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  • Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers wins inaugural Battle of the Burgers
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Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers wins inaugural Battle of the Burgers

The Leesburg burger joint defeated Magnolias at the Mill in the final round of reader voting.

By Michele Kettner October 16, 2020 at 9:28 am

After five rounds of voting, Northern Virginians have made their voices heard regarding the best burger spot in NoVA. And the winner is… Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers. 

Owners Steve and Debbie Hancotte opened Melt’s doors in Leesburg by back in 2012. The burger joint also snagged our 2020 Best of NoVA title for Best Burger in the region; a title it had previously claimed in 2015, 2016 and 2018. 

When we asked Paul Tomaselli, who curated the list of restaurants on the bracket, what makes Melt so great, he said, “I love how fresh the ingredients are, the housemade sourdough buns and the idea that nothing is too much and there is no limit with their burgers.”

Back in 2012, when Tomaselli first visited Melt, he fell in love with The Diner “Blue Plate” Special and started coming to the restaurant every weekend for two months to try the entire menu. If you are looking to make a stop at Melt for lunch or dinner, Tomaselli recommends you try the the pizza burger, sloppy joe burger and October’s special, The Ooey Gooey Mac & Cheese Burger, which he says is, “insane and crazy.” 

“I love it and wish Debbie, my ‘mom,’ and her husband Steve nothing but the best and hope continued success for years and years to come,” he says.

Here are other highlights from the five rounds of voting:

  • Closest race: During the first round of voting, Magnolias at the Mill, the eventual runner-up, claimed victory over Social burger by just one vote.
  • Biggest upset: Holy Cow, which received the most overall votes during the first round, was defeated by Basic Burger in the second round by a 75% margin.

For updates on our upcoming food brackets, subscribe to our Food newsletter.

Michele Kettner

Michele Kettner

Audience Engagement Editor

Michele Kettner joined Northern Virginia Magazine in 2020 after spending two semesters as an editorial intern at the magazine. The University of Maryland graduate is currently the audience engagement editor and covers everything from can’t-miss things to do and holiday events to new restaurant and store openings throughout Northern Virginia.

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