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.
Dove
Notting Hill - 31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU
When Jackson Boxer transformed his Notting Hill restaurant Orasay into Dove, he added one dish that would always be available, but is not actually listed on the menu - The Gorgonzola Burger. But it's also a burger 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. You should congratulate yourself if you manage to get your hands on one.
Signature burger: There's only the one burger, The Gorgonzola Burger
Also try: The menu does shift, but right now we'd say the fried potato pizzette are a strong contender for a must-have.
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 it turns out 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.
Signature burger: The Jupiter Burger, which is a double beef patty with shaved onions in it, lightly smashed and served up with pickles, mustard, cheese and house burger sauce.
Bleecker
Victoria, Bloomberg Arcade, Spitalfields, London Bridge, Soho
Still one of the very best in London and now with a new burger bar in Soho, 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.
Signature burger: The standard cheeseburger with American cheese (but if the Bleecker Black is on, go for that)
Also try: Angry fries (covered in hot sauce) are a must. The shakes are also wonderful.
Supernova
Soho, South Kensington, Mayfair (soon)
Although smashburgers were already becoming a thing in London, 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.
Signature burger: The Cheeseburger
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.
Signature burger: The Black Bear - dry-aged beef, cheese, smoked bacon, onion jam, garlic mayo. But also try the Brisket Burger with 12hr beer-braised brisket.
Also try: The brisket spring rolls are a must if they're on.
Lagom
Hackney - Hackney Church Brew Co, 17 Bohemia Pl, London E8 1DU
Inside the Hackney Church Brewery Co you'll find Elliot Cunningham's Lagom. There's a Swedish influence to the live-fire cooking and while the menu is varied, with everything from lamb chops to grilled asparagus on a recent menu, it's also become known for serving up one of London's best burgers. They've been known to sell out fast, so get in early if you want to make sure of getting that burger.
Signature burger: The smash burger with mustard mayo, vinegar slaw and American cheese
Also try: Anything else on the varied menu, as well as trying the suggested matched beer, as you are in a brewery after all.
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.
Signature burger: The Dexter cheeseburger. The patty 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.
Also try: Anything else on the ever-changing menu
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".
Signature burger: The Bacon Butter Burger which includes crispy pancetta bacon and the astonishingly good burnt butter mayo
Also try: The truffle tots are the go-to for us with a special mention for the bone marrow gravy fries.
Lucky Chip
Hackney Wick
Lucky Chip are another one of the longstanding members of the London burger community that have kept their quality extremely high. Ben Denner launched Lucky Chip back in 2011 and his obsession with burger perfection originally led him to visit 70 bakeries before finding the perfect bun. The aged beef patty he uses has incredible flavour and if you happen to be heading to the seaside to Folkestone, the restaurant there is also well worth checking out.
Signature burger: The legendary Kevin Bacon an aged beef patty, applewood smoked bacon and American cheese (and making it a double is also a good idea). If you like something spicier, go for the El Chappo.
Also try: The truffle cheese fries but they also do fantastic popcorn chicken here.
MEATliquor
Various locations across London
Arguably the burger company that changed the way all Londoners think about burgers, this street van turned million-pound business set up by Yianni Papoutsis and Scott Collins is still pushing the envelope both as far as great burgers go and how businesses are run. As much about the cocktails as they are about the burgers, they also serve up some mean hot dogs. Most recently, they've opened the Bloodsports sports bar in Covent Garden, where you can also pick up their burgers.
Signature burger: The Dead Hippie featuring two French's mustard-fried beef patties and dead hippie sauce.
Also try: we're fans of the "monkey fingers" - fried chicken breast covered in buffalo sauce.
Mother Flipper
Brockley, Brockley Market
After 10 years serving up burgers on street food stalls, Mother Flipper got a permanent space in Brockley. They serve up smashing (and smashed) burgers. Just make sure whatever burger you order here features their candy bacon because, trust us, you need that in your life.
Signature burger: The Candy Bacon Flipper is a good choice, topped with American cheese and bacon fried in maple syrup
Also try: One of the chicken burgers, with the Korean Flippin Chicken being a good bet.
Baba G's
Pop Brixton, Vinegar Yard, Camden Market
These street food legends won an episode of the BBC's Million Pound Menu but then went on to start their Camden restaurant by themselves. At the heart of the menu are the Bhangra Burgers - Indian-influenced burgers that are certainly not subtle and have won them legions of fans.
Signature burger: The Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi Burger - their spiced lamb burger with mint raitha, mango pulp and fresh chilli pepper.
Also try: either the simple masala fries, or the loaded versions where you can pick toppings from the burger menu
Also see
More great burgers to seek out:
- Leytonstone Tavern (Leyton) - next level burger creations being turned out of this pub kitchen. The double cheese and onion smash is a winner.
- Shake Shack (Various) - The American import is still a great 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) - Excellent 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.
- Blacklock are best known for their chops but their burger is excellent too - a double cheeseburger with onions caramelised in vermouth.
- Honest Burgers (Various locations) - You'll find them all over London, but Honest remain a great option if you fancy a great burger and watch out for their collabs.
- Patty&Bun (Various locations) - Another great mini burger chain, and their Ari Gold cheeseburger is the one to go for here.
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