The humble hamburger has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, especially in bustling urban centers like London’s Old Street. What was once considered a simple fast-food staple has evolved into a gourmet delight, a “posh burger” experience sought after by food enthusiasts and casual diners alike. This culinary revolution, marked by quality ingredients and innovative approaches, has redefined the burger landscape, making locations around Old Street prime destinations for those seeking an elevated burger experience.
This evolution began subtly. Tom Byng, while studying at Brown University and frequenting the classic American diner Silver Top in Providence, Rhode Island, unknowingly laid the groundwork for this shift. His immersion in American burger culture during his college years sparked an idea that would eventually transform the British palate.
Returning to the UK, Byng channelled his newfound burger expertise into launching Byron in 2007, a west London eatery that marked a turning point for the British hamburger. Byron’s focus on quality and classic recipes stood in stark contrast to both the mass-produced fast food options and the overly complicated gastropub burgers of the time. This straightforward approach resonated with consumers, and Byron’s success signaled a broader change in burger appreciation across Britain. To date, Byron has impressively served over 24 million burgers across 70 locations, a testament to their impactful role in reshaping the market. Initially backed by Gondola Group and later acquired by Hutton Collins Partners, Byron’s journey reflects the significant financial interest and growth within the premium burger sector.
Byng’s departure as CEO marked not an end, but a continuation of this burger renaissance. He left behind a market completely reimagined, one that had moved far beyond the limited choices of the late 20th century. The modern burger universe now encompasses everything from efficient fast-food chains to “better burger” brands like Five Guys and Shake Shack, and finally, the premium tier featuring establishments like Byron, Honest Burger, and Bleecker Burger. This vibrant UK burger market is now valued at an astounding £3.3 billion, according to Mintel, underscoring its economic and cultural significance.
This rise in the burger’s status, from a symbol of unhealthy eating to a dining trendsetter, was fueled by a potent mix of social media influence and recession-era economics. Simple street food concepts, often championed by self-taught chefs and promoted through platforms like Twitter, gained immense popularity. The gourmet burger wave effectively challenged the long-standing dominance of traditional fast-food giants and disrupted the entire restaurant industry hierarchy.
Before Byron pioneered this movement, Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), established in London in 2001 by New Zealand entrepreneurs, held a prominent position in the premium burger market. However, GBK’s menu, featuring burgers with “global influences” and unconventional ingredients like beetroot and pineapple in their “Kiwiburger,” differed from Byron’s back-to-basics philosophy.
Food writer and burger expert Helen Graves emphasizes this distinction: “GBK messed about with ‘global influences’; that’s not what I want from a burger. I think a burger has specific parameters. Byron were groundbreaking because they made a fresh-tasting burger and didn’t mess about with it: it’s just a standard patty, lettuce, pickles and sauce, American-style.” This purist approach, focusing on quality ingredients and classic combinations, became a hallmark of the “posh burger” trend.
The transformation is even more striking considering the hamburger’s negative image just a decade prior. Books like Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation” and documentaries like “Super Size Me” highlighted the health and environmental concerns associated with the fast-food industry. Byron navigated this controversy by emphasizing quality ingredients, offering healthier side options like courgette fries, and presenting burgers on white plates without fries included, effectively elevating the burger from junk food to a respectable restaurant dish. This shift in presentation and focus on quality was crucial in redefining the burger’s image and paving the way for the “posh burger” to flourish, especially in trendy locales like those surrounding Old Street.
If Tom Byng was the initial popularizer of the American-style burger in the UK, Yianni Papoutsis became its rebellious innovator. Papoutsis, originally a technician for the English National Ballet with a passion for American diner food and burger craftsmanship honed at the Burning Man festival, represents the street food spirit that further diversified the burger scene.
‘The best burger I ever ate in the US was at a tiny little diner’… MEATliquor’s Yianni Papoutsis. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty Images
Papoutsis recalls a pivotal burger experience: “The best burger I ever ate in the US was at a tiny little diner opposite an amusement park somewhere in New England. I can’t even remember its name. I’d gone there for breakfast and chatted to the owners over the counter for so long that it got to lunchtime. The burger was a game-changer: really, really simple, but made with such care.” This emphasis on simplicity and quality execution became central to his approach.
In 2009, Papoutsis launched the Meat Wagon, a burger van that quickly gained a following through Twitter. Helen Graves was among the first to review Meat Wagon, discovering it through the #MEATwagon hashtag and her blog, Food Stories. Her enthusiastic review of Papoutsis’s “big, juicy, filthy, drippy burgers” online propelled Meat Wagon into the spotlight. This social media-driven success underscored the power of online buzz in the burgeoning street food and gourmet burger scene, particularly in areas like Old Street, known for embracing new trends.
The online attention attracted Scott Collins, a pub owner, leading to a partnership when the Meat Wagon was stolen in 2010. Together, they established MEATeasy, a pop-up diner above a New Cross pub. Despite its location in a less fashionable part of London at the time, MEATeasy drew crowds eager to try Papoutsis’s signature “Dead Hippie” burger, renowned for its secret sauce.
Papoutsis attributes MEATeasy’s appeal to its authenticity and resourcefulness: “We set up in the only places we could afford or arrange. All our sites have been abandoned and unloved for some time and we’ve gone in and salvaged them. We had to decorate MEATeasy with pages from my old books because we didn’t have enough money for paint. I think it worked because it was true to itself. It wasn’t a piece of scenery; it was what it was.” This raw, genuine approach resonated with diners seeking an alternative to more polished dining experiences, especially in London’s evolving food landscape.
Within a year, MEATliquor, their first permanent restaurant, opened near Oxford Street. Its no-reservation policy and long queues, even in winter, for the Dead Hippie burger highlighted the intense demand for this new style of burger. Now, with 13 London locations and significant sales figures, MEATliquor’s sustained success demonstrates the lasting appeal of “posh burgers” and the business model it pioneered.
Gavin Lucas, founder of the Burgerac website, noted the confluence of factors contributing to MEATliquor’s success: “People lost their jobs in the recession and started to wonder if they could make a living without working for the man. Meanwhile, social media took hold; suddenly, you could turn your passion into a stall without having a bricks-and-mortar premises, without hiring a brand agency to get the word out.” This entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with social media’s reach, democratized the restaurant industry, allowing passionate individuals to enter the market and thrive, particularly in food-centric areas like Old Street.
This era also saw the rise of a generation seeking affordable yet Instagram-worthy restaurant experiences. Russell Norman, founder of Polpo, joined the burger trend by opening Spuntino, a Brooklyn-style diner in Soho in 2011. He observed, “People still wanted to eat out, but it was more acceptable to spend money in scruffy places like ours, where the average bill was low, than in more formal places. The value-added, fun element meant you were still getting an experience that helped lift the recession blues in an appropriate, unflashy way … A meal at MEATLiquor is as much about the story, the design, the tongue-in-cheek attitude and the service-with-swagger as the excellent grub.” This holistic dining experience, blending quality food with a distinct atmosphere and brand identity, became crucial for success in the competitive “posh burger” market.
Following MEATliquor’s lead, numerous premium burger joints emerged across London and the UK. Patty & Bun and Honest Burger expanded into successful chains, while Lucky Chip and Bleecker Burger maintained a smaller, but equally devoted, following. Even Soho House’s Nick Jones launched Dirty Burger, and Burger & Lobster introduced a £20 burger, finding unexpected success in the premium price point.
Five Guys in Covent Garden, London … the US company now has 80 branches in the UK. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer
Almost Famous, representing the Northern English response to MEATliquor, even gained national attention for a customer incident at its Liverpool branch, highlighting the passionate, sometimes excessive, enthusiasm for these gourmet creations. The arrival of US “better burger” chains Shake Shack and Five Guys in 2013 further validated the UK’s embrace of the premium burger trend.
MEATliquor’s model of starting with a food truck and leveraging social media became a blueprint for new businesses. Papoutsis’s burgers exemplified a new category of street food restaurants focused on mastering one dish. Russell Norman summarizes this shift: “The burger brigade and beyond – chicken wings, hot dogs, ribs – take what was once thought of as junk food but give it the same high-quality attention to detail that is the domain of so-called fine-dining chefs. That’s a lot harder than it sounds, especially in a crowded market.” Papoutsis adds, “A burger is a very simple thing, but the simplest things are the ones you have to do the best, because everyone can see and taste it on its merits.” This pursuit of simple perfection defines the “posh burger” ethos.
Byron, despite its success, has faced challenges. In 2015, they were required to include warnings on menus about the risks of undercooked meat. A further controversy in 2016 involving an immigration raid impacted public perception. Increased market competition also led to a profit dip, illustrating the dynamic and sometimes precarious nature of the restaurant industry.
While premium burger restaurants are expanding beyond London, the city itself, particularly areas like Old Street, seems saturated. The King’s Cross area, near the Guardian’s headquarters, exemplifies this density, with numerous branches of Five Guys, Honest Burger, MEATliquor, Burger King, and McDonald’s, with Byron nearby. Despite this saturation, Simon Cope, Byron’s managing director, believes there’s still market space. He estimates fewer than 400 premium burger restaurants in Britain, compared to Nando’s 340 locations. He argues that the burger boom has elevated dining expectations, pushing even fast-food giants to improve quality and, more significantly, shifting dining habits from home to restaurants.
The rise of delivery services like Deliveroo and UberEats has further transformed the landscape, making “posh burgers” accessible at home. This convenience, however, also brings new challenges, as seen with Deliveroo’s controversies regarding pop-up kitchens.
The focus is now shifting from market growth to burger quality and innovation. As vegetarian options gain popularity, Cope suggests exploring “the very best premium vegetarian burger.”
Once you’ve mastered the art of putting a piece of meat between two pieces of bread, what next? Photograph: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Hawksmoor, known for its steaks, has embraced this evolution with the Big Matt burger, a gourmet tribute to the Big Mac, praised by Helen Graves as a “masterpiece.” However, Gavin Lucas cautions that true burger perfection may be elusive in large chains: “As soon as you have more than about 10 branches, you can’t work with a butcher, you have to work with wholesalers. And as soon as you start imagining the tonnage of cow that’s going into those businesses, it’s harder to remain in love with their burger.”
Lucas believes the best burgers are found in smaller establishments, crafted by chefs with passion and access to quality suppliers: “The best burger in terms of absolute quality won’t be from a burger chain. It’s probably in a restaurant or a pub, conjured up by a chef who wants to do something special. To make a great burger, you have to have really good suppliers – and you have to have love in your heart.”
‘Byron made a fresh-tasting burger and didn’t mess around with it’ … the Islington, north London branch. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
For those seeking the “best posh burger” near Old Street or anywhere in London, the journey is as much about exploring the diverse landscape of burger offerings as it is about finding a single perfect burger. From established chains to independent gems, the “posh burger” scene continues to evolve, promising exciting and delicious discoveries for every burger aficionado.
