Soho, Burgers, Etc Restaurant Guide

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”.

“So tasty and messy – I love it”, say fans of this 12-year-old London operation who insist it’s the “best burger restaurant in town – others copy but this is consistently the best” “for when you want a full-on dripping burger and to hell with the diet!”. Expansion of the chain has proved difficult in the last year, with the Notting Hill branch shutting up shop just months after its summer 2022 opening.

“The lobster roll is just lovely” at this surf’n’turf-meets-burger chain, where you’ll find “plenty of very tasty grub”. “I was expecting to be disappointed, but the food was excellent”. A dozen years on from its launch, the group’s nine London venues tend to be “full of people done up for a big night out, taking lots of selfies for their Insta”.

2022 Review: “Burgers with a luxurious twist – but at reasonable prices”: this mid-2020 newcomer replaced Bonnie Gull’s Seafood Shack (RIP) in central Soho, to create the brand’s first dedicated, eat-in outlet (its first outlet was in Kerb’s Seven Dials Market). A no-frills, minimally decorated space, it only sells burgers, and – as the name hints – truffle everywhere is the key USP: truffle mayo, truffle sauce, truffle and Parmesan fries…

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

“Steak, steak, and steak are all brilliant” at Misha Zelman’s NYC-style grill-houses also praised for their “great wine pairings” and “knowledgeable staff”. With branches in Mayfair, the City and Canary Wharf, they are a particular business favourite, and had the edge on their arch-rival Hawksmoor in survey results this year. Meat is sourced from Scotland, the US, Australia and Japan, dry-aged on site and cooked over charcoal.

Dating from 1867, this fine Soho landmark should be famous, but has slipped off the restaurant map in recent years: initially due to its indifferent standards; and then due to Soho House’s purchase of the building, and its closure to non-members since 2019. In July 2023, the club once again threw open its doors to the hoi polloi, with a food operation now run by the team behind the Stoke Newington pub The Clarence Tavern. Fingers crossed, this promising partnership helps it recoup some of its old mojo, rather than descending once again into the Theatreland tourist trap mode that’s dogged it since PizzaExpress founder, the late Peter Boizot, sold it on in 2002.

“Still one of the steak stalwarts of London…”; “still our go-to place for a relaxed night out…”; “still the place for a discreet business meeting in the City…”. Few brands inspire as much long-term adulation as Huw Gott and Will Beckett’s steakhouse chain, which has ridden the zeitgeist since its founding in 2006; and which is now (with the help of Graphite Capital, who own most of it nowadays) to be found in NYC and Dublin, as well as Manchester, Edinburgh and Liverpool. A “terrific” cocktail in the bar, precedes “awesome steaks with fantastic side dishes, all in a cool setting”. At least, that’s long been the accepted wisdom anyway, although there’s a widespread feeling that quality “has dropped off a bit in recent years”. In this year’s annual diners’ poll, ratings improved in some respects and declined in others, with historical concerns over stratospheric prices supplanted by niggles that maybe the formula is just “starting to look a tad tired” and that service – though often “excellent” – can also sometimes seem increasingly “impersonal” (“you are just a number!”). The majority verdict for the time being, though? Still “always hits the spot”.

“So tasty and messy – I love it”, say fans of this 12-year-old London operation who insist it’s the “best burger restaurant in town – others copy but this is consistently the best” “for when you want a full-on dripping burger and to hell with the diet!”. Expansion of the chain has proved difficult in the last year, with the Notting Hill branch shutting up shop just months after its summer 2022 opening.

“The lobster roll is just lovely” at this surf’n’turf-meets-burger chain, where you’ll find “plenty of very tasty grub”. “I was expecting to be disappointed, but the food was excellent”. A dozen years on from its launch, the group’s nine London venues tend to be “full of people done up for a big night out, taking lots of selfies for their Insta”.