Yahoo News National Burger Day: London's burger bucket list
It's National Burger Day, so what better time to run through the capital’s finest burger creations?
Consider this your burger bucket list, because your London life is simply not complete until you’ve tried them all.
Let it guide you to London's best baps and prime patties. Becuase, let's face it, life is too short for dry meat and soggy salad.
The Ari Gold at Patty & Bun
This is Patty & Bun’s rather wonderful answer to a cheeseburger. But it’s not just any cheeseburger. The brioche bun, gooey American cheese and 35-day-aged Aberdeen Angus patties are paired with a smoky mayo and home-pickled rings of red onion for a pleasant tang. A touch of salad adds a refreshing edge.
The Bleecker Black at Bleecker St.
This burger is simple but stupendously good, with its secret weapon being a crispy slice of beef black pudding. The clever addition is sandwiched between two well-aged beef patties along with fried onions and sticky American cheese. The burgers benefit from being slightly charred on the outside, yet moist and rare within, while the bun has also been pleasantly blackened.
The El Chappo at Lucky Chip
There was no doubt that Lucky Chip had to feature on this list, but selecting which burger to feature was more difficult. In the end it had to be the El Chappo, after all it is founder Ben Denner’s fave.
Inspired by Mexico, it combines an aged beef patty with smoked bacon, blue cheese, jalapeños, spinach and garlic aioli. Simple it isn’t, but sharp, salty and smoky flavours pack an almighty punch.
Grizzly Bear Burger at Stokey Bears
Burger Bear Tom lavishes this bacon cheeseburger with tangy bacon jam for extra oomph. It crowns the winning combination of a chunky beef patty, double-smoked crisped bacon, melted American cheese, red onions and a little lettuce. Even Goldilocks would approve.
Dirty Barbie Burger at Mother Flipper
Track down Mother Flipper at Brockley Market to try this genius creation, which tastes of anything but plastic.
It features two patties slathered with extra-stringy melted American cheese and adorned with sweet crispy strips of sugared ‘candy bacon’. Onions, barbecue sauce and tomato relish complete the package.
Heartbreaker Burger at Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
There’s a clue in the name of this burger – the patty is made from 50% ox heart blended with aged beef. The result is a rich, deeply meaty tasting burger that stands up well to gutsy accompaniments of chimichurri sauce, mature cheddar, watercress and sour cream, all inside a seeded bun with enough backbone to hold its shape.
The Hawksmoor Hamburger at Hawksmoor
You might think Hawksmoor is all about the steak, but the guys also know how to assemble a mean burger. Seasonally changing specials are always a highlight, but this stalwart is a London classic.
It’s built around a patty made with a carefully selected array of cuts from well-aged Longhorn cattle and studded with melting nuggets of bone marrow. The crowning glory comes in the form of creamy melted ogleshield cheese, all encased in a brioche bun. It’s available at Spitalfields and Seven Dials.
Veni-Moo Burger at Mac & Wild
This burger from Scottish game-focused restaurant Mac & Wild is a bit of a game changer itself. It features one beef patty and one venison patty, which are joined in matrimony by gooey cheese and plenty of pickles. The strong-tasting venison stands up well to the added extras.
The Dip & Flip Burger at Dip & Flip
Like sunday roasts? Of course you do. Like burgers? Well, you’re reading the wrong article if not. This eponymous creation from Dip & Flip manages to merge the two. A cheese-smothered beef patty comes in a squidgy brioche bun with pickles, slaw and thin slices of roast beef topside, plus a bowl of beefy gravy to dip it in.
Ibérico Pork and Foie Gras Burger at Opera Tavern
This souped-up slider is a menu favourite at Covent Garden’s Opera Tavern, where Italian meets Spanish and restaurant meets tapas bar.
The patty is from the collar of Ibérico pigs, which feed on a diet that includes acorns and hazelnuts for added flavour and has foie gras thrown into the mix. The result is a rich flavour and an incredible juiciness — it’s served pink and rightly so. Add some (very) lightly battered onion, a little melted aged manchego and a some butter lettuce and the deal is done.
The Honest Burger at Honest Burgers
This fast-growing chain has a whole repertoire of burgers to please, but this eponymous original is a master of splendid simplicity.
The patty is made from prime beef and includes a generous amount of fat, which is good news for flavour and juiciness. Crisp bacon, mature cheddar and a freshly-baked bun complete the package. The rosemary chips which accompany it are among London’s very best, while those wary of wheat will be happy that a gluten-free version is also available.
The Foghorn Leghorn at Street Kitchen
Burgers aren’t all about the beef – this chicken creation from Street Kitchen competes with any red meat rival. The focal point is a large, slow-cooked and utterly tender de-boned chicken leg with wonderfully crispy skin. Accompaniments of smoked bacon, apple and mint slaw and a mayo laced with Old Winchester cheese round it off perfectly.
The Dead Hippie at MEATliquor
This well-known burger is the signature serve across Yianni Papoutsis’ burger empire. It’s dirty and drippy, featuring two beef patties fried in mustard and slathered in melted American-style cheese adorned with pickles and minced raw onions. The creamy, mustardy secret-recipe Dead Hippie Sauce seals the deal.
The Bill Burger at Bill or Beak
Winning points for originality as well as execution, this duck burger is one of two headline creations from street food trader Bill or Beak (the other is chicken).
It features a succulent mix of slowly braised and pulled duck and pork in a vibrant Vietnamese-style dressing, topped with tempura shallots for added crunch. Quite frankly, you’d be quackers not to.
Hoi Polloi Cheeseburger at Hoi Polloi
The burger at this Shoreditch restaurant is pretty much its signature serve. It’s the big, fat juicy patty that makes it, with deeply-flavoured beef shining through. Melted cheese, slaw and a fluffy brioche bun completes the package, though you won’t want to miss the dripping chips either.
Anyone for a burger crawl?
