‘Elite’ burger has been crowned the best in the UK but I’m not convinced

Burger chefs from up and down the country converged in London on Tuesday (February 20) for a competition like no other.

The 10th National Burger Awards took place in the capital, with 16 finalists taking part in a live cook-off to be crowned champion, and the ultimate winner has been revealed.

London’s Bleecker Burger took the top award as the UK’s best burger with their signature Bacon Double, cooked by Celine Raeburn. The burger features double grass-fed dry-aged beef, double American cheese, onion, bacon and house sauce.

In second place was Mollie’s Motel & Diner (Oxfordshire and Bristol), followed by Black Bear Burger (London) in third.

Inspired by a burger from New York’s East Village, Bleecker began in 2012, when founder Zan Kaufman quit her job as a lawyer in the States and moved to London. She opened a food truck and spent years grilling burgers for hungry customers, before opening her first permanent location in the city.

Bleecker now has four different branches including Victoria, Spitalfields Market, and Westfield, and their burgers are legendary amongst Londoners. 

On social media fans proclaim the burgers to be ‘elite’ for their ‘perfect simplicity’, and some of the country’s top chefs have named Bleecker as the best burger spot in London, including MasterChef judge Monica Galetti. 

Judges at the 2024 National Burger Awards said they’d picked out another winner in the early stages of the competition, but when it came time to try Bleecker, the whole panel were left ‘unanimously floored’.

Tristan O’Hana, chair of judges, explained that they picked it as the winner because ‘the patties were seasoned and cooked to perfection, the bun was soft but stable, and the onion, bacon, and house sauce brought all of Bleecker’s trademark flavours together in a flawlessly delivered way.’

As Metro.co.uk’s specialist food writer, I’ve tried the winning burger and while I can certainly see why it’s so beloved, I’m not convinced by it.

Everyone I speak to says Bleecker is their favourite burger joint and this is the second time they’ve won this accolade, so clearly they’re doing something very right, but in my experience, the Bacon Double just isn’t the best burger out there.

I went for a date night at their Victoria location recently and we both found the burger to be too much — and for my salt and butter loving husband, that’s really saying something. 

If you’re a burger purist then I can totally see why this would be right up your street, but if you’re more of a gastronome then you’ll likely find it lacking something. And that something is salad, as a little bit of lettuce would go a long way to help cut through the richness of the meat and cheese.

As for the best burger I’ve ever had, that accolade currently goes to the recently-opened Supernova burger in Soho, which is serving up delicious LA-style smash burgers.

The hype for that one is real and their house cheeseburger is excellent. Mother Flipper in Seven Dials also gets honorable mention for their Candy Bacon Burger which contains bacon fried in maple syrup — it’s dreamy.

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