If you were in Deerfield Beach and in need for an excellent burger, you’d be wrong in not choosing Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox. Conceived by Chef Brian Cartenuto’s mission to create a dive-y type of restaurant that serves “good simple food,” this small location makes you feel homey and welcome. Tucker Duke’s is an embodiment of Cartenuto’s take on Southern food, making for an impressive and satisfying meal no matter what you get. The main star of Tucker Duke’s menu is the burger section, which takes fresh and creative ingredients and piles them atop a flavorful patty. Whether you get the namesake Tucker Duke, the Mondragon, the Yousuf, or so on, the meat is heavily seasoned and cooked perfectly to deliver on all fronts. Even without embellishments, the burgers from Tucker Duke’s are worthy of being mentioned when looking for the best in South Florida. Still, embellishments are where Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox shines, making for creative burgers that just scream “excess” and “indulgence.”
The Tucker Duke, proudly calling itself “The Best Burger in Town” on the menu, is topped with fried onions rings, American cheese, tucker sauce, lettuce, and tomato. This is the simplest burger on the menu and may actually live up to its claim, as the toppings make for an all-American burger that hits all points of nostalgia and caters to everyone’s affinity for a backyard style burger. Although the Tucker Duke is a fine specimen of a burger, you’d be remiss in not ordering something more decadent. I would recommend the Frank and Bobbert, topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, tater tots, scallions, horseradish sour cream, lettuce and tomato. If you can imagine an appetizer of loaded tater tots placed atop a perfectly cooked burger, then you can imagine what the Frank and Bobbert tastes like. The tater tots are fried to crispy precision, and the scallions and horseradish sour cream add an element of freshness that is much appreciated due to the rich elements of the burger and toppings. Nestled between something that Tucker Duke’s calls “crunch bun,” this burger is mind-blaringly delicious. Another favorite is the Charlie White, which is simply topped with Pimento cheese, grilled onions, spring mix, and tomato. As unadorned as this burger sounds, the pimento cheese shines in a way that actually makes this burger my favorite from this restaurant. It is creamy, salty, somewhat spicy, and might be my favorite burger topping I’ve had all year.
Whether you go to Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox and decide to go the minimalist route or get a little adventurous, you are sure to walk away impressed. I know I did, and with so many burger options in South Florida, that is quite an accomplishment.
Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox
1101 S Powerline Rd, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
(954) 708-2035
tuckerdukeslunchbox.com/Deerfield
facebook.com/tuckerdukesdeerfieldbeach
By food blogger, Santiago Cardona
