Seeing as it’s National Burger Day next week (27 August) we thought we would round up the highest rated burger joints, across the length and breadth of the country, from our 2015 guide. We’ve left London out of the mix entirely since readers surely can’t have failed to spot our article outlining the capital’s top 10 burgers earlier this year! However we do have a section on sliders, patties and buns from across the globe – burgers without borders, if you will. Vegetarians look away now…
The best burgers around Britain
£51
“Great burgers and steak” are the winning formula behind this “well-run” city-centre grillhouse newcomer; the odd sceptic feels that it’s a “poor attempt to do a Hawksmoor”… but they already seem to have got the “pricey” bit of the formula right!
£41
“Top burgers” win almost universal praise for this Northern Quarter adherent to the ‘dirty food’ movement; the social media marketing, though, does contribute to some reporters’ impression that the place is “very up itself”.
£38
Despite its seeming “neo-hippie casualness”, this “unusual and unexpected” boozer offers some “first-class” food (including “truly epic burgers”); “one of the few pubs where the coffee is as good as the locally-sourced craft beers”.
£38
Tipped as a “really useful, casual and fun place” in the city-centre, this “buzzy” bar/bistro – with its “burgers and spam fritters served in quirky style” – is “doing the dude food thing very well”.
£34
“The local food is impressive… but it’s the burgers that make me go back again and again” – whatever the reason, this “great restaurant, attached to a farm shop” is an all-round crowd-pleaser.
£31
“Awesome burgers” (featuring “succulent meat” in “generous portions”) are the main draw to this “quirky” local venture, but the “sci-fi fries are well worth a go” too; the decor – “filled with lots of old toys” – also provides a “nostalgic ’80s feast for the senses”.
£30
“Great burgers” (plus the usual sides and old-style American desserts) continue to please the crowds at this fun and “good-value” retro haunt.
£22
“Dirty burgers the way we like ’em, served by zealots!” – this may be just a “modified shipping container”, but fans insist the food is “great”.
£16
A “high-octane” hangout, consistently highly rated for its “inventive” burgers; staff can seem irritatingly “busy taking selfies of themselves”, though, and 30+s may decry the formula as “slop with loud music”; there is another branch in the Great Northern Warehouse (as well as Liverpool and Leeds).
£15
For an “amazing burger” or “great pulled pork sarnie” this “no-frills” café is hard to beat locally – “wholesome food, served by very pleasant staff, in a relaxed style”.
£15
A former seafront rock shop now houses this “tiny but very friendly” American-owned diner, praised for its “enthusiastic” service of quality “US comfort food” – “top-quality burgers, ethically sourced hot dogs, pulled pork, and home made fries”.
£13
“Don’t be put off by the look of the place!” – this tiny late-night joint is in fact a top tip for “superb gourmet burgers”, with “funky and fun” service added into the mix; “lovely fresh shakes and smoothies too”.
£11
“Really great burgers from a van!”; in this still under-served city, it’s worth seeking out these “faultless” patties, which twin “obviously well sourced beef” with toppings that are “more interesting than usual”.
We hear good things about Coggings & Co in Brighton and Filthy Cow in Manchester too, but they haven’t appeared in our survey just yet. Please tell us your thoughts!
Or get an international flavour with our ‘Burgers without borders’ guide!
America
“Burgers to die for, lethal cocktails, fantastic decor… what more could you want?” – this “buzzy” (“extremely noisy”) Hoxton Square outlet of the ‘Meat’ franchise is, say fans, “incredibly cheap for the quality”. Our pick? The very un-PC Dead Hippie (2 French’s mustard-fried beef patties, dead hippie sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and minced white onions).
Australia
This chain of relaxed Antipodean cafés has come up with the Skippy Burger. As you might have guessed it’s a kangaroo patty, served with sweet cherry jam and golden beet slaw, fries and salad. The buns are made in store, while patties are created in their on-site butchery room.
France
High-end hamburgers are old hat by now – but unpasteurised cheese in your bun? Maybe it’s a game changer; this small French burger chain expands beyond Gallic shores into Fitzrovia.
Hawaii
Blues Kitchen (Camden and Shoreditch – Brixton coming soon)
Head to one of this cavernous drinking and dining dens and take on The Pig Kahuna – August’s Burger of the Month – 7oz pork shoulder patty, topped with smoked cheddar, honey-glazed BBQ pineapple, pulled pork and a jalapeño relish.
India
From the folks behind Brighton’s “great burgers and steak” joint The Coal Shed comes a seafood grill spot with an impressively lengthy cocktail list and enviable views. Sample their South Indian spiced fish burger with pickled red onions, green chilli slaw, apple and herb relish.
Italy
“Always a bit under the radar, owing to its less than perfect location”, Giuseppe and Pamela Turi’s “very accomplished” and “welcoming” Putney Bridge-side stalwart dependably offers “first-class Italian regional cooking” plus “a massive selection of carefully chosen Italian wines”. The famous Venetian dish of liver and onions (Fegato alla veneziana) has been transformed into a decadent burger with Altamura bread, borlotti bean salad and crisp onions.
Jamaica
Boom Burger (Notting Hill – Brixton coming soon)
Among the vintage furniture and jewellery stores on Portobello Road sits a little taste of Jamaica. Boom Burger turns out patties and buns with an island twist. Try their Jerk Boom (Jerk chicken, with fried plantain, rocket, mango and pawpaw sauce).
North America
Dip & Flip (Battersea and Wimbledon)
“The dirtiest burger in London” is hailed by fans of this new dude-foodish Battersea café, where ‘poutine’ (cheesy Canadian fries) on the menu just adds to the “supreme nastiness”; “good value” too.
Scotland
From the folks behind street food and pop-up sensation The Wild Game Co. comes a new standalone restaurant serving Highlands produce. To celebrate, the founders will be offering diners a chance to try their award-wining Veni-Moo burger for just £5 24-30 August – a delicious mixture of a beef patty with a venison patty, bernaise sausce, cheese, caramelised onions and a brioche bun.
South America
“Easy to miss, but an excellent find”; this small Argentinean yearling, near Selfridges, “bombs your taste buds with hugely flavourful tapas” – “get a seat at the counter downstairs where it’s exciting see all the activity in the open kitchen”. Enjoy a Chimichurri beef burger with smoked bacon, provolone, onions & pickles. Or you can grab a variation on their Chimichurri burger at sister restaurant Casa Malevo in Bayswater.
Spain
“Divine small plates of Iberico, pata negra ham and must-try mini-burgers” – all among the “stylish” treats on offer at this “jammed”, “good-natured” and “fun” sibling to Salt Yard, in a handily central Covent Garden pub-conversion.
Go for a ‘bun’ instead of a burger…
China
Small, crowded and noisy, this Chinatown café is short on creature comforts, but it does offer tasty, wallet-friendly Sichuanese staples – from noodle soups to BBQ pork buns (“so light and fluffy it’s like eating a meaty cloud”).
Japan
Kurobuta (Bayswater and Chelsea)
After his King’s Road pop-up, Nobu’s former head chef opened this “welcome addition to London’s rock ’n’ roll Asian dining scene” – a “very casual” and “buzzy” izakaya-style spot, in Bayswater, serving “all sorts of funky Japanese dishes” which deliver “incredible and unusual” flavours. Visit for the ultimate Wagyu beef slider (soft steamed buns, crunchy onions, pickled cucumber and umami mayo).
Taiwan
A regular of Hackney’s Netil Market – serving Taiwanese steamed buns – moves to a permanent Soho site, backed by the Sethi family (of Gymkhana fame).
