The best burger in Hong Kong? We taste-test 16 of the city's most popular joints

Hong Kong is in the midst of burger mania. Even for a dining scene as trend-oriented as ours, the recent obsession with burgers is of a different order entirely. It seems burger shops open daily across the city and hot spots such as Butchers Club Burgers see queues snaking down the block even before the doors are opened.

A cheeseburger seems so simple: a bun, a slice of cheese and a ground beef patty. But, like a martini, a properly made burger transcends its basic ingredients to become something miraculous. There is no one perfect way to serve a burger, but diehard fans agree the meat must be flavourful, juicy and cooked to order (we ordered medium for this test), topped with thoroughly melted cheese, and sandwiched between a toasted bun. The condiments and other adornments should be fresh, crisp and tasty.

To find the best of the best, we took on the daunting task of tasting 16 of the city's most popular burgers over three days. We broke them down into categories: hotel, restaurant, takeaway and burger joint and rated them for creativity, presentation, preparation, ingredients, condiments, messiness, juiciness and overall flavour. We ordered each venue's standard cheeseburger, which meant ingredients varied (some were served with bacon for example) and always ate the burger as it was served without adding condiments. Not entirely scientific, but we're confident we have found the very best burgers in the city. Order up!