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The best burgers in London, from venison and duck to bacon jam

London's burger game is as on fire as the flames that grill its juicy, juicy patties.

Consider this your burger bucket list, because no London life is complete until you’ve tried them all.

Let it guide you to the capital's best bap and prime patties. Because 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.

pattyandbun.co.uk

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.

luckychip.co.uk

The Cheeseburger at Five Guys

A burger doesn't need bells and whistles to be a winner. Five Guys do their burgers simply but something about them always hits the spot: they're almost exactly the way you wish all other burgers were.

There's no messing about: buns are the simple kind, covered in sesame seeds and nothing too sweet. The beef patties are freshly cooked in plain view then and there as the order comes in, and are kept on the grill till the burger's done, not till a timer goes off. 'Fresh' is the key word at Five Guys; underneath the grill tops you'll spy buckets of potato skins, as they peel and cut all the fries every day. The Irish beef also comes in each morning – and they don't use freezers, so nothing is left out or wasted. Toppings are free, too. Basically, it's a pretty simple recipe: classic burgers expertly done. Oh, and the milkshakes are killer too. Try the cherry.

fiveguys.co.uk

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.

stokeybears.com

Dirty Barbie Burger at Mother Flipper

Track down Mother Flipper at Brockley Market and KERB's West India Quay location 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.

motherflipperburgers.com

The Special at Flat Iron

(Justin DeSouza)
(Justin DeSouza)

Good God this burger is good. Sadly, it's not always served as it's strictly a special – but if it is written up on the Flat Iron blackboard, order it. The Flat Iron burger is easily up there as one of the best ways to spend £10 on food in London. They mince the patty on site from the same meat they use for their steak and its gloriously good and beautifully rich. The sesame seed-covered bun is toasted and underneath is Béarnaise sauce. This is the genius of the Flat Iron burger: frankly, it's an inspired touch. Others should take note.

flatironsteak.co.uk

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.

tonguencheek.info

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.

thehawksmoor.com

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.

macandwild.com

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.

dipandflip.co.uk

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.

operatavern.co.uk

Bleecker Cheeseburger at Bleecker Burger

This burger is simple but stupendously good, its two well-aged beef patties slathered 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.

bleeckerburger.co.uk

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.

honestburgers.co.uk

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.

meatliquor.com

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.

billorbeak.co.uk

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.

hoi-polloi.co.uk

Anyone for a burger crawl?