Right now, London has some amazing burgers all across the city, so here's our guide to tracking down the very best of them. We've leaned more towards non-smash in this list but if they're what you really want, check out our guide to London's best smash burgers.
Addie's
Stoke Newington - 125 Newington Green Rd, London N1 4RA
One of the newest additions to the London burger scene, Addie's has quickly become a must-try if you are serious about burgers. He's in charge of the burger menu at The Edinburgh, creating his burgers from grass-fed native and rare breed cattle with extra marbling. The main burger to go for here is the bacon jam cheeseburger with two dry-aged smash patties, double American cheese, pickles and his own bacon jam.
Heard
Borough and Carnaby
Heard owner, chef Jordan Bailey, used to run a two Michelin-starred restaurant. Now he's pouring all that creative energy into his burgers instead. The meat, from Heard's own network of regenerative farms, is aged for at least 35 days before being layered up with ingredients like Italian black truffle mayo, smoked bacon jam and even caviar.
Dove and Vesper
Notting Hill - 31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU
At Jackson Boxer's Dove, The Gorgonzola Burger is always-on but also off-menu. And you'll have to rush to order, as they only make ten of them every day. The burger itself is made from the trimmings of beef rib cap, mixed with other cuts, then grilled in beef fat, topped with melted Gorgonzola Dolce, onion cooked in caramelised butter and served in a potato bun. At Vesper, there's another version of this, once again limited to ten per day. You should congratulate yourself if you manage to get your hands on either one.
Jupiter Burgers
London Fields - Netil Market, 13-23 Westgate St, London E8 3RL
This stall in Netil Market, just off London Fields, is run by the people behind some of London's best sandwiches, Dom's Subs, and they make fantastic burgers too. Inspired by In-n-Out burgers from the US West Coast, there are just three burgers on the menu (all smash burgers), a cheeseburger, the Jupiter Burger, and a veggie burger, all of which are served with twice-cooked, hand-cut fries.
Bleecker
Various locations, the newest at Camden
Still one of the very best in London and now with a new burger bar in Camden, Bleecker comes from Zan Kaufman. She quit her job as an NYC lawyer, moved to London, bought a food truck, started making burgers and was at the forefront of London's burger revolution. Of her burgers, Zan says: "We use rare-breed, pasture-fed beef from small farms in the UK. It is dry-aged, giving it an intense, beefy flavour." The beefiness is so strong that if you happen to be on the Circle line platform at Victoria, you can even smell them from there. The cheeseburger here remains a personal favourite of ours.
HANBAAGAASUUTEEKI
Victoria- 36 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0RE
HANBAAGAASUUTEEKI caused quite a stir when it opened, and not just because of the unpronounceable name. Flavour profiles for the burgers roam across Asia from Korea to Thailand and China. All the burgers come in potato buns, and even the sides feature toppings like kimchi, Thai basil and Birds Eye chilli. Recently, they've added lots of new burgers to the menu, so if you haven't been in a while, it's worth revisiting.
Supernova
Soho, South Kensington, Mayfair
Smashburgers were already becoming a thing in London before the arrival of Supernova pushed everything into overdrive. The queues built almost immediately, originally partly fuelled by some rather esoteric opening hours. It helped that the simple menu focuses them on delivering the simple things - a burger or a cheeseburger (and sundaes for dessert) - as well as possible. If you're looking to find out what's so special about smashburgers and are in Central London, this is probably the place to start.
Dumbo
Shoreditch and Soho (soon)
Dumbo started life in Paris before opening a tiny burger bar in Shoreditch, which quickly became a sensation. Both the menu and decor are very minimalist, with only one main cheeseburger available (as well as an "Earth" burger and excellent nuggets), but that minimalism has helped them to turn out excellent smashburgers.
Also see: Another Parisian smashburger import, Junk, is also worth a look.
Black Bear Burger
Brixton, Boxpark Shoreditch, Canary Wharf, Exmouth Market, Camden and more...
After originally starting as a street food outfit in Brixton, Black Bear Burger now have a few permanent restaurants including returning to Brixton with a much bigger operation. The beef is grass-fed and dry-aged beef sourced from native breeds raised in the South West. One of the founders comes from a farming family, so knows a thing or two about sourcing the best. The Black Bear (dry-aged beef, cheese, smoked bacon, onion jam, garlic mayo) is the one to go for but also try the Brisket Burger with 12hr beer-braised brisket.
Lagom
Dalston - The Three Compasses, 99 Dalston Ln, London E8 1NH
Lagom's burgers were a highlight when Elliot Cunningham was at Hackney Church Brewery Co, and in his new Dalston home, they're now the main event. The menu features his award-winning smashburger (you should go for the double patty) but the lamb or fried chicken burgers are also worth a look. The specials have also been amazing, like the Queenie Bun which mixed up scallops and black pudding.
Manna
Battersea and Centre Point Arcade Food Halls
Manna burger comes from Feroz Gajia, the man behind Bake Street, whose weekend-only smash burgers have long been a cult favourite. Manna was devised as a standalone burger brand at Arcade Food Hall and was, he says, "a love letter to the American diner". Alongside the traditional cheeseburgers, there's also their kimchi smash burger (and their Nashville Hot chicken burger is worth trying too).
Four Legs at The Plimsoll
Finsbury Park - 52 St Thomas’s Road, London N4 2QW
Four Legs' Finsbury Park pub was a big hit from the get-go and one of their main attractions is the always-on burger. The Four Legs cheeseburger became legendary when they were in residency at The Compton Arms and has remained a fixture since they opened their own pub. Their Dexter cheeseburger is made with Dexter breed meat from Yorkshire and their burger sauce was apparently inspired by how McDonald's used to taste when you were a kid.
Burger & Beyond
Shoreditch, Soho and Borough
As with many burger restaurants on this list, Burger & Beyond started out in markets, vans and street food stalls before making it big with their first restaurant in Shoreditch. The signature, aged beef burgers at Burger & Beyond may be a little pricier than some but are, in our humble opinion, worth every penny given the work that goes into them. Burgers include the Bougie Burger which includes the great addition of "marrownaise" but our favourite is the Bacon Butter Burger which includes crispy pancetta bacon and the astonishingly good burnt butter mayo
Lucky Chip
Battersea and Shoreditch
Lucky Chip are another one of the longstanding members of the London burger community that have kept their quality extremely high. Ben Denner's obsession with burger perfection originally led him to visit 70 bakeries before finding the perfect bun and the aged beef patty he uses has incredible flavour. The legendary Kevin Bacon is the main event - an aged beef patty, applewood smoked bacon and American cheese. If you like something spicier, go for the El Chappo.
Leytonstone Tavern and Empire Tavern
Leytonstone & Shoreditch
Created by chef Jamie Tack, the burgers at The Leytonstone Tavern quickly became legendary, winning multiple burger and street food prizes over the years. This year, the team opened a second pub and brought their amazing burgers with them. Top choices at the original include the double cheese and onion smash, while the Bone Daddy burger, featuring smoked, braised beef brisket, confit garlic mayo, Guinness gravy and bone marrow, is the must-have.
More great burgers to seek out:
- Dover Street Counter (Mayfair) - They only have the one burger on the menu, but this McDonald's-inspired burger is a joy.
- Sure Thing (Acton) - This is the sequel to No Drama and their original burger can be found on the menu here, along with lots of new diner-inspired dishes.
- Mother Flipper - (Brockley Market) - You'll find them here every Saturday and make sure whatever burger you order here features their candy bacon because, trust us, you need that in your life.
- Baba G's (Pop Brixton, Vinegar Yard, Camden Market) - At the heart of the menu are their Bhangra Burgers, towering Indian-influenced burgers.
- Shake Shack (Various) - The American import is still a very good option for a quick burger all over town and invaluable at Gatwick.
- Filthy Buns (King's Cross) - You'll find their messy burgers at The Star and Kings in King's Cross.
- Beer & Burger Store (Dalston, King's Cross, Walthamstow, Willesden Green) - Good burgers which you can pimp up by adding extra patties
- Truffle (Soho, South Bank, Marylebone) - serving up truffle-laden burgers and they also have some great collabs with overseas restaurants.
- Honest Burgers (Various locations) - You'll find them all over London, but Honest remain a solid option if you fancy a good burger and watch out for their collabs.
Also see
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