Shoreditch, Burgers, Etc Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: For a meat-free burger, this tiny brand (the first vegan restaurant in Europe to use ‘Beyond Meat’ in its patties) is well worth a try if you need a bite near the Old Street roundabout, or are down Pop Brixton way.

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

Burgers served à la française in a brioche bun still win a good level of support for this 20-year-old fast-food group. Having shrunk to just two branches – Balham and the Camden flagship, the latter said to be a favourite of Amy Winehouse back in the day – they are now part of Jamie Barber’s Hush Mayfair operation, with former branches in Kingston, Holborn and Chelsea upgraded into brasseries.

Having graduated from food trucks and market stalls to permanent sites in Shoreditch, Soho and Borough Yards, this classy fast-food operation is on the rise – with improved ratings to match. “I don’t even like burgers, but the vegan burger dripping with sweet Korean sauce – made especially without mayo for my fussy taste – was a total surprise, and drop-dead gorgeous”.

“Sinfully good” burgers are delivered with “quick and efficient service” – and “genius free soft serve ice cream” (which accompanies your bill) – at this independent group with a handful of outlets around London. Former nurse Liz Down and her husband Stew started out in 2016 with a stall on Broadway Market, inspired by working holidays in the Canadian Rockies. Top Tip – “indulge in the guilty pleasure of their dry-aged beef glazed in miso with double cheese”.

2021 Review: “A nice, laid-back American buzz” has helped win a loyal following over the years for this small chain of Kansas City-style diners: one of the first in London to bring BBQ indoors. “It’s a fun place” (in the right mood) and the food is “decent” and in man-sized portions, but “not particularly special”.

“Simply love Hawksmoor!”. Founded by Will Beckett and Huw Gott, this phenomenal steakhouse chain remains one of the Top-5 most-mentioned restaurant groups in our annual diners’ poll and also one of the most popular. At heart – despite expansion to the 10 UK sites, one in Ireland and two in the US (Chicago, launched in July 2024, is the latest) – the essentials of the brand haven’t changed since they first opened near Spitalfields in 2006: “the steak and the sides are all thumping winners” (“chewy char on the all-grass-fed meat and perfect chips”); “cocktails are a standout attraction” (“those cherry Negronis are a bit too addictive!”); “service is smiley”; all the above is “unbelievably popular”; and consequently they are seemingly able to charge “silly prices”, while not deterring their huge fan base. Opening in the City also helped establish the brand as a huge client-entertaining favourite: “if you’re doing business with carnivores, the excellent steak, red wine, service, and professional ambience should help you seal the deal”. Meanwhile, “good fish and veggie options” have been added to the menu in recent times, perhaps to help defuse the obvious criticism that beef farming is not that super for the planet. In July 2024 – three years after the business tried to float on the stock exchange – majority owners, Graphite Capital, put their 51% stake in the business up for sale for a reported £100m valuation. Will and Huw will, it seems, retain their stake. Top Tip – “BYO is £5 on a Monday!”

“This truck at Spitalfields continues to be a favourite of everyone I take there” – parked just outside the market, it delivers generous filled buns of the eponymous roasted bird, or boxes with meat, chips and salad.