3 Keys: Best Burger in Town?

I don’t eat burgers often, mostly because my belly finds them much less agreeable these days than my mouth. When I do splurge, it’s a decision I take quite seriously, and the plethora of top-shelf options in Bradenton and the greater Tampa Bay area can make it difficult to add new haunts to the already crowded rotation. However, the “Best Burger in Town” claim on the marquee of 3 Keys Brewing & Gastrobrew tempted me one time too many this week, and I stopped in to see if it lived up to the claim.

I was already quite familiar with 3 Keys as a brewery. This is another area in which our region offers no shortage of stellar options from which to choose, but 3 Keys nevertheless manages to stand out with a regular rotation of outstanding brews at reasonable prices. Regulars are currently rejoicing in the return of Ghostface ‘Nilla Vanilla Cream Ale. The brewery also hosts regular weekend entertainment in its beautiful beer garden.

On my Monday afternoon visit, it struck me as odd that I’d never tried the vaunted burgers despite how often they had been recommended. I think it’s my penchant for the more filling dark beers and IPAs, as I realized that I’d frequented several craft breweries without trying the food, even when it looked tempting. I did attempt to try one of their burgers a few years back after leaving the office late on a particularly busy Friday. Hungry enough to eat my shoe, I was told that they had unfortunately closed the kitchen early, which may have spawned a tiny grudge. But time heals all wounds, even an early closing relegating you to a fast food drive-thru.

For reference, my local go-to spot is SOB Burger on 14th St West. I’ll hit Skinny’s or Duffy’s when I’m on the island and Annie’s Bait & Tackle when I’m in Cortez. I still go to Shake Pit occasionally, but mainly for the shakes. In Sarasota County, I’m partial to the New Pass Grill & Bait Shop’s burgers and Shakespeare’s Pub, where they have a Caramelized Onion and Brie Burger that’s worth the drive. North of the Skyway, where there’s arguably an even better burger scene in St. Pete, I like Dead Bob’s and the Pasadena Bar & Grill on the west side, El Cap and Engine No. 9 downtown, and Willie’s Burgers & Booze on St. Pete Beach.

The burger menu at 3 Keys offers the sort of creative, house-special offerings you’ll find at SOB, Shakespeare’s, and Engine No. 9. I went with the "Fun Guy," two 1/4 lb. patties of locally sourced, free-range beef, sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and pickles on an utterly perfect toasted brioche bun. The burger was as close to perfection as it gets, and the only thing setting it apart from the top tier of those mentioned is personal preference, in my opinion. This is a world-class burger, to be sure, and the generous accompaniment of thick, fresh-cut French fried potatoes was the proverbial chef’s kiss. It's also worth noting that our service was stellar.

My Fun Guy burger at 3 Keys Brewery

It is no accident that 3 Keys’ burgers are so delectable or pair so well with the beer, given their symbiotic relationship. For every beer brewed, the spent grain is pulled and brought to a Lakewood Ranch Farm, where the local cattle used in the burgers feed off the grain and grass. What's more, the beef is single-source, meaning that every burger comes from one cow and one cow only. No hormones, antibiotics, or fillers are used.

Bradenton is a burger haven, and while I’m not quite ready to say 3 Keys is necessarily better than SOB, given the fact that it's the only one of the two that's technically within city limits (SOB stands for South of Bradenton), I'd say the claim on the marquee certainly holds. I would add that, at the very least, 3 Keys' burgers are on par with that of SOB and the other very best burgers in the Tampa Bay region. Considering it’s the only brewery on my list and an outstanding one at that, I wouldn’t hesitate to give it my highest recommendation.

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, his Sunday opinion column has appeared in TBT since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. His novels and short story collection are available here.