Popular Argentine Burger Spot Opens First Broward Location

"Best Burger in the World." It's a bold claim, but La Birra Bar is unafraid to shout it out in orange neon lights smack in the middle of the front window of its newest location in South Florida.

After expanding to Wynwood and North Miami Beach this year, the Argentina-based burger joint has opened its first Broward County location in Fort Lauderdale at 2031 E. Oakland Park Blvd.

La Birra Bar was founded by Dany Cocchia and his family members Roxana and Renzo by their family more than 20 years ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina, eventually landing on our South Florida shores and taking the Sunshine State by storm.

To back up its "Best Burger in the World" claim, La Birra Bar was crowned the People's Choice Award winner at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash in 2022. It's also been named as having the Best Burger by New Times — readers and our writers alike — in 2022 and 2023.

Dany Cocchia tells New Times, "We've listened to our customers and seen our social media, and we have a lot of customers from Oakland Park who were asking for a new location over there. We put the work in, had some consulting teams help us, and we landed on this location. It has been excellent, and the sales are going very well... more than we expected, actually."
Cocchia describes the Oakland Park/Fort Lauderdale La Birra Bar location as a bit larger and more sophisticated than its South Florida counterparts. In a recent visit by New Times, there are walls of windows, brick accents, plush black booths for larger parties, dark wooden tables with black cushioning, and a colorful mural with Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi front and center hoisting the World Cup trophy.

And, of course, there are burgers — glorious burgers, each cushioned by one of the most magically fluffy and buttery buns on Earth. On the bun, Cocchia says, "It's the best-kept secret of the brand. We put a lot of research and work into that bun in 2015. It's a mix of a brioche and a traditional hamburger bun. It's the perfect complement to the burger itself."

Bestsellers brand-wide include the "Golden," made up of two four-ounce beef patties with American cheese, diced red onion, and a secret mayo; the "Messy," made of two patties, bacon, Argentine-style cheese, chimichurri-inspired mayo, and grilled onion; and the "OnlyFans," a fan-picked concoction with two patties, white American cheese, yellow American cheese, provolone cheese, bacon, and crisp onion.
Burgers run in the $11.90 to $15.90 range, with a variety of local beer, French fries, and a grilled chicken sandwich, among other offerings. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available, too.

Beyond Fort Lauderdale, Cocchia says locations in Weston and Doral are in the works. He says, "We grind the meat every day, make the patties every day, all of our sauces are made in house, and more. It really is a different burger from the rest."

La Birra Bar. 2031 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park; labirrabarusa.com. Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, and Sunday noon to 11 p.m.