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Smashed or fatty patty? Brioche bun? What kind of cheese? There are so many variables that make up the ultimate hamburger – each as subjective as the rest. If you’re on the hunt for a bona fide award-winning burger, however, luckily you won’t have to wait long. This year’s National Burger Awards final will take place on March 24.
In a heated competition assessing grilling skills and wits, 16 chefs will battle it out to have their burger crowned the best in Britain. And, excitingly, four of those esteemed finalists are from London.
So, who’s in with a shout of being crowned 2026’s burger champ? First up is Bleecker’s Bacon Double, with the Soho-based burger joint in with a chance at glory for a third time. Its Bacon Double Cheeseburger was crowned National Burger of the Year in 2024, and the London chain already had a first win under its belt from back in 2020.
Next up from the capital is Burger & Beyond, a competition debutant. The food truck-turned-restaurant has three locations in Soho, Borough Yards and Shoreditch, plus delivery in Manchester, and its Bacon Butter Burger will be put to the test in March.
Dover St Counter is the second newcomer on the docket. Dubbed ‘like McDonald’s for oligarchs’ by our very own restaurant critic, this joint is the not-so-little sister of Mayfair’s New York-style Italian restaurant The Dover. Its Cheeseburger – which helped secure it a spot on Time Out’s best new restaurants list – is up the top burger gong.
Last but not least, SoBe Burger’s Miami-style ground rounds will be under the spotlight. With 15 dine-in spots dotted around London and the surrounding areas, SoBe has been on the city’s burger scene since 2019. And the chain will be bringing its A-game, with its Double Bacon Black Garlic making it to Burger of the Year’s final round.
As well as cooking their signature burgers, chefs will also show off their technical skills in a challenge to create the ultimate burger from a selection of sponsor ingredients, before taking part in a plant-based burger round. In 2025, London’s Black Bear Burger beat out 15 other contenders to have its Bacon Miso Burger named the nation’s very best.
This year’s finalists from the Big Smoke will go head to head with buns from up and down the British Isles including Bristol, Newcastle, Oxford, and Glasgow.
So which will be the chosen bun? We’ll find out on March 24 at Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social.
The 2026 National Burger Awards finalists
- Bleecker - Bacon Double
- Burger & Beyond - Bacon Butter Burger
- Danny’s Burgers - The Frenchie
- Dodo Pub Co - The Longhorn Burger
- Dover St Counter - Cheeseburger
- El Perro Negro - The Top Dog
- Fat Hippo - The Louve Loot
- Honest Burgers - The Honest
- Meat Stack - West Coast Classic
- Mollie's - Mollie’s Double Cheeseburger
- Oowee Diner - The Camembert Cream
- Roddy Burger - The Gazza
- 7bone - Loyal to the Bone
- SoBe Burger - Double Bacon Black Garlic
- The Boring Burger - The Boring Burger
- The Flavour Trailer - The Drip
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