The Best Burgers in Britain
- ccmasonrlly
- Jun 12
- 5 min read
There's few things Americans know better than cheeseburgers, and over the years I've made it my mission to try as many burgers in the United Kingdom as possible and find the best ones for my adventurous countrymen. Here are the absolute BEST burgers in Britain that I've found...so far.
Here's How It Works: (best burgers in Britain)
Whenever I go to a burger place, I order two burgers- a 'classic' cheeseburger and whatever the specialty of the restaurant is. (And before you worry about food waste, I always bring a guest, my mom!) The 'special' burger is always prepared as the chef recommends, and the 'classic' is always prepared medium-well, to see how they deal with burgers cooked at different temperatures. I look at each ingredient individually for quality and taste, and also judge the creativity of the specialty burger, but in the end, it comes down to the overall burger and if I would crave eating it again. Would I go out of my way to eat it?
The Ground Beef:
There are two burgers that haven't made the list because, despite the immense hype around them, I had a poor experience and I believe I should give them another try before cementing their place here. Those two are Meat Liquor and Blackbear Burgers.
Cawsburger
Location: Hitchin, Hertfordshire
The Review: Cawsburger, like many of the spots on this list, is an award winning burger joint, which is what drew me to it in the first place. The overall flavor of the burgers were solid, and the beef was a great quality, but when I went, the buns, though nicely toasted, were a bit stale. The chef's choice of temperature on the specialty burger was a bit on the rare side, which is fine by me, but the special request medium-well burger was burnt. I do think their specialty burgers are great, but the classic lacked pizazz.
Byron Burgers
Location: Various
The Review: You'll notice that I really don't have any major chains to speak of on this list, because I don't think they should be in the same category of burger. However, Byron only has 7 locations, so I consider it small enough to still be here. This is generally a good burger and a good set of restaurants, and if you're near one and having a hankering of the hamburger variety, you can go here and get a satisfying lunch. You won't walk away saying 'oh my gosh, this is the best burger of my life' like you would with some others on this list, but you will walk away content.
Bleecker Burger
Location: 7 locations in London
The Review: The much-hyped Bleecker Burger was one of the first bleu cheese burgers I had that really wowed me. Bleu Cheese is a VERY difficult ingredient to work with, in my opinion, and it often overwhelms the entirety of whatever it's in. In fact, I've had a few burgers where you actually couldn't taste the beef of the burger at all! The burgers are super juicy, and really only don't rank higher on the list because they were a bit on the greasy side, and because I'm not sure they live up to the 'OMG you HAVE to try this' hype. Much like Byron, however, you do walk away satisfied.
Burger and Beyond
Location: 3 London Locations - Shoreditch, Borough Yards, SOHO
The Review: Other chefs have told me that they credit Burger and Beyond for kicking off the cheeseburger craze in the UK, and I can say they were pretty darn good! The medium-well was actually medium well, they used American cheese which made the burgers feel very authentic, the buns were toasted and the bacon was crispy. They have the fundamentals of burgers down to a science. If I was in London, I would definitely walk a few extra blocks to pick up one of these.
Beefy Boys
Location: Cheltenham, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Bath
The Review: For several years, Beefy Boys was seated in my number 2 spot on this list, which should stress to you that this is a VERY good burger. The team behind these restaurants spent a lot of time in America, and you can tell. It's not just the American cheese and yellow mustard, it's an understanding of the culture. These restaurants are an experience, and pull from the American diners and iconic American chains. My one complaint here is the consistency - I've been to the Cheltenham location several times, and the burgers don't always offer the same eating experience, including even the normal burgers being overcooked or under seasoned. This doesn't stop them from being good, but it is definitely something to keep in mind.
Flipside
Location: Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway, The Cotswolds
The Review: Here we go! Top 3 and WOW these burgers are something else, especially considering they're so new to the cheeseburger arena! Let's start with the classic burger - it has excellent, fresh ingredients and a very punchy burger sauce that make this taste like the best homemade burger you can get. They made an excellent choice of pickle as well, which can strangely make or break a burger, and overall the classic cheeseburger is incredibly well balanced. The Blue Heaven burger is an OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD bleu cheese burger, whose salt is balanced perfectly with a sweet red onion chutney (something that is rarely seen in the states).
I haven't mentioned the French fries up until this point because there wasn't really anything of note, but the Cajun fries here are an absolute MUST. They offer a lot of flavor and a touch of heat without the spice being overwhelming.
The quality, freshness, and the creative sauces have landed this in my top 3!
Woozy Pig
Location: Dunkerton's near Cheltenham, and a new brick and mortar restaurant in Cheltenham proper
The Review: There was a time where I thought NOTHING would ever top these burgers. They are, by far, some of the best burgers I've ever had and I recommend them to every friend, and every chef, that I meet. They're the only ones on this list that cook the burgers in yellow mustard, like we do in the states, and it makes ALL the difference. When I tell you that I dream of these burgers, I'm not lying! The quality is spectacular, and in addition to the flavor, they source their meat from dairy cows, which means the beef is a lot more sustainable than anywhere else.
The truffle parmesan fries could be a meal on their own - decadent and totally sinful!
There's no argument, you NEED to try these burgers.
Smith's of Bourton
Location: Burton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds
The Review: OH. MY. GOSH. The Bearnaise Bad Boy Burger is, and I'm not even kidding you, the best burger I've ever had anywhere. Full Stop. I'm not just talking about England, I really do mean globally. Smith's has just won a whole host of awards, and rightfully so. The classic burger was phenomenal, but you MUST go there and try the BBB. Chef Theo Smith told me it was his take on a steak and fries in a burger, and I've never seen a more well executed dream come to life. The truffle shoestring potatoes add the perfect amount of crunch along with the perfectly crisped bacon and the pickled shallots help cut through the indulgent bearnaise mayo lavished on the juicy, succulent burger. They won 3rd in the National Burger Awards for their Mr. P burger, but I have no doubt they'll win 1st prize for this one.
I'll get off my soapbox for a minute to shout out the Cajun fries, which were crispy and creamy, and slightly more spicey than previous entries on this list.
Honestly, you can book your entire vacation around going to eat this burger.
