Best burgers in Naples: Final Four voting starts now, polls close Friday
Recapping your Elite Eight
More than 2,800 readers voted in Naples Daily News's Burger Ball Elite Eight showdown. Until the final seconds on the clock, two brackets were too close to call.
Elite 8 burger bracket breakdown
Top-seeded Brooks Burgers slammed The Continental, winning 63% of reader votes.
Kinda sorta the challenge's Cinderella, 10th seeded BrickTop’s squeaked out only five more votes than fifth-seeded Oasis to nab a slot in our Final Four.
Third seed Jimmy P's advances too, capturing 78% of votes over Culver’s.
Also, down to the wire, second-seeded Only Doubles, which attracts lines of hungry burger lovers everywhere it goes, wins over Harold’s Place by a mere 4% of votes.
A few notes before you vote
An independent accounting/polling resource tallies your votes. In this case, it’s Crowdsignal.
On Crowdsignal, only one vote per IP address is allowed. What’s an IP address? Each of your various devices (phone, laptop, desktop, tablet) has a different IP address.
Votes posted on Facebook or sent to this reporter by email are not counted.
Having issues with the poll? Try hitting refresh or swap Mozilla for another browser.
If you’d like to share an opinion on your favorite for publication, reach me via [email protected].
Brooks Burgers (1) vs. BrickTop's (10)
The original Brooks Gourmet Burgers & Dogs on Ninth Street opened in 2010 in what was formerly Lindburgers.
Hands-on owners Todd and Sandra Brooks gave the spot a bippity boppity boo makeover, transforming it from a dive to what became TripAdvisor’s number two burger joint in America in 2018.
The couple isn't resting on those laurels. They now have three locations all under the Brooks Burgers banner and have added tap rooms at Ninth Street and Vanderbilt Beach Road.
They also changed the burger recipe six years ago, sourcing their grass-fed, hormone-free Black Angus beef from one independently owned ranch in North Carolina. The result? Greater consistency in every bite.
Their philosophy is “Living the dream one burger at a time.” The slogan is on their T-shirts, and it reflects their gratitude for being an integral part of our community.
BrickTop's is a casual upscale chain with quite the following at Waterside Shops. In 2018, it and 72 other restaurants ― including Brooks Burgers ― earned Naples Hall of Fame spots on TripAdvisor.
Want to go before you vote?
BrickTop’s: 5555 Tamiami Trail N., bricktops.com
Brooks’s locations: 2290 Logan Blvd., 845 Vanderbilt Beach Road, and the famous OG at 330 Ninth Street; brooksburgers.com
Only Doubles (2) vs. Jimmy P's (3)
In the most competitive bracket to date, this final four matchup comes down to Waygu served two different ways.
Only Doubles is famous for its stackable smash burgers, and Jimmy P's, a thick, juicy pattie. For everyone also following the News-Press’s burger ball brackets, both also made Lee County’s Sweet 16, seeded first and fifth, respectively, in that challenge. Shockingly, neither went past the first round.
Jimmy Ps nabbed the most votes in all four Elite Eight brackets last week, but is that enough to overcome Only Doubles' cult-like devoted following?
We asked Jimmy Pepper Jr. what makes his burgers so good.
"Our butcher shops provide fresh ground Wagyu beef daily to our restaurants. By controlling this process, we can consistently ensure a fresh, juicy, flavorful burger for our customers. High quality and control results in tasting the difference.”
We also spoke to Only Doubles' Kyle Cravo on March 1 when the tourney started; he considered it a win to be included. I don't think he knew at the time he garnered the second most nominations before kicking off our first Sweet 16 round.
Now Cravo is "Psyched because every single one of my amazing customers made this happen. Without them, Only Doubles does not exist. Thank you to everyone."
Will Cravo's proprietary and tasty mayo-based sauce and potato buns power him through?
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Want to go before you vote?
Only Doubles is in Bonita Springs on March 26 at Ceremony Brewing, 10441 Packinghouse Lane. On March 27, head to Brookside Market in East Naples. (1947 Davis Blvd.; instagram.com/onlydbls)
Jimmy P's has three locations. In Naples, 1833 Tamiami Trail N. and 1201 Piper Blvd. In Bonita Springs, 25010 Bernwood Drive.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Who has the best burger in Naples? Vote your Final Four by noon Friday
