The 20 Best Burgers in London (2026)

What is it? A hefty and hearty smash burger at a friendly Brixton smokehouse.

Why we love it: This burger has been famous since Whole Beast were in residence at the Montpelier in Peckham, when their impeccable cheeseburger was named winner at the National Burger Awards. It remains a triumph. Aged beef is smashed to within an inch of its life and sprawls out of the softly steamed Martin’s potato bun (no other buns need apply) as if trying to outrun its demons. The square of cheese is luminous orange and does its best to hold the meat in place, while a bracingly sharp dill and mustard-infused mayo brings the whole thing together with the fluency and timing of a great orchestra. Is it a bit sloppy? Yes. Is that an issue? Only if you’re scared of getting a little meat juice on your chin.  

Time Out tip: Looking for a worthy side order? Try the hash brown, whichi comes with a sizable dollop of indecently tangy whipped cod’s roe and handful of crushed Scampi Fries crumbled over the top.

Address: 336 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8QH.

Opening hours: Sun-Tue closed, Wed-Thu 5-9pm, Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-3pm & 5-10pm.

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger, £14. 

What is it? An Asian-inspired joint in London’s prime hamburger nexus, Victoria.

Why we love it: A drop-in spot with high stools, counter-top tables and bright red splashes of colour, it feels a lot like hallowed West Coast burger joint In-N-Out with a K-pop twist. As well as a few cursory sides, the menu features nine burgers, kicking off with a ‘1950s-style’ double cheeseburger. Skip that in favour of Hanbaagaasuuteeki’s more inventive burgers, which don’t seem like novelty additions, nor a panicked afterthought. On the freakier fringes of the menu is where the magic happens. The shrimp kong baga is surf and turf if you happen to be surfing on the shores of Okinawa, a smashed, lacy beef patty topped with a cavalcade of crispy, deep fried shrimps, topped with sweet and tangy 1000 island-style dressing as well as melted cheese.

Time Out tip: Like blue cheese? Their blue burger is delivered with a fresh kimchi and green apple slaw to slice through the honking cream.

Address: 36 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, SW1W 0RE.

Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-11pm.

Expect to pay: Burgers from £9.

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? 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 and 37 Berwick Street, Soho, W1F 8RJ.

Opening hours: Shoreditch: Sun-Thu 12-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 12-10.45pm.

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

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? Double Michelin star chef Jordan Bailey’s artisan take on the smash burger.  

Why we love it: It’s usually a good idea not to question what goes into your burger, but it’s a different story at Heard. This is super high quality fast-food made with British beef from regenerative farms. The house special - the Heard Burger - is indecently good, with two thin and lacy smashed patties (compelete wth crispy, crunchy edges), and a pile of melted Ogleshield cheese mixed with just-spicy-enough jalapeño hot honey, chopped white onion, burger sauce and pickles. Buns are sloppy in the best possible way. Appealingly classy. 

Address: 31 Foubert’s Place, Soho, W1F 7QG or 1 Flat Iron Square, London Bridge, SE1 0AB.

Opening hours: Soho, Mon-Sat 11.30am-10pm, Sun 12-10pm. London Bridge, Daily 11.45am-10pm.

Expect to pay: Heard burger, £13. Fries, £4.50.

What is it? A small but perfectly formed cheeseburger at one of Mayfair’s funnest places to eat, which is also the not-that-little sister of one of central London’s most important restaurant launches of the past few years, The Dover.

Why we love it: The McDonald’s-inspired cheeseburger is so on point as to almost be a cartoon-like rendition of the all-American meal, the perky beef patty topped with luminous yellow cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard. I had a hangover before I ate it, and after three bites, I did not. Surely the sign of a burger doing its job. 

Address: 31 Dover Street, Mayfair, W1S 4ND.

Opening hours: Mon-Wed 12pm-midnight, Thu-Sat 12pm-1am, Sun 12-10pm. 

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger £16. 

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. And the best part? They give out free fries to customers when it’s raining.

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? Chuck’s (named after founder Chuck George) is a little burger joint, attached at the hip to Carousel in Fitzrovia. Previously a pop up, this is their first permanent shop.

Why we love it: They do not deviate from the one thing they do. And they do that one thing ridiculously well. Forget your multiple patties, your weird buns and your freaky toppings. Chucks does single-patty smashed burgers probably better than anywhere else in London. Like a perfect pop song, there’s not a whole lot to them. A potato roll bun is maybe the point of difference. But every aspect (including the none-more-crispy smashed patty) is basically flawless. And we do not say that lightly. Cocktails come by way of the Carousel bar next door.

Address: 23 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 1RW.

Opening hours: Noon - 3pm, 5pm-late.

Expect to pay: Cheeseburger £9. Add bacon £2.

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. Try also the new Jackson Boxer joint, Vesper on Exmouth Market, for a very similar burger offering.

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 Hackney outpost for the team behind buzzy gastropub The Leytonstone Tavern, and its award-winning burgers.

Why we love it: Chrome high-tops, glossy red banquettes, and rich wood panelling inset with sleek neon lighting give the Empire Tavern the feel of a lovingly-restored mid-century Brooklyn diner rather than a brand-new pub in the middle of Hackney. And the menu is a similar mix of influences, featuring diner classics including a stellar Caesar salad, loaded nachos and buffalo wings. There are some thoroughly contemporary east London touches in there too; think hash browns with chip shop curry sauce, a Bloody Mary menu and burgers topped with confit garlic mayo or Guinness gravy. These are some hefty specimens, featuring a pair of 90g dry-aged short rib-and-brisket patties inside a pillowy demi-brioche bun, offering all the juiciness of your traditional quarter-pounder with a nice crust, similar to the smashed patties that have dominated London’s burger scene lately. The ‘Bobby Seale’ is a real bobby dazzler, piled high with Mexican and American cheese, jalapeño & pineapple jam, fresh jalapeños and crispy bacon. And don’t skip the satisfyingly crispy buttermilk fried chicken burgers either.

Time Out tip: Heading to a show at the Hackney Empire next door? Stop by here first for the banging pre-theatre offer: a burger and fries, plus a house wine, beer or Tommy’s margarita for £19.

Address: 289 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1EJ.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 12pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-1am, Sun 12pm-midnight Sunday.

Expect to pay: Burgers from £13.

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? 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 classic smash burgers, £13 for a double. 

What is it? A stylish smash burger restaurant in Soho, Spitalfields and Marylebone.

Why we love it: There’s no faffing about when it comes to French cuisine, so it’ll come as little surprise that Parisian smash burger joint Junk sticks strictly to the essentials. The slim patties are remarkably meaty, tender in the centre with seared, crispy edges. They’re dripping in velvety American cheese and a creamy sauce with hints of Dijon (of course!), then wrapped in a soft, ever-so-sweet brioche bun to seal its Gallic credentials. Simplicity is Junk’s superpower, with nothing to distract from the fact that this is one of the chicest smash burgers London has to offer.

Address: Spitalfields: 5 Horner Square, E1 6EW, Marylebone: Barrett Street, W1U 1LX, Soho: 49 Old Compton Street, W1D 6HL.

Opening hours: Fri–Sat 12pm–12am, Sun–Thu 12pm–11pm.

Expect to pay: £11.50–£17.90 for a burger (sizes M to XXL)

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? An indecent burger at a Rectory Road brunch spot that means business.

Why we love it: While many such places focus on traditional breakfasts and lighter bites – which are indeed on the menu here – Bake Street goes for the jugular with a selection of sensational burgers that’ll get your day off to a delirious start. The slightly stripped back weekday menu offers the likes of their hallowed chicken bun on squashy brioche, while the weekend options run to a heartier selection including their famous smash burger, a generous slab of beef that lounges over the sides of its bread bun with reassuring confidence.

Time Out tip: It’s outdoor-seating only and there’s usually a fight for tables, so you might have to grab and go.

Address: 58 Evering Rd, N16 7SR. 

Opening hours: Mon closed, Tue-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm.

Expect to pay: Smash burger £9.50.

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: The Three Compasses, 99 Dalston Lane, Hackney, E8 1NH.

Opening hours: Tue-Fri 4-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun 12-8pm.

Expect to pay: Burger £10.

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 40 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 beef patty. 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. 

What is it? A US burger institution with around 50 London outlets. 

Why we love it: The popular American burger chain is popular for a reason. Their burgers come with two pattys as standard, but its the bacon cheeseburger that really does the buisness, complete with two strips of crispy bacon and melted American cheese.

Time Out tip: Add some cajun fries on the side and you'll be set for the next week. 

Address: Various, but the branch at 1-3 Long Acre, Covent Garden, WC2E 9LH is the longest running UK Five Guys. 

Opening hours: 10am-midnight.

Expect to pay: £11.95 – £12.25 for a double patty hamburger.