Farringdon, Burgers, Etc Restaurant Guide

Now branded as ‘No.3 Rooftop Restaurant’ (formerly, it was just ambiguously referred to as the top floor) – Smiths’ flagship venue was once a top spot for business wining and dining thanks to its wide outside terrace and striking views over to the City and St Paul’s. Ups and downs over many years have lowered its profile, but no-one rates the food badly nowadays, even if some think elements of the experience are “overpriced” or “disappointing”. With the rebrand has come less emphasis on steak, and a sign-of-the-times refocus on fish and seafood (including a raw selection), but still alongside cuts of dry-aged, grass-fed British beef.

2022 Review: “The duck burger is sublime and the triple-cooked duck-fat chips are moreish” at this offshoot of nearby Club Gascon, which offers a more informal venue for simpler but similar cuisine from SW France. We’ve rated it on the basis of its consistent pre-pandemic performance, as it remains closed as of September 2021 while the team waits for folks to return to their offices around Smithfield.

Gordon Ramsay’s four-year-old fast-food chain – one of several diffusion brands from the TV chef – has half a dozen sites across the capital. Views on it have always been somewhat mixed and became even more polarised this year: between those who consider it “a great new discovery” and those who feel it’s “disappointing for an upmarket burger”.

“Best burger for me”, declare fans of this independent group that started out 10 years ago with a stall on Broadway Market and a focus on grass-fed, dry-aged British beef – and the judges at the 2025 National Burger Awards share the view, crowning Black Bear’s Miso Bacon Burger as ‘Burger of the Year’. “Their seeded buns and wings are pretty good too”. The name refers to founders Stu & Liz Down’s working holidays in the Canadian Rockies. In April 2025, they opened their largest outlet yet, with 100 covers, at Westfield White City.