Bushey Heath, Burgers, Etc Restaurant Guide

“No gimmicks and great flavours” is the recipe for a “semi-religious experience” at this small group (which also has three delivery-only outlets): for its many fans, “still the gold standard by which all burgers in the UK should be judged”. “Gloriously juicy meat with just the right amount of extras” all “comes together in the most mouth-watering way”. You “don’t come for the experience” though: they are “very cramped when busy”, if “still somehow cool”. In August 2024 they opened a new site not far from London Bridge.

“A traditional pub with great ales and good food” – this madeover free house in Brentford claims justifiably (if ungrammatically) to be ‘a backstreet boozer doing it different!’. This includes an ‘eclectic’ food offering (from Moules Mariniere + fries to Sichuan Spiced Pork Ribs) and 14 kegs on tap (four with real ales, three with real ciders and the remainder natural wines).

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

Veteran Icelandic fast-food moghul-turned-politician Tómas Tómasson – now 75, and a member of his country’s parliament, the Althing, since 2021 – has won solid ratings for the “cheap ’n’ cheerful” UK outlets of his small, international chain. Its London presence has dwindled to a single branch, however, and the business (up for sale in 2023) entered administration in summer 2024. For the time being, though, they are still cranking out the burgers on Thayer Street…

“You just cannot beat” the “brilliantly cooked, juicy/sloppy burgers”, say fans of this indie group – “they’re worth the dirty fingers afterwards”. Founded by Joe Grossman in 2012, it now has seven outlets (plus two concessions) in London and another in Brighton, and after negotiating a tricky patch on home turf opened its first international branch in Dubai last year.

A “great concept, expertly delivered” – the two headline dishes are served up in posh, comfortable diner style at this nine-strong London group (with another dozen branches around the world). As a gimmick it doesn’t generate the buzz it once did, but both of the main dishes receive a good rep in feedback, in particular the “excellent and good-sized lobster” (and “for lobster it’s not that expensive”).

A “gem in the West End” – The Langham Hotel and Michel Roux Jr partnered in 2017 to create this reimagined British boozer north of Oxford Circus, and the result has proved to be one of Londoners’ favourite gastropubs, not least thanks to its menu of “great refined pub classics” at “fair prices for the location”. Casual enough for post-works drinks, it’s also smart enough for an informal business meal. Top Menu Tip – “the best cheese toastie this side of the Alps”.

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

A “great concept, expertly delivered” – the two headline dishes are served up in posh, comfortable diner style at this nine-strong London group (with another dozen branches around the world). As a gimmick it doesn’t generate the buzz it once did, but both of the main dishes receive a good rep in feedback, in particular the “excellent and good-sized lobster” (and “for lobster it’s not that expensive”).

“The vegan sushi is wonderful, fresh and inventive” at this Mayfair outlet, which is a spin-off brand for plant-based evangelist chef Alex Gauthier, who runs the celebrated Gauthier (see also) in Soho. Following the closure of Fenwick’s department store – he has moved it to the tucked-away nearby site vacated by Native at Browns (which itself has moved out of London, to Worcestershire). 123V’s menu used to be wider than just sushi, but has narrowed its focus to the Japanese-inspired plates that were everybody’s fave – even among omnivores. Top Tip – the new site has a gorgeous courtyard, which comes into its own in the summer months.

Misha Zelman, Ilya Demichev & George Bukhov-Weinstein’s trio of NYC-style steakhouses offer a straightforward combination of top cuts of steak with “an extensive selection of wines – from the affordable to the ridiculous – both from old and new world to accompany the many meats on offer”; and “the non-steak options are surprisingly tasty” too. Oft-compared in years gone by with Hawksmoor, it is somewhat eclipsed by the latter nowadays and reports this year included one or two disappointing accounts, particularly when it came to the lacklustre ambience.

A “great concept, expertly delivered” – the two headline dishes are served up in posh, comfortable diner style at this nine-strong London group (with another dozen branches around the world). As a gimmick it doesn’t generate the buzz it once did, but both of the main dishes receive a good rep in feedback, in particular the “excellent and good-sized lobster” (and “for lobster it’s not that expensive”).

“You just cannot beat” the “brilliantly cooked, juicy/sloppy burgers”, say fans of this indie group – “they’re worth the dirty fingers afterwards”. Founded by Joe Grossman in 2012, it now has seven outlets (plus two concessions) in London and another in Brighton, and after negotiating a tricky patch on home turf opened its first international branch in Dubai last year.

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

“Extremely disappointing all around, especially considering the price”… and that’s the most favourable feedback this year! – the infamous Knightsbridge outpost of Nusret Gökçe’s (Salt Bae) global empire (at the foot of a hotel near Harrods), whose famously pricey menu for prime cuts (including a Giant Tomahawk steak for £630 or baklava coated in 24-carat gold for £50) continues to inspire limited and poor feedback in our annual diners’ poll. But, it still dishes up easy meat for the tabloids, with numerous 2024 stories (e.g. June 2024 in The Daily Mail: “I flew to Turkey to eat at Salt Bae’s restaurant – because the flight and meal was less than the cheapest steak at his London venue”). To grab your own selfie, drop in for the relatively affordable set lunch, which prior to drinks and extras is £39 per person.

A “great concept, expertly delivered” – the two headline dishes are served up in posh, comfortable diner style at this nine-strong London group (with another dozen branches around the world). As a gimmick it doesn’t generate the buzz it once did, but both of the main dishes receive a good rep in feedback, in particular the “excellent and good-sized lobster” (and “for lobster it’s not that expensive”).

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

A “great concept, expertly delivered” – the two headline dishes are served up in posh, comfortable diner style at this nine-strong London group (with another dozen branches around the world). As a gimmick it doesn’t generate the buzz it once did, but both of the main dishes receive a good rep in feedback, in particular the “excellent and good-sized lobster” (and “for lobster it’s not that expensive”).

In the traditional heart of posh Chelsea, this Sloaney backstreet boozer is nowadays part of Butcombe Inns, whose four siblings in the capital likewise occupy nice properties in expensive postcodes. With its small garden and cute dining room with retractable roof, it wins solid ratings but nothing like the attention it once enjoyed, and is primarily recommendable as a relatively affordable fallback in this pricey bit of town.