The UK’s best burger has been crowned and judges say it’s ‘legendary’

Burger aficionados on the hunt for the UK’s best can finally stop searching.

That’s because the title has been claimed, at least for the rest of 2026.

The winner of the National Burger Awards has been crowned, and it might surprise some to learn who took the top spot.

British burger chain, Honest Burger, was victorious, with ‘The Honest’ burger picked as the National Burger of the Year. 

(Try saying that 10 times quickly, I dare you.)

What is The Honest?

The Honest was created by the chain’s co-founder, Tom Barton, and is a twist on the first burger they ever sold when the business launched in Brixton in 2011.

It features smashed dry-aged Honest beef, American cheese, thick-cut smoked streaky bacon, beef and onion relish, onions, and pickles. 

Up until now, burger fans have only ever been able to try The Honest at one location in the UK, as it’s only been available at the Smash Grab site at London Liverpool Street.

But to celebrate winning this impressive accolade, Honest Burgers has added it to all menus nationwide for a limited time. 

It’s available now (£15 with rosemary fries or a side salad), but you’ll have to be quick to try it, as it’s only sticking around until June 15. 

Who else was up for the award?

Honest Burgers beat out some serious competition to scoop this title, as finalists for 2026 also included London hotspots like Bleecker and Burger & Beyond, as well as Danny’s Burgers in Bristol, El Perro Negro in Glasgow,  and Fat Hippo (multiple locations).

Others that made the cut were 7Bone, Oowee Diner, Sobe Burger, Roddy Burger, Meat Stack, Mollie’s, Dodo Pub Co, Cawsburger, The Boring Burger, and The Flavour Trailer. 

Does the winning burger live up to the hype?

According to Dine Out Magazine, which created and hosts the National Burger Awards, The Honest is ‘nothing short of legendary’.

With praise like that, I knew I had to go and check it out for myself, so I headed down to Honest Burger on the day of its launch (May 12) to give it a try, and I have to admit, I was impressed.

I love a smashburger, and think the chain has nailed the patties on this one, striking just the right balance with a perfectly crisp outside and a wonderfully juicy centre.

The American cheese is gloriously melty, while the pickles add a refreshing tang that’s needed to cut through the fat and grease. My favourite ingredient, though, was the beef and onion relish, which gave the whole thing a rich, brothy, umami flavour.

I’m not always a big fan of streaky bacon, but the thick-cut meat was clearly very high-quality and tasted great.

I’d go as far as to say The Honest is an almost perfect burger, but one ingredient stopped it from getting full marks: the raw onions.

I tend to find that adding more than one type of onion to a dish really overpowers the flavour, as all you end up tasting is onion. This was the case for certain bites of the burger, which were quite pungent.

It’s not put me off completely, though. I’d order it again, I’d just make sure to get these removed next time.

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