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There’s a new best burger in town, and it’s a homegrown hero.
Black Bear Burger’s 'Miso Bacon Burger' has been named Burger of the Year at the National Burger Awards 2025. BBB’s beast beat 15 other burgers from across the UK at a live cook-out at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow earlier this week.
A group of industry judges, including, well, me, voted the burger, with 45-day aged beef patties with cheese, smoked bacon, miso butter mayo and onion in a sesame seed bun, the overall champion. Black Bear Burger has numerous sites across London, including in Exmouth Market, Brixton, Victoria, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch and Camden.
Sixteen burgers from across the country were cooked up on site for the judges to taste test at the 11th annual National Burger Awards before marking them in a number of different categories. Second place went to Roddy Burger of Tunbridge Wells and Smiths of Bourton in the Cotswolds came third. Last year’s winner was also London-based, with Bleeker Burger coming top.
Speaking about the win, Stewart Down of Black Bear Burger said: ‘We’ve been going for over seven years and this is recognition, as we’ve been so focused on doing burgers the best we possibly can. To come here and get something like this is pretty special. This changes things. We’ve seen the past winners, and they are big, impressive names. To be up there with the likes of them is amazing.’
Organised by Dine Out magazine, this year’s National Burger Awards also saw Nick Watkins of El Perro Negro in Glasgow named Chef of the Year for his Bacon and Cheese Picante burger. Fat Hippo won the Plant-Based category, with the ‘Sloppy Faux’; a plant-based sloppy joe-style mix with pickleback chipotle slaw and BBQ sauce.
Black Bear Burger also features in Time Out’s list of the best burgers in London – check that out in full here.
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