Relatively new on the burger scene, the owner is a former rock star and the burgers are a smash hit. The Chairman features a whopping one-third pound patty of brisket, short rib with bone marrow. Topped with cheese, bun sauce and pickled red onion jam, it’s sandwiched in a hamburger cream bun. In an age of gourmet burgers galore, this is one of the best by far.
This glass-fronted, exposed brick-walled cafe on the edge of Borough Market serves biodynamic wines and a seasonal menu cooked on a wood-fired grill. They only serve burgers for lunch on weekdays, and Elliott’s burger fans pack the house. Mind-meltingly awesome, every single last thing on the burger is made in-house. Elliot's minces and presses its beef patties, incorporating aged rib-eye caps and fresher shin, shoulder or flank to perfectly balance the flavors of beefiness and age, aiming for an 80/20 meat-to-fat ratio. Beer-braised onions and Comté cheese give the burger a decidedly French je ne sais quoi and the wonderfully soft, slightly sweet buns are baked in-house using olive oil instead of butter. The buns are delicious, soft, yet sturdy. The burger is served with fried potato discs, homemade mayo and a rich, clove-infused ketchup. Uniquely, discs of sweet pickled cucumber are served skinless, which removes crunch, the perfect complement to the soft, squishy texture of the ensemble and the unusually deep flavor of the beef patty.
Burger & Beyond is operated by a group of guys from the country, and they brought the meat right off the farm with them. Operating from a 1970 Citroen H Van at Camden Market and drawing inspiration from burger joints around the world, Burger & Beyond serves hand-pressed and cooked-to-order burgers, freshly ground from choice cuts of dry-aged beef. THE burger to order? The Cliff. Served on a brioche bun, a 90-day aged patty of chuck and brisket aged on the bone is topped with Monterrey Jack cheese, pancetta bacon, lettuce and tarragon mayo. This burger, masterful meaty happiness in a bun, is brought to you on a street festival, party level. It's the essence of what a burger should be. OK, you can start drooling now.
Burger aficionados agree Lucky Chip makes some of the greatest burgers in London. Originally operating from a van in Netil Market, which still serves hungry East Londoners every Saturday, they have established themselves in two other locations: The Sebright Arms in Hoxton and The Grafton pub in Kentish Town. Go for the classic, The John Travolta Royale wit Cheese, first mentioned in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” An aged beef patty with American cheese is layered with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, gherkins and Lucky Chip’s homemade burger sauce. The patty, cheese and sauce are perfectly matched. There’s no need to add anything else.
It may look like a hole-in-the-wall, but don’t let this iconic diner fool you. Mitchell's has been pleasing patrons since 1923, offering old-school food at its best. Politicians including Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and George Bush are known to pop in. Women and children are welcomed sweetly with free boxes of Milk Duds, and as soon as diners sit down, they are presented with a basket of piping hot doughnut holes. An extensive breakfast menu is available all day and meals are brought to the table steaming in the skillet. Recommended options include fried eggs, homemade Greek toast, hash browns and oatmeal. Dishes are usually large, so plan a post-breakfast nap.
Bar Buvette is a French wine bar and traiteur run by Bristol couple Peter Taylor and Max Ososki, who spend the rest of their time running a small seasonal hotel in the Auvergne called Auberge de Chassignolles. Taylor opened the natural wine bar to pour organic, biodynamic and chemical-free wines and beers from small producers in France. These well-rounded wines are best accompanied by a simple cheese board or charcuterie platter, both of which find excellent form at Bar Buvette, or perhaps a toastie oozing with cheese and leeks. The chalkboard menu offers a number of other quintessentially French plat du jour, from celeriac remoulade, to gem lettuce with walnuts, lardon and soft-boiled egg, to a hearty coq au vin.
Owners Pat and Bruno Forte, who trace their family's ice cream-making roots back 120 years to a village in the Abruzzi Mountains, opened their authentic gelato parlor on a prime spot on College Green with views of Bristol Cathedral. Swoon makes the ice cream on the premises in full view of customers and passersby on the other side of the glass-walled "gelato lab" at the front of the shop. Expect specialty flavors that include tiramisu, bacio (chocolate and hazelnut), Amarena cherry cheesecake and Crema della Nonna, a traditional Italian custard dessert, along with a regularly-changing seasonal flavor list. Other handmade treats include sorbetti, stecchi (sticks of gelato dipped in chocolate) and monoporzioni (small puddings), along with pastries from local bakeries and coffee from Extract.
Chef Ronnie Killen, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, opened his smoke shack in 2015 in a former school cafeteria and began turning out mouthwatering brisket, peppery pork and beef ribs, homemade pork and beef sausages, and bone-in pork belly. While there's usually a line (get there early; Killen's only serves until the eats run out), you won't be disappointed, especially on weekends when your wait time includes a free cold brew. A ticket dispenser sits next to the door, and everyone in line is expected to take a number so you don’t stand in one spot for an hour or more waiting for the doors to open. Smoked in pecan, oak and mesquite woods, meat is served by the pound and on plate specials. Classic sides include peppery pinto beans, potato salad heavy on the mustard, creamy mac ‘n’ cheese, baked beans, coleslaw and the ultimate Southern comfort food, creamed corn. For dessert, don’t pass up the rich bread pudding made with croissants, banana pudding, pecan pie and seasonal cobblers. There are plenty of paper towels on hand to clean up. And iced tubes packed with beer are ready to help you wash it all down.
Pinkmans Bakery will please everyone with its daily feast of quiches, sandwiches and hearty salads, as well as keenly-priced sourdough pizzas fresh from the wood-fired oven. Their deep acidic tang and elastic base give the very best sourdough pizzeria a run for their money. Pictured above, the Artichoke Pizza sings with tender, caramelized confit garlic, a pesto tomato sauce and bright, lemony wedges of artichoke, quietened by cooling clouds of ricotta. For pudding, try one of their decadent sour-dough-nuts bursting with seasonal fruit, custard and honeycomb.
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Set on Whiteladies Road, this charming coffee shop offers superlative coffee and one of Bristol's best brunches. Opened by local roasters Roasted Rituals, Tradewind offers coffee aficionados the best seasonal blends and single origins on espresso, while food lovers are tempted by a menu that focuses on the freshest seasonal produce. Most items are made in-house, including cakes, nut milks, preserves, chutneys, pickles, smoked and cured fish and salt beef. Our top choices include the BLT with chili jam or the chorizo with charred corn salsa and coriander pesto, tumbled on a bed of avocado, egg and sourdough, pictured. Even humble porridge is elevated by seasonal compote, sweet Egyptian dukkah and bee pollen. Dessert fans will revel in the blood orange and almond cake, roasted rhubarb friands (“little cake” in French) and brownies.