First Look: Just Two Burgers Have Made Charrd a Phenomenon

At Lygon Street’s Mediterranean restaurant Yakamoz , you’ll find woodfired pide, golden roasted haloumi with brown butter, and baked rigatoni puttanesca. But one dish became such a phenomenon that founder Ogulcan “OJ” Atay and chef Cağri Ergin have launched a new business dedicated to it.

A double-patty cheeseburger with chilli jam and truffle mayo started as a Yakamoz special. “The burger kind of took on a life of its own, people kept asking for it,” says Atay. Now it’s one of five menu items at Charrd, a burger shop he and Ergin run out of the Yakamoz kitchen. “We’re sharing the kitchen, but this is its own thing.”

Place your order at the side door on St Phillips Street. There’s no seating and no parklet – just a small metal ledge. Like an espresso bar for burgers.
Charrd operates with a rigid focus: just two burgers, a side of fries, a few house-made drinks and charcoal-grilled wings. That’s it. “We’re not changing the menu. It’ll always be the same,” says Atay.

There’s a classic cheeseburger: one or two patties with white onion, pickles, and CB sauce – Ergin’s heavy-on-the-mustard take on burger sauce. And there’s the signature burger with truffle aioli, caramelised onions, house-made red chilli jam, pickles and a slice of American cheddar. Both can be ordered as singles or doubles. Patties, made from a mix of cuts from Madina Halal Butchers on Sydney Road, are 100 grams each and around 20 per cent fat, and are cooked over charcoal on a stainless steel grill.

The wings are marinated Turkish-style with tomato paste and herbs, and cooked over the same charcoal flames. Fries come with the off-menu option to be topped with Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano. And for drinks, there’s a strawberry Earl Grey iced tea and house-made lemonade. Plus, a secret menu item “half and half” – a blend of the two the team will mix for you if you ask nicely.

Stripped-back burger spots like Andrew’s Burgers and the now-closed Tuck Shop Take Away have long been part of Melbourne’s food scene. But it’s been a while since a new one has attracted this kind of buzz and these kinds of lines. Within a week of opening, Charrd was selling 500 burgers a day. “Honestly, it was just my friends coming in at first. Then it snowballed. People started filming it. Now we just try to get food out fast and keep the charcoal burning,” says Atay.

Charrd
74 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
No phone

Hours:
Thu & Fri 4pm–11pm
Sat & Sun midday–4pm; 5pm–11pm

@charrdbk