Who was crowned champion of the Des Moines Register's Burger Bracket?
Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register
Fri, April 3, 2026 at 8:01 AM CDT
It all came down to the championship round of the Des Moines Burger Bracket, a head-to-head showdown to determine where locals most love to grab a burger.
The competition tipped off March 16 with 16 restaurants across the metro, ranging from burger specialists with deep menus to restaurants where a standout burger is the quiet star. Set up NCAA-style, the bracket narrowed the field through fan voting, trimming contenders until just two remained.
Voters narrowed down the matchup to Arcadia and B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli in the championship round of voting that ended on April 2.
Arcadia arrived in the final with serious momentum. The Polk City restaurant's smashburger — crisp-edged, sauced just right and already a statewide standout — was a Top 10 finalist in the Iowa Beef Council's Best Burger in Iowa contest last year and again this year, cementing its reputation well beyond the metro.
B&B Grocery, meanwhile, represents old-school butcher shop credibility, with a burger that turns Iowa beef into something deeply comforting.
And now to the winner.
Arcadia's smashburger won the Des Moines Register's Burger Brackets in April and earned a top 10 spot in the Iowa Beef Industry Council's Iowa's Best Burger contest.
Who won the Register's Burger Bracket?
Arcadia won with 79.47% of the vote.
Arcadia didn't take long to make a name for itself after opening in August 2024 in Polk City's growing dining corridor. The modern American restaurant, led by chef and co-owner Mikel Nguyen, blends polished comfort food with subtle Vietnamese and Asian influences, all grounded in a farm-to-table ethos and locally sourced ingredients.
At the center of the buzz is Arcadia's smashburger — a crisp-edged, deeply savory patty finished with house Arcadia sauce.
Where to find Arcadia
Details: 1010 Tyler St., Suite 4, Polk City, 515-207-0011, arcadiapolkcity.com.
Price: $20 to $35 per person
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