Meet the chefs feeding London’s meat-lovers

Having enjoyed Korean-fried chicken washed down with plenty of ice-cold beer in Melbourne, where he moved to study fine art at 18 and paid his way by working at a burger joint, Troy Sawyer finally found a way to bring the concept to London once he returned to the UK. “I hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do so I ended up back in the kitchen and started reading more about food and got really nerdy about the science behind it,” he explains. “It doesn’t sound like that could be applied to fried chicken, but you’d be surprised!” Following a debut pop-up at The Star By Hackney Downs and a glowing review, Troy and his co-founders did pop-ups for two-and-a-half years until they could open Soho, which turned into other spots in King’s Cross, Finsbury Park and Liverpool Street – the latter of which has set a whole new direction for Coqfighter. "We're no longer a fried chicken brand – we’re just a really good chicken restaurant.”

In a nutshell: Korean-fried chicken, roast chicken – spatchcocked and grilled – chicken wings and chicken sandwiches. Basically, all the chicken.

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“We spent 2024 learning how to smoke meat, from brisket to lamb and bacon,” explains Sara Ibrahim, the co-founder of Smoke & Pepper, which flips the trend for London restaurants only serving one thing by offering smashed burgers and grilled chicken alongside their namesake smoked dishes. “We were in grilled food before, but because I lived so close to a great farm, we also had the opportunity to do amazing beef burgers, so we thought: how can we put this all together?” So, in 2021, Sara opened a new restaurant which now has 13 eateries (and counting) in the capital and further afield. Quality and locality are her secret ingredients with the grass-fed British beef serving up depth of flavour. “I’m a mother of five kids – all who want different food that you can’t usually get from just one restaurant – so we’ve created a place where there’s something for everyone.”

In a nutshell: Meaty grills, beef, chicken and lamb burgers, and boxes filled with sides.

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“The food at One Love Kitchen is made using the finest carefully sourced ingredients with every dish prepared reflecting authentic Jamaican culture at its core,” explains Linette Johnson, chef at the Caribbean kitchen in Crouch Hill. “The real secret, however, is the love and passion that goes into every plate. It’s this, combined with a keen attention to detail, that truly makes a significant difference to our colourful and vibrant menu!” That passion is what drove founder Steven Payne to open the doors of One Love Kitchen back in 2020, and he’s been serving up his signature spicy, smoky flavours to the capital ever since – all with the help of Linette, of course.

In a nutshell: Jerk and curried meats with rice and peas – sunshine flavours. 

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“The idea for Mama Li came about when I was working in finance in the City and realised there was a real lack of authentic Chinese comfort food around,” says Catherine Hua, the founder of the Cantonese roast meat specialist with spots in London Bridge, London Wall and, of course, Canary Wharf. Inspired by her mother’s recipes, Catherine and her team focuses on doing a few things really well: namely, carefully prepared meats and balanced sauces that stay true to Cantonese cuisine. “I used to bring my mum's roast meats for lunch almost every day. Eventually my colleagues started catching the smell and asking if I could bring food in for them, too – that was really the moment I realised there might be something there.”

In a nutshell: Cantonese roasted meats. 

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If you’ve ever been to Tooting, then you’ll know that Lahore Karahi on the corner of the High Street is something of an institution. The Pakistani curry house was founded in 1995 by Zahid Iqbal but is now owned and run by son Numan to keep it as a family business. But how did it become an overnight success from the offset? “Good, consistent, quality food at reasonable prices,” he says, “while people fell in love with Pakistani food.” It remains a winning recipe to this day together with generous portions – think piled-high mixed grills, generous bowls of chicken karahi and all the masala lamb chops you can eat – and a buzzy, convivial atmosphere.

In a nutshell: Generous mixed grills, curries and meats.

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Starting in Paddington as a tiny souvlaki bar but quickly gaining a cult following and expanding with delivery kitchens across London – including its most recent spot in Chiswick – It’s All Greek to Me is the go-to for authentic street food made from fresh, quality ingredients. Foti Kyriakidis, general manager, explains: “We specialise in Greek-style street food – souvlaki, pita wraps, gyros – as well as traditional dishes like homemade chicken soup, moussaka, pies, salad and platters.” Sides are far from sideshows here, from hummus to stuffed vine leaves and halloumi, while dessert is all about the loukoumades: Greek-inspired doughnuts made fresh daily and topped with Nutella or honey. 

In a nutshell: Greek street food including meats, wraps, soups, pies and sandwiches.

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The clue’s in the name with this one. Honest Burgers was founded by Tom Barton and Phil Eeles, two mates who met in Brighton, who never thought they’d open a restaurant. “We got a lucky break with a tiny site in Brixton – about as big as most restaurant toilets – with £7,000 in the bank and brought on another co-founder with a bit more experience,” Tom explains. It was their debut in South London that shaped the brand with their mantra hanging above the door: Honest. He says: “We focused on the quality of ingredients and where they come from first which wasn’t really heard of with burgers back then.” Having never put on a chef white before stepping into his own kitchen, Tom is still all about simple, homemade food: their potatoes – the star of the show in the rosemary chips – are from a fifth-generation farmer in Sussex, while their grass-fed beef is bowl-chopped rather than minced and served pink.

In a nutshell: Brilliant burgers with medium-rare patties.

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“We’re all about the beef,” says Craig Povoas, who co-founded Burger & Beyond – which claims to serve up London’s best burgers at restaurants in Shoreditch, Borough Yards and Soho – along with Tom Stock. “I’ve always been a real foodie, so I swapped being a lift engineer with a food truck, which started as a hobby and got really serious.” Still involved in everything other than the cooking, Craig explains that what sets them apart is that they’re more of a full-dining restaurant and less of a grab-and-go concept with great quality and service at the forefront. Indeed, all beef is sourced from regenerative farming with just two suppliers in Yorkshire and London. There’s plenty besides beef, too: corn ribs and nduja butter, fish and chips taco and Krispie fried chicken burger included. Look out for a new starter of roasted bone marrow loaded with steak tartare and served with hand-cut crisps later this year.

In a nutshell: Burgers, innovative sides, tacos and one-off specials.

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