London folk: tell me where the best burger joints are

OK straight off the bat I should tell you that expecting these cuisines to be as good in the UK as they are in the US is pure folly. You go to America to eat all of these things!

Interchangeable chains called things like Gourmet Burger Company have a passable burger.

Wahaca in Covent Garden, Taqueria on Westbourne Grove and the Daddy Donkey burrito truck in Leather Lane, weekday lunchtimes, EC1 for Mexican. There is also a place on Hampstead Road NW1 but I am forgetting the name. Do not expect London Mex to be cheap, either, unless you go to DD.

Soul food here is Afro-Caribbean. Try Cottons Rhum Shack or the place just off Oxford Street.

I have no illusions when it comes to americana food stuff in this town. already tried the 'pizza'.

what is DD, sir?

I had Wahaca for lunch today. A+++ as always. I recommend a Tamarind margarita to wash it all down if you're feeling flush.

For greasier Tex-Mex in a preposterously loud setting, Cafe Pacifico is best (but as Suzy says, don't expect much... it's pretty much like a Chevy's. They have a couple of really good items on the menu, though, like mango/brie/jalapeno quesadillas). Avoid "The Texas Embassy" at all costs. Revolting, and everything's covered in, like, movie theater nacho cheese. And some dishes come with garlic bread (!?)

Tips for burgers: They almost usually seem to cook them with onions and spices cooked into the meat over here, sometimes on the heavy side for my tastes. Also, their bacon is WAY different than our bacon... more like Canadian bacon/breakfast ham.

Also, they don't have ranch dressing over here, if that factors into anything for you.

I actually think the chain burger places are decent. Ground is good.

I have never seen anything approaching American soul food over here. Not even any variant on greens, grits, cornbread, southern style mac 'n' cheese - I've never even seen barbecue over here.

I just realized I wrote this assuming that you are a visiting American, which may not be the case at all.

I have never seen anything approaching American soul food over here. Not even any variant on greens, grits, cornbread, southern style mac 'n' cheese - I've never even seen barbecue over here.

-- Savannah Smiles, Sunday, May 25, 2008 7:25 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

say it aint so :(

also, I'm a dirty russian, not a yankee.

Mess Cafe on Amhurst Road in Hackney Central does a very good, very big, very reasonably priced burger.

Like I said, soul food comes from Jamaica etc. here. the place you need is Mr Jerk at 189 Wardour Street. You will find a lot of the same items, but also jerk chicken which is barbecued.

Bodeans is very reliable for barbecue and has branches, but go to Soho.

the answer: in the US

i had a v good one in Juno on Shoreditch High St of all places one time

We are fucking terrible at Mexican food in this country, I wouldn't bother. That said the one Mexican meal I had in New York was pretty bad too.

Mercado was OK last time i went but yeah why go for that kind of thing when visiting here?

Matt, trust an American here: the ones I mention are v. good.

I heard good things about Juno.

thank you guys!

Wahaca is very nice.

I have no illusions when it comes to americana food stuff in this town. already tried the 'pizza'.

Not sure pizza should be described as American. Try the Italian "pizza".

Pizza Malletti for that. Noel Street W1.

I went to a Mexican place last night, Exquisito on Blackstock road last night. Their thing seems to be artichokes. I love Artichokes! But it was disappointing. I wish there was a good Mexican place in London. I will try this Wahaca!

Malletti pizzas are inedibly salty, for all they're authentic.

Marine Ices on Chalk Farm Road is good for pizza (or was at least, haven't been for years).

I'm not sure I'd enjoy eating at wahaca seeing as I know where they get loads of their food from.....

see also Gourmet burger.

Porkpie, spill if you can. They are gung-ho about organic sustainability and I would like to think that was not astroturfing.

Yeah, now I'm curious... but also worried about having to cross off the one place I've been really enthusiastic about in my 2 years over here...

This is useful.

Considering there's probably fuckall mexican immigrants in the UK why does anyone ever expect there to be decent mex food?

Same applies in Aus - we're good at foods we have the large immigrant bases of; viet, thai, italian, greek, indian. But I cant think of a single place in Melb that does Southern US soul food, in fact until ILX times I dont think I had heard of half of it, it just doesnt factor, so I'm hardly going to go hunting for it here.

Not sure pizza should be described as American. Try the Italian "pizza".

-- Mark C, Sunday, May 25, 2008 8:23 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

'brooklyn style pizza' was what I was thinking of.

btw I stumbled upon the Latin indoor market off the Seven Sisters. I think it's gonna close down soon tho

You could always go for budget burgers and hunt down one of the few remaining Wimpys scattered about the city... it's like a scavenger hunt, and your reward is food!

Otherwise, I've heard nothing positive about "Mexican" food in London. Greenwich has a couple "tex-mex" type places, probably to cater to the American tourists going through (there's also a somewhat creepy "American-style" diner full of Elvis Presley stuff). There's a very nice-looking Mexican-ish place a bit farther out in lovely Blackheath Village that I'd like to try, if only because I assume, probably wrongly, that due to being nice-looking away from the crowds it might be decent.

ive been to that mexican place in blackheath, it isnt very good at all.

Good to know. I'll put that money towards another hygienically dodgy but familiar takeaway or something, then.

Haché Burger on Inverness Street. Now want to go to Meateasy for comparison.

really? not a fan of hache at all, there is no reason to have ciabatta as a hamburger bun imo

What is that Byron chain like?

Had another trip to Meateasy. They are great, great burgers.

Byron is pretty good. Pricey though. Reminded me of the Lucky Sevens burger.

Meateasy chilli fries were my highlight there. Plus, they played Black Oak Arkansas and the Groundhogs while we ate. You cannot fuck with that.

yeah byrons pretty good, def the best of those chains

Had walked past Haché a thousand times and could have swore it was part of a chain, but apparently not. The menu says there's another one in Chelsea and that's it.

Oh yeah, those chilli fries were great. I did not enjoy the buffalo wings so much, but I have learnt, for next time.