Spitalfields, Burgers, Etc Restaurant Guide

“Legend!” – East Ender Mark Gevaux has earned cult status for the BBQ ribs and pork rolls he sells at Brick Lane’s Sunday market, along with his signature ‘Holy Fuck’ and ‘Christ On A Bike’ hot sauces to spice them up. The queues are long and he sells out quickly – but these days you can buy his cooked ribs (and the sauces) online.

“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”).

“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!”

2024 Review: “This truck at Spitalfields continues to be a favourite of everyone I take there” – parked just outside the market, it delivers generous filled buns of the eponymous roasted bird, or boxes with meat, chips and salad.

“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.

“Messy, filling and tasty” – this 14-year-old indie outfit is “one of the best burger groups in London”, with seven outlets in the capital and one in Brighton. It was acquired last year by a new company, headed by original founder Joe Grossman. Top Menu Tip – “the Ari Gold cheeseburger is best”.

“Juicy fabulousness” sums up the appeal of this fast-food trio (in Shoreditch, Soho and Borough Yards), whose ‘Beyond’ menu extends to fish ’n’ chips tacos and native-breed steaks from independent farmers who use regenerative farming methods. “Grateful to B & B for a non-‘smashed’ version of a burger that can be cooked to order”.