selecting a winner. Proudly sponsored by German American Bank, this trophy goes to a restaurant that absolutely slayed their very first Burger Week. It wasn't their first competition though! In 2022 they won the title of  "Best Breakfast in Owensboro."

Kim's Diner "Big Daddy's BBQ Burger"

Fresh ground beef patty with two pieces of cheese, bacon, BBQ pulled pork, grilled onions, and pickles on a bun featuring Joshua Taylor's incredible sauce.

Two is Better Than One When It Comes to 2024 Official Burger Week Winners

Yep! That's right! For the first time in Burger Week history, we have a tie for the top spot! With 107 trillion possible scoring combinations from two separate panels of judges, the probability of this happening is pretty wild, but having tasted both burgers, I'm not at all surprised.

J's Good Grub "Dirty Diana" 2024 Owensboro Burger Week Winner

Just Like the multi-platinum Michael Jackson banger that dropped in 1987, we bring you a multi-platinum burger. Specs include a 1/4 lb burger with melted cheddar over bacon, our signature Bourbon Sauce mixed with our famous Cajun Ranch Sauce topped with the famous Cajun Ranch Fries on a toasted Brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, and Bourbon Pickles.

If you are a frequent flyer of J's, you know it's always a party while you wait for your grub. They blast music from speakers, so of course, they had to add "Dirty Diana" to the playlist! When we stopped by, everyone in line cheered when the song came on! It was a whole vibe. Most importantly, this burger was a showstopper with the fries and sauces. Mercy! Made me wanna try to Moonwalk.

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A HUGE congratulations to our friend Jay Johnson, his fabulous wife Antoinette, and their crew.  You wanna see something really cool? They took the time to deliver a burger to People's Choice Champ, Kim, because she was so swamped with orders. THIS is what it's all about. Collaboration plus Community equals Champions!

I can only spill the beans on this epic winner so far! I hate to tease ya, but you'll have to stay tuned for the other one. I guess Dave Kirk from Visit Owensboro needs the extra time to have a second trophy made! Who will it be? We can't wait!