Bushey Heath, Burgers, Etc - Restaurant Guide

“Just simple and exceptional!” – Zan Kaufman’s fast-expanding chain still remains widely hailed for offering “the best burger in London”: a winning formula that’s bringing an eighth site in Soho in 2025 alongside recent additions in Seven Dials, London Bridge and – the biggest one yet (28 covers) – on Baker Street. All of the many reports we receive acclaim its “amazing burgers and amazing fries”. One caveat – “expect delays if you want to eat in the evening at the Bloomberg building outlet as they can be too busy fulfilling the constant Deliveroo orders for the starving investment bankers who are all still working until midnight!”

This “admirably restored Edwardian local” in Brentford was “pimped up a few years ago”, and while it “still feels like a proper pub… the focus on food is far greater”. There’s a “wide range of craft ales”, “a roaring fire in winter”, and an “interesting”, diverse menu also incorporating staples such as “very good burgers”. Top Menu Tip – “they also have a range of posh fish in tins which come with toasted sourdough: a nice thing in summer with a drink in the pleasant garden”.

2022 Review: “Brilliant burgers charmingly served in a student-friendly hang-out” – that’s the deal at this indie four-year-old, which is located at the northern end of the new developments near King’s Cross.

2025 Review: 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…

Founded in 2011 by four friends, this interesting concept hit ten sites in London in April 2025 with its debut in Kensington (replacing Street Burger on the high street) and also has a Brighton outpost as well as a handful of footholds in the Middle East and Asia. Fans are still in the majority and say its posh comfort food (the clue is in the name) is “a surprisingly good offering”. But while there are few harsh criticisms, its ratings have over the years slipped to a level that’s only “OK”.

“Wonderfully elevated ‘pub’ food in a glorious and comfortable setting” makes Michel Roux’s take on the British boozer – north of Oxford Circus, near the Beeb – the “perfect place for a quick meal in the West End” (including for business lunchers). As befits a chef of his grandeur, the food is “far fancier than your regular gastropub fare” – it’s closer really to “superb casual dining” – while the “beer is well kept” and there’s a “great range of non-alcoholic drinks”. Top Menu Tips – “you need to share the cheese toastie if you’re going to have room for the wonderfully fun masala scotch egg with dahl, or even the burger with grilled ox tongue... who knew how delicious this could be?”. “A good quick pitstop for some scotch eggs, salmon crumpets and exceptional chips”.

“When you want a hipster burger dripping in your beard, this place delivers!” – Scott Collins’s “buzzy, vibey” joints are notorious for their “really good dirty burgers” with memorable names (the ‘Dead Hippie’ and its veggie cousin the ‘Tempeh Tantrum’), plus “excellent buffalo wings with blue-cheese sauce”. In early 2025 he opened spinoff venture BLOODsports in a Covent Garden basement (see also), showing live sports and horror films on large-screen TVs.

Founded in 2011 by four friends, this interesting concept hit ten sites in London in April 2025 with its debut in Kensington (replacing Street Burger on the high street) and also has a Brighton outpost as well as a handful of footholds in the Middle East and Asia. Fans are still in the majority and say its posh comfort food (the clue is in the name) is “a surprisingly good offering”. But while there are few harsh criticisms, its ratings have over the years slipped to a level that’s only “OK”.

2025 Review: “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.

“Consistently a top steak restaurant for business across London – and still retaining that title”, say fans of the NYC-style steakhouses founded by Misha Zelman, Ilya Demichev & George Bukhov-Weinstein in 2008. The outfit has moved with the times, replacing their famous Josper grills with more sustainable Mibrasas from Spain, which they reckon get even better results from their 30-day dry-aged beef from the Lake District and Nebraska. There’s also a “really great wine selection, if a little expensive”. That they are “pricey” has always been a concern here, though, and ratings continue to decline, no longer giving Hawksmoor a run for their money as once they did (and the Canary Wharf branch closed down after 11 years in June 2025).

Founded in 2011 by four friends, this interesting concept hit ten sites in London in April 2025 with its debut in Kensington (replacing Street Burger on the high street) and also has a Brighton outpost as well as a handful of footholds in the Middle East and Asia. Fans are still in the majority and say its posh comfort food (the clue is in the name) is “a surprisingly good offering”. But while there are few harsh criticisms, its ratings have over the years slipped to a level that’s only “OK”.

Can the arrival of Richard Turner – Meatopia founder and consultant to Hawksmoor, Blacklock and Pitt Cue – help turn around this sagging chain of US smokehouses, launched in 2002 and with 6-7 outlets at its height? His new menu was launched in March 2025 across the remaining Soho, Covent Garden, Camden Town (an all-day diner) and Tower Hill branches, with the focus on US-scale platters of ribs, pulled pork and other meaty cuts.

“Over-priced theatre” sums up the dire feedback this year on the Knightsbridge outlet from Nusret Gökçe, aka Salt Bae (motto ‘No Salt No Life’) – one of the Turkish-Kurdish butcher-turned-showman’s 30 operations on three continents – where you can blow £680 on a giant striploin of wagyu or £630 on a giant tomahawk steak, despite the fact that “much better steaks are available in restaurants across London”. (A 24-carat gold-coated pistachio baklava is a comparative snip at £50.) Some people, it seems, are paying these prices: in 2024, a sharp fall in annual turnover was reported… but that still left it with profits of £1.7 million before tax! Top Tip – if you must go, then you can halve the price shown by sticking to a burger (about £50).

Founded in 2011 by four friends, this interesting concept hit ten sites in London in April 2025 with its debut in Kensington (replacing Street Burger on the high street) and also has a Brighton outpost as well as a handful of footholds in the Middle East and Asia. Fans are still in the majority and say its posh comfort food (the clue is in the name) is “a surprisingly good offering”. But while there are few harsh criticisms, its ratings have over the years slipped to a level that’s only “OK”.

Founded in 2011 by four friends, this interesting concept hit ten sites in London in April 2025 with its debut in Kensington (replacing Street Burger on the high street) and also has a Brighton outpost as well as a handful of footholds in the Middle East and Asia. Fans are still in the majority and say its posh comfort food (the clue is in the name) is “a surprisingly good offering”. But while there are few harsh criticisms, its ratings have over the years slipped to a level that’s only “OK”.

2022 Review: “Burgers with a luxurious twist – but at reasonable prices”: this mid-2020 newcomer replaced Bonnie Gull’s Seafood Shack (RIP) in central Soho, to create the brand’s first dedicated, eat-in outlet (its first outlet was in Kerb’s Seven Dials Market). A no-frills, minimally decorated space, it only sells burgers, and – as the name hints – truffle everywhere is the key USP: truffle mayo, truffle sauce, truffle and Parmesan fries…

2025 Review: 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.

“Best steakhouse in London? Yes. Best in the world? Could be!” – Childhood mates Will Beckett & Huw Gott have successfully surfed the zeitgeist for twenty years, since they opened their first venue near Spitalfields in 2006. Now they have 13 as far afield as Chicago, and a still significant stake in a private equity-backed steak empire valued as high as £100m (a price bandied around when it seems they were looking for buyers in late 2024). The group is a particular favourite for a generation of thirtysomething or fortysomething Londoners for whom it’s been a treasured part of their culinary journey. Its City, West End and (floating!) Canary Wharf outlets are also a big and enduring hit for business wining and dining. “Prime cuts of matured beef” are “perfectly cooked” and “served in striking surroundings with a carefully curated wine list”. Amongst the huge volume of feedback the brand inspires, there are inevitably some dud reports, but more eyecatching is the consistency of praise it still achieves. There is a widespread feeling, though – has been for years – that even if “the quality is up to scratch”, “sheesh it’s expensive”, with prices verging on “silly” (“although the excellent cocktails help numb the pain when the bill comes!”). Top Tip – “Set lunch on a Monday when you can BYO wine for £5 represents excellent value”; dip your toe in the water with an “unbeatable breakfast” (“although you have to have a big appetite to handle the full version”).

As a “cosy choice for a romantic breakfast”, this big, famous Soho landmark wins the odd tip. What’s more striking, though, is how somewhere with a gorgeous Champagne bar and unbeatable heritage (from 1867) can – under Soho House, who mostly run it as a hotel – have sunk into such stupefying obscurity and mediocrity.