It’s official: the second best burger in the world is in London

Whatever kind of food you fancy, London has it. Whether that be budget snacks, a warming Sunday roast, a classy afternoon tea, or the best burger you’ve ever had in your life.

Each year, a group of experts from World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants come together to recognise the planet’s top burgers. The 2025 edition of the ranking was just released, and a whopping six out of 25 were found here in London in the capital. This city sure is spoiled for patties and buns. 

The city’s highest entry was in second place. That’s right, the second-best burger on the entire planet is to be found in London. The Bleecker Burger, from the London restaurant chain of the same name, was lauded for being ‘laser-focused on the essentials’. The judges even said that ‘it is probably the best burger patty we have tried in the last 12 months’, and they eat a lot of burgers.

This isn’t the first time Bleecker has been hailed as London’s greatest. It also took home the top prize at last year’s National Burger Awards, and it’s currently fourth in Time Out’s list. What makes it so special? According to the Best Steak Restaurants team, a ‘no-frills, medium-rare grilled dry-aged patty on a simple sesame bun allows the premium beef flavour to shine’, and ‘ambassadors consistently praise its juiciness and the outstanding quality of the meat’. Plus, it costs less than a tenner.

There are currently eight Bleeckers in London – we recommend the Spitalfields or Seven Dials branches.

The best burgers in London

The Bleecker isn’t the only place in the Big Smoke that’s doing things right. In third place overall, making it the second best in the UK, was the Black Bear Burger’s classic. Not dissimilar to Bleecker, ‘patties are cooked medium rare and always served with a focus on quality rather than unnecessary excess’. Black Bear won the 2025 National Burger Award, but for its Miso Bacon creation, rather than the signature. It seems the whole menu is worth a taste.

Hawksmoor’s ‘Big Matt’ came in eight overall. Described by judges as ‘truly iconic’, this tribute to the world’s most famous burger is ‘a decadent, flavourful reinterpretation’.

The London restaurants serving the best burgers in the world

Here are all six of the London-based burgers which were named in the world’s top 25 for 2025 by World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants:

1. The Bleecker Burger, Bleecker. (Second overall)
2. The Classic, Black Bear Burger. (Third overall)
3. The Big Matt, Hawksmoor. (Eighth overall)
4. Cheeseburger, Burger & Beyond. (Ninth overall)
5. Signature Dove Burger, Dove. (11th overall)
6. The Boring Burger, Heard. (25th overall)

You can have a look at the full list on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants website here.

Did you see that an exclusive new solo dining experience is coming to the British Museum?

ICYMI: Beloved London chicken shop Chick ’n’ Sours is returning to the capital with a new residency

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.