Burger
MANNA
After launching a kitchen at Arcade Food Hall at Centre Point, Bake Street founder Feroz Gajia opened a second branch, and the first standalone site, of his burger joint Manna at Arcade Food Hall at Battersea Power Station. A tribute to American diner dishes, Manna does smash burgers and fried chicken that nod to the fast food faves of your youth but dialled up to another level. Just like at Bake Street, the Manna smash burger is thing of beauty, balanced with just the right amount of cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles and onions, but you don’t wanna miss the Nashville hot chicken or an exclusive-to-Battersea crispy fish filay burger (there’s one with Old Bay-laced tartare sauce and one with scotch bonnet sauce). Pair with a thick vanilla shake and waffle fries, and finish with the Manna Apple Pie, with volcanically hot apple chunks inside just like at Maccy’s, with a dusting of cinnamon sugar to elevate it, for the ultimate nostalgic meal.
STUDIO KITCHEN
Lorcan and Fin Spiteri are better known for running floating restaurant Caravel but if you hop off the canalboat and onto dry land, you’ll find a right juicy burger waiting for you on the pontoon at Studio Kitchen. It’s a double fried onion beef patty layered with American, pickles and lettuce (and you can add bacon) proving that keeping it simple is the key to burger greatness.
BAKE STREET
There’s truly a lot to love at this understated cafe by Rectory Road station – just see how many people journey there for the inventive and consistently excellent dishes, including the legendary creme brulee cookies, tom yum chicken buns, lamb birria tacos, superb Nashville hot chicken burgers and some of the best soft serve in London. Bake Street was also doing smashburgers before the rest of the city caught wind and they’re still some of the best to found; a caramelised and crispy but still juicy patty, dressed with exactly the right amount of ketchup, American mustard, American cheese and pickles, all tucked into a soft toasted bun to create the perfect balanced burger bite.
Image credit: @kiyahsyeda
BLACK BEAR BURGER
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 5:00 – 9:00 PM
- Wednesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Thursday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 – 9:00 PM
Starting out as a street food joint, Black Bear Burger opened up its first bricks-and-mortar site in Brixton back in 2019 (they still have kitchens in Boxpark and Market Halls) and it’s been slinging out some of the best burgers in town ever since. Those burgers are made from a bespoke blend of cuts from grass-fed and dry-aged British beef and they’re so good, they only need topping with cheese, smoked bacon, onion jam & garlic mayo – you can get them with blue cheese sauce and beer-braised brisket on if you’re feeling extra indulgent. The burgers may be the main event but there are plenty of other treats to discover, including brisket spring rolls (which are as good as they sound), smoked pork tacos, buttermilk chicken nuggets with blue cheese and buffalo sauces, and even smoked meat specials on from time to time too. This BBB joint also serves booze, so you can sip on cocktails, beer jugs and shot skis alongside your buns.
This place might be known for the chops but you don’t wanna miss the Blacklock Burger. Obvs the meat is of the highest standard and they top their juicy beef patty with Ogleshield cheese, caramelised onions and pickle in a brioche bun. It’s one of the best burgers you can get your lips around.
THE PLIMSOLL
After smashing the Four Legs residency at The Compton Arms, Jamie Allan and Ed McIlroy opened their own pub The Plimsoll, and thankfully they brought the Four Legs’ cheeseburger with them. A Dexter beef patty, oozy cheese and a McDonald’s inspired burger sauce, it’s the star of their menu. If you consider yourself a burger aficionado, you need to head here – but don’t agree to share.
The MEATLiquor site on Northcote Road, where Fixed used to be, may their smallest restaurant yet but they’ll still be slinging out all the hits, including the Dead Hippie, Monkey Fingers, buffalo wings and triple burgers, as well as all their lethal cocktails and floats.
Patty & Bun have conquered East London and extended their empire to West London back in 2017. The Notting Hill site sits 60 people and includes bookable tables for large groups. When it comes to the food, you can expect all the classics alongside some new sharing plates including ‘The Chicken Feast’; a medley of all their fried chicken and sauces. And with a full drinks menu, you can wash your burgers down with beers, cocktails, happy hour specials and milkshakes. Sounds like a winner.
These burger truck vendors-turned-restaurateurs sure know a thing or two about a filthy burger. The signature Bacon Butter Burger features a dry-aged beef patty slathered in burnt butter mayo and topped with crispy pancetta, and the Bougie Burger with steak sauce, marrownaise and beef fat onions is a juicy, messy delight. Don’t miss the boozy shakes and badass sides too, including cheeseburger wontons and dirty tater tots smothered in hot sauce and crispy bacon pieces.
Get a taste of island life at this Jamaican-inspired burger joint. Since opening in 2014, the menu has significantly expanded with several burger choices – including fish and veggie burgers – as well as salads, wings and sides. We recommend the the ‘Jerk Boom’, it’s a mouthwatering combo of jerk chicken, fried plantain and mango and paw-paw sauce. Whatever you choose, prepare to get messy.
Our entry for posh burger goes to Patty & Bun who’ve taken London by storm since launching a few years ago. It’s the Ari Gold what won it, a thick meaty patty covered in oozy cheese, topped with pink pickled onions and sandwiched in a toasted brioche bun. There’s all sorts of regular specials and an epic breakfast menu at some locations too. A winner every time.
They may not have the most refined burger in town but when it comes to that all-satisfying middle ground between Maccy Ds and ‘posh’ burgers, Five Guys reigns supreme (sorry Shake Shack, it’s true). The burgers are big and filthy, you can choose as many toppings as you want, and they have those swishy Coke machines with endless soft drink choices. Plus, who doesn’t love their kitsch bit of retro American diner style? Definition of a guilty pleasure and one we indulge in maybe a little too often.
Getting a decent burger & fries in London has got pretty pricey these days, but you can get a cheeseburger and fries for under £13 at Bleecker. AND take it from us, they serve up some of the best buns in London, oh and if you’re willing to spend a few extra pennies, go for the angry fries – they’re bloody YUM!
Dirty Bones is known for its good ol’ American comfort food, but the burgers are where it’s at. Especially the Mac Daddy; an aged beef burger topped with pulled beef short rib, oozy mac & cheese AND Dirty Bones BBQ sauce. There’s no polite way to eat one, so just get down and dirty with it.
It would be hard not to react without an almighty Yeah! after one of these burgers. The menu boasts a hefty selection of beef patties smothered in everything from classic American cheese and caramelised onion to plum smoked brisket.
For more adventurous tastebuds, the tequila, orange and lime marinated chicken will hit the spot. The undoubtedly king of the menu, however, has to be the Scotch Ness Monster, which replaces a traditional burger bun with a giant scotch egg – you’re not going to find that anywhere else.
With just three kinds of burgers and two kinds of fries Dirty Burger’s menu is short and sweet, which means you can spend less time deciding and more time eating. If you’re gonna go dirty, go all the way dirty…that means a dirty bacon burger, plus both crinke cut AND onion fries, finished off with a thick Oreo shake. YUM.
If you’re after burgers and boozy shakes well into the wee hours MEATliquor will welcome you with open arms, especially the Margaret Street restaurant, which is open until 3am. The Dead Hippie is the group’s signature creation and what a thing it is – mustard fried patties, Dead Hippie sauce, American cheese, lettuce, pickled and onion. And if you think you can handle your spice? Order the green chilli cheeseburger, which is not for the faint-hearted. Epic burgers all round.
Honest Burgers are now all over the shop, serving up meaty goodness near you. When it comes to their burgers, don’t miss their classic cheeseburger with dry-aged beef, red onion relish, lettuce and either Red Leicester, Mature Cheddar or Stilton. Or, if you’re a smashed burger mega fan, their ‘Smashed by Honest’ burger (complete with American cheese, white onion, pickles and brown butter mustard mayo) is a very solid choice. All their burgers come with rosemary salted chips too, so just add in a side of onion rings and bacon ketchup and you’re good to go.