Smash burger, Maccy D upgrade or towering, teetering t-shirt nemesis: whatever your burger cravings - beef, chicken or vegan - follow us and swerve those tourist traps. Hawksmoor, Seven Dials The real OG burger at famed steakhouse Hawksmoor is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to a Golden Arches classic, developed by Hawksmoor Executive Chef Matt Brown and called The Big Matt. Sadly, it's now only available at The Lowback Bar, under Hawksmoor at Wood Wharf. Happily, their standard burger - if you can call a burger made with bone marrow standard - is served at their other locations, including Seven Dials. The OG Order: The Hawksmoor Hamburger - with Ogleshield or Stichelton cheese, served with triple-cooked chips or salad Price: Chicken: N/A Vegan: N/A Coqfighter Founded by three Aussie mates who started out in Boxpark and graduated to grown-up restaurants, Coqfighter are all about the chicken. They've made the burger hotlist as you can't mention chicken burgers in London without them. Beef: - N/A The OG Order: The Original - Fried chicken thigh, sambal mayo, Korean hot sauce, pink onions, shredded iceberg lettuce Price: Vegan: The Vegan - Fried chick'n fillet, ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, house pickles, shredded iceberg lettuce Price: Burger & Beyond, Soho Burger & Beyond have come a long way: from slinging top-level burgers from a funky Citroën burger van, via street food markets Street Feast and Kerb to dry-ageing their beef in fridges lined with Himalayan salt. That's where passion and commitment gets you. The Bougie Burger arrives in a small pool of deeply savoury steak sauce, melting cheese and bone marrow mayonnaise, which is just insanely good. It also has one of my favourite buns, which just seems to melt away in all the meaty goodness, and you get to choose if the patty is cooked pink or medium. The OG Order: The Bougie Burger - Their signature dry-aged beef patty with double American cheese, steak sauce 2.0, 'marrownaise' and beef fat onions Price: Chicken: Krispie Fried Chicken - Rice Krispie fried chicken, miso maple butter, ranch pickle slaw Price: Vegan: Mushroom Raclette - Panko crusted mushroom patty, melted vegan raclette, caramelised onion, green leaves, vegan ranch sauce Price: Five Guys, Covent Garden There are some spectacularly Instagrammable burgers in this list; this is not one of them. Burgers don't get much plainer than this (although you can customise with a range of additional toppings for free) - but the Five Guys burger has won both plaudits from top chefs and a faithful fan base. For when you want the taste of THAT burger you had as a kid, just better. Much, much better. The OG Order: The Cheeseburger - Two beef patties and two slices of American cheese Price: Chicken: N/A Vegan: N/A Patty & Bun, Soho They have fun, inventive names (Lambshank Redemption anyone?) and regular monthly specials to tempt you off the path, but if it's your first time, it's got to be an Ari. The OG Order: The Ari Gold Cheeseburger - Beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, ketchup, smokey P&B mayo in a brioche bun Price: Chicken: Hot Chic - Buttermilk-marinated fried chicken, coleslaw, pickled cucumbers, lettuce, smoked garlic aioli, brioche Price: Vegan: Vegan Ari - Plant-based patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, ketchup, smokey P&B mayo, bun Price: Blacklock, Soho & Covent Garden Primarily a chop house - which happens to have one of the best set menus in London - Blacklock nevertheless do a mean beef burger. It used to be an IYKYK off-menu secret but became so popular that it's now proudly on the main menu. As far as sustainability and top-quality produce go, Blacklock source their beef from legendary third-generation Cornish farmers and butchers Philip Warren & Son which is about as good as it gets. The OG Order: The Blacklock Burger - A double cheeseburger topped with gherkins and onions caramelised in vermouth Price: Chicken: N/A Vegan: N/A Dirty Bones, Soho Cocktails & comfort food restaurant with a laid-back New York vibe and old-school hip hop, funk and soul playlist. They are also known for their great fried chicken, so maybe grab some to go. The OG Order: The Mac Daddy - Double dry-aged steak burger topped with pulled beef short rib, mac & cheese and espresso-spiked BBQ sauce on seeded brioche Price: Chicken: Buffalo Chicken - Crispy fried chicken burger with American cheese, cos lettuce, pickles, Buffalo hot sauce and buttermilk ranch on seeded brioche Price: Vegan: Got No Beef - Miami plant-based patty with vegan cheese, sesame slaw, vegan mayo and gochujang sauce on soft seeded bun Price: Meat Liquor, Oxford Circus Technically just a squeak outside Soho's official boundaries, but home to the legendary Dead Hippie burger and an unmissable option if you're in the area and the burger bug bites. If it happens to be Martini Monday, Tequila Tuesday or Whiskey Wednesday, so much the better. The OG Order: The Dead Hippie - French's mustard-fried double beef patty, Dead Hippie Sauce, American cheese, diced onion, lettuce, pickles Price: Chicken: The Clustercluck - dredged and fried chicken breast, green chilli butter, cheddar cheese sauce, diced onion, lettuce, mayo Price: Vegan: Tempeh Tantrum - double tempeh & mushroom patty, 'cheese' burger sauce, lettuce, diced onion, pickles Price: Enjoy, and don't forget to tag us with your suggestions on Insta @londoncheapo!
A Cheapo's guide to London
A Cheapo's guide to London
A Cheapo's guide to London