according to Time Out and our experience of them with ratings, prices and all (we take our burgers really seriously):
(don't worry the blog is not turning into a foodie site, but this is a project I have worked hard for, especially my chewing muscles, and I just wanted to share)
- Maze Grill (9.75/10) - two cheeseburgers & two sides £36
I am still not sure why this does not get 10 out of 10. I suppose for that possibility that there is a more amazing burger out there we haven’t tried before. Or for the atmosphere. Because the Maze Grill, Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant, is posh. It looks posh, feels posh. And there is always an awkwardness when you eat a burger (which can be eaten properly only with your hands) at a posh place. I, myself, was ready to give it a very low rating the moment we stepped in the restaurant and were greeted by 100 and 5 waiters. But then the food came. And it was MASSIVE. And it was bloody amazing. The burger itself was so nicely made and so soft, it was just melting in your mouth. The bun perfect, and the sauce it was not just mayo/ketchup, it was…. I don’t know what was in it. There was a kick but not spicy. It was just right. Yes, it was the most expensive of the list, but god it was bloody worth it.
- Brgr.Co (9.70/10) - two cheeseburgers & two sides £24.10
The first one we tried. Brgr.Co is not the dirty kind of burger place. The contrary; it’s as “clean” as it gets. Cause there it’s all about the meat. It’s the only place as a matter of fact, where you can choose the part of the animal you want your burger to be from. And there actually IS a difference. Extra touch that made an impression was the paper on the table saying the name of the farm where the meat comes from. Lovely burger, nicely cooked and full of flavor. Burger good, bun good, fries good. What else do you want?
- Patty and Bun (9/10) - two cheeseburgers & two sides £20
Now this is the traditional dirty burger place. Cutlery? Noooo. Who needs cutlery? Who needs plates? Your burger comes wrapped in paper. And you eat it with your hands (as you should). Huuuge burger with lots of an interesting sauce. It’s one of those that will make you messy eating (don’t wear your white shirt I’d say). I got the normal cheeseburger and found it absolutely lovely. The relationship got the special of that day and was burning hot, he said. So yeah, choose wisely. The fries I have to say were really lovely with lots of herbs in them as well. Problem? The place is tiny and popular. A bad combination. We had to stand at the queue for about 40 minutes. And I dare to say I thought it was worth the wait as well. One of those places I would definitely go again.
Update: a long time after our visit to the original Patty & Bun at James street, we went to their new place near Liverpool street station, which is more a fast-food type place and were not as pleased. It didn't feel the same. So if you want to try it, I strongly recommend queuing at the original place.
- Mother Flipper (8.75/10) – two cheeseburgers £10
That was a tough one to find, cause Mother Flipper is a caravan in King’s Cross serving food at lunch time. So it was hard for a working person to get there on time for food exploration. But the relationship is dedicated to our burger cause and he did it. I am just unemployed. Anyway, street food. Street burger. Good burger, I liked it all. I can say devoured it. Also very rich with lots of sauce. A bit too much, if I would to find a drawback. Felt a bit greasy. But otherwise good, just good. I would definitely get that again if I were around and it was too.
- Meat Liquor (8.25/10)- two burgers & two sides £22.50
Now this place, what can I say.. It’s an experience. You will pass in front of it and think nooo, I am at the wrong place. But you are not. It may be dark and have loud music and a bouncer outside, but it is not a club. Or it is a club, but it is also a burger place. You cannot see what you are eating and you can’t hear yourself talking, but… there are burgers alright. Spicy ones, with a bit of a kick and god.. tasty gherkins. That was a surprise for me because I don’t particularly like gherkins, not at all as a matter of fact. This one I am not sure if I would repeat again. Not because I didn’t like the burger. It was tasty and all, but I like to see the food I eat. However, it is an experience. A very funky place to take a visitor to show them the crazy Londoner style of doing things ☺.
- Dirty Burger (8.25/10) - two cheeseburgers & two sides £18.75
Hmmm…. This place could have gotten a better score, because it was soo tasty. I mean the burger was good. Simple and clear in a way. Burger, cheese, bacon if you want (actually amazing smoked bacon, you should definitely try it), some salad and mayo. That’s how a McDonalds would be if it was good, you know what I mean? There was absolutely nothing I didn’t like. Except from the fact that it was a bit small. I finished and thought, “god, I could have a second one”; and that’s not a good feeling. I am from Cyprus. The end of a good meal has to find you with more open buttons on your pants than at the beginning of it. It’s a rule. Other than that…Lovely, just lovely. And I liked the fact that I could see the burgers being made.
- Honest Burgers (7.5/10) - two cheeseburgers & two sides £19
Looking at this now, I think: hmm.. this was very good. Why is it so low in the list? I cannot think of anything that wasn’t good with this either. Again another “clean” burger. Lovely meat, great bun. Simple flavors. Not a lot of sauces, no grease or anything. And even though it may not count in the rating, I just have to say it. These were my favorite fries. Of all places these fries with herbs, rosemary or thyme or lots of I am not sure exactly what were the ones I enjoyed the most (and those at Patty & Bun). Almost more than the burger itself, which was great, but I assume compared to the rest possibly not very special. But I would go there again. Sure thing!!
- Opera tavern (6/10) – one burger & side £11
I am not sure why this place was in the list to be honest. Because it’s not a burger place. It’s a tapas place, with one burger on the menu. A tiny one as well, because …it’s a tapas place! That was just… I don’t know why that was on the list. I suppose because it had a weird burger. There aren’t many places that can offer a pork burger with foie gras right?? I must say, it was actually an interesting tasting thing. I had never tried foie gras before in my life. A very odd taste. There was a good balance of flavors, which I think was not easy to achieve and the whole thing was very moist and juicy, but yeah… weird. A burger is one of those classics, that you know what to expect when you order it, it’s your comfort zone kind of food, not your culinary experience. It is not to be messed around too much. I wouldn’t go for that again.
- Advisory (5.75/10) - two cheeseburgers & two sides £19.50
Now this was not pleasing. I don’t know why. Maybe they had a bad day or something. It’s been a while since that day and to be honest the only thing that I recall vividly from that place is the horribly greasy looking onion rings the relationship ordered as a side. I don’t like onion rings, so I didn’t try them, but I kind of felt a bit sorry for the relationship, who did try them. They just didn’t look good, swimming in a bowl of oil that had dripped out of them. The burger on its own.. I actually don’t remember. I just remember leaving there and not having enjoyed the meal. I would definitely not repeat that. I would nearly rather have that foie gras again (not!).
- Bar Boulud (5.25/10) – two cheeseburgers & two sides £34
This gets the last position in our list just because it was o-ver-pri-ced. Wasn’t worth the money. And not just over-priced. It had elementary errors as well. The burger was dry and there was no sauce in the burger AT all. I wouldn’t mind it if I got that burger from a market stall, but at a hotel restaurant, from a known chef, from the Time Out Top 10, and paying lots of money… that just pissed me off. Wouldn’t go there again, and wouldn’t recommend it either.
PS. delayed disclaimer: The above list includes only the places reported in the Time Out London website, as we wanted to put the list to the test. I am sure that there are other great burger joints that could be included in the Top 10, some that I have tried and some that I haven’t yet. The search for the great burger, is luckily a never-ending one. Furthermore, all establishments are ranked according to our own taste, which is something extremely subjective. I am not sure whether there is one single truth out there (a 90’s reference for the nostalgic among you), but it definitely doesn’t apply for food. So, go ahead and try some yourself!!
