London’s best burgers

What is it? Dumbo have made the leap from Paris to Shoreditch and instantly proved why they’re such a, well, smash, back home in France.

Why we love it: The sleek smashburgers at Dumbo offer the perfect charred lacy crust on the edges of super succulent dry-aged beef (double pattys, of course). Add the requisite slices of gleaming American cheese, before tangy, plump pickles. Then come unobtrusive smears of ketchup and mustard - it’s better dressed than peak Chloë Sevigny – and you’re got yourself a rightfully hyped new-wave burger titan. Yes, you’ll have to queue. Yes, it’s worth it.

Address: 119 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, E2 7DG.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 5-10.30pm Sat-Sun 12-10.30pm.

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger £10, fries £4.

What is it? A bona fide, utterly brilliant Dexter cheeseburger

Why we love it: If you only order one thing at this Finsbury Park gastropub (run by the Four Legs cheffing powerhouse) make sure it’s this. It’s the stuff of dreams, a sloppy, messy thing comprising of a thin and juicy chargrilled patty made from Dexter beef, with accompaniments in the shape of melted cheese, burger sauce and finely minced onion – plus a heap of sweet pickles like something your granny would make. You’ll be swooning after the first mouthful.

Address: 52 St Thomas’s Road, Finsbury Park, N4 2QW.

Opening hours: Mon-Wed 3-11pm, Thu-Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-10pm.

Expect to pay: £14 for the burger. 

What is it? A chunky 50-day dry-aged beef burger with gorgonzola.

Why we love it: Jackson Boxer’s fish-forward Ladbroke Grove restaurant Orasay became Dove at the start of 2025, a playful offering of what Boxer feels like experimenting with at any given time. It’s all about comfort classics with flair and on the menu - with only 10 served a day - is this beauty of a burger. This big, beefy doorstop of a thing laughs in the faces of the city’s weedier, pulverised smashburgers. Made of mighty 50-day dry-aged beef, it honks marvelously of gorgonzola, and is so tall you’ll need a knife and fork to tackle it – burger etiquette be damned.

Address: 31 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, W11 2EU.

Opening hours: Tue-Thu 5.30-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-3pm & 5.30-10pm, Sun 12-4pm.

Expect to pay: £18 for the burger.

What is it? A stripped-back but hugely satisfying formula for the all-American burger. 

Why we love it: There are eight Bleecker locations in London, but come to our faves - Spitalfields Market and Seven Dials - for show-stopping dry-aged beef cooked pink and complemented by Bleecker’s secret sauce that tastes every bit as peppery as McDonald’s’ Big Mac mayo (but more upmarket). Maximise on that meat with a double cheeseburger. Seeded buns are toasted to perfection, mopping up those excess patty juices without ever compromising your vice-like burger grip. 

Address: Old Spitalfields Market, Brushfield Street, E1 6AA or Short's Gardens, Seven Dials, Covent Garden, WC2H 9AU.

Opening hours: Spitalfields: Daily 11am-10pm. Covent Garden: Mon-Tue 12-10pm, Wed-Fri 11.30am-10.30pm, Sat 11am-10.30pm, Sun 11am-9pm. 

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger £9.75, double cheeseburger £13.80.

What is it? A simple and stunning smashburger.

Why we love it: Side-hustling property developers they may be, but the Topjaw automatons of social media infamy have helped cast Lagom’s house burger into the upper echelons of the metro-patty hierarchy, such is the reverence with which it’s mentioned by half the chefs they’ve cornered. And rightly so: a humming puck of 60/40 ratio of aged beef to fat, in a milk potato bun with a slick of mustardy mayo, Yank cheese and a vinegar slaw dressed – crucially for both zing and crunch – immediately before serving. It’s a thing of minimalist radiance.

Address: Hackney Church Brew Co., 17 Bohemia Place, Hackney, E9 6PB.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-4pm & 5-10pm, Sun 12-7pm.

Expect to pay: Burger £10.

What is it? After proving their worth with a street food stall on Broadway Market, Black Bear Burger have low-key become one of London’s best homegrown fast-food outlets.

Why we love it: Their Bacon Miso version was named Best Burger in the UK at the UK’s National Burger Awards 2025, and hums with a heady umami twang, while the house Black Bear Burger features two patties, smashed thin and crisp-charred to maillard perfection, neatly offset with onion jam, synthetic cheese and garlic mayo. Don’t scrimp on sides; wings come drowning with buffalo and blue cheese sauce but are still unfathomably crispy on the outside.

Address: Black Bear Burger have proper restaurants in Brixton, Exmouth Market and their largest dine-in space so far at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, they also have more casual joints in Boxpark Camden, Market Halls in Victoria and Canary Wharf. 

Expect to pay: Miso bacon burger £11.90-12.50. Black Bear burger £11.50-12.50.

What is it? After dominating the city’s sandwich scene with Dom’s Subs and then opening the excellent Rasputin’s bar, the same team have now launched Juptier Burger. 

Why we love it: A grab-and-go joint nestled into Netil Market, it pays loving homage to the west coast’s beloved In-N-Out Burger. Here, lightly smashed Hill and Szrok beef patties come sandwiched between Martin’s yellow-hued potato rolls filled with special Jupiter sauce, pickles, onion, tomato and lettuce. These burgers are sloppy in the best kind of way, but trust us; you’ll devour it before you have any real chance to make a mess.

Address: Netil Market, 13-23 Westgate Street, London Fields, E8 3RL.

Opening hours: Sun-Wed 12-7pm, Thu-Sat 12-9pm.

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger and fries £10, Jupiter burger and fries £12. 

What is it? A sublime central London smash burger.

Why we love it: Arcade Food Hall sits in the shadow of Centrepoint and is host to all manner of incredible food stands. Burger fans will delight in Manna, which does fried chicken and a very good smash burger, a sloppy triumph of a smashed patty with diced onions. There are hot smash (with chilli cheese and jalepenos), double patty and vegan versions, too, and there’s also a Manna in the Arcade over in the flash Battersea Power Station development. Go and get smashed, pals. 

Address: 103-105 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DB

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11.30am-10.30pm, Sat 11.30am-9.30pm.

Expect to pay: £10 for all classic smash burgers, £13 for a double. 

What is it? As former street-food supremos, the Burger & Beyond boys pride themselves on ageing and butchering the best home-reared meat.

Why we love it: Their burgers are officially cooked medium and despite the temptation to double up, a single patty is more than sufficient in its sturdy sesame brioche bun with essential additions. We couldn’t fault the gloriously sloppy bacon butter burger either, stacked with crisp pancetta, molten American cheese and burnt butter mayo.

Address: Locations in Borough Yards, Shoreditch and Soho. 

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger £11.50, bacon butter burger £12.95.

What is it? Blacklock’s chophouse inhabits a classic Shoreditch warehouse space and the menu is – not surprisingly – heavy with chops (skinny little chops, medium chops and large off-the-bone beauties).

Why we love it: Among all the chops, Blacklock has an unexpected ace up its sleeve in the shape of the Blacklock burger. Inside the soft sesame bun, you get a juicy patty loaded with sliced gherkins and onions caramelised in vermouth, plus a slug of mild sriracha-laced burger sauce. Don’t forget a side order of crispy beef-dripping fries.

Address: 28-30 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3DZ.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12-3pm & 5-10.30pm, Sat 12-11pm, Sun 11.45am-8pm.

Expect to pay: Burger £14, chips £5. 

What is it? This chain has more than thirty London branches – but never fear, HB hasn’t lost its sheen.

Why we love it: We still adore the signature Honest burger (with its super-sweet red onion relish), but our all-time fave has to be the Tribute. It has American cheese, French mustard, bacon, pickles and a patty made from 35-day dry-aged British chuck steak. Chips are hand-cut and rosemary-salted and there are some not-too-shabby options for veggies, such as the Southern-fried courgette and sweetcorn fritter with chipotle mayo in a bun.

Address: Too many to mention, quite frankly. 

Expect to pay: Tribute burger £14.95 including chips.