The City That Has More Of The 'World's Best Burgers' Than NYC For 2025

The hamburger may have a German-derived name, but in the United States, we look upon it as one of our national foods. When anyone compiles a list of the world's best burgers, we therefore expect to be right at the top. Surprisingly, this was not the case when a website known as World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants branched out into burger rankings. 

In its selection of the top 25 ground beef patties globally, shockingly enough, the highest-ranked burger came from a restaurant in Spain. Even more unexpectedly, the nation with the most burgers on the list was the United Kingdom. Six of the top spots (including both second and third place) went to London-based restaurants, while even a Brighton joint managed to come in at number 20.

The U.S. didn't make the list until the 13th spot, although New York City burgers did appear four times, which would make NYC the second-best burger city. Chicago and Los Angeles only managed one mention apiece, leaving the U.S. ranked second behind the U.K. as the best burger nation. As the Walmart commercial guy would say, who knew?

British food has long been seen as bland and boring, with the national dish chicken tikka masala being one of the few bright spots. (Why exactly British people eat beans on toast remains an enduring mystery for us non-Brits.) Finding out they've now lapped us in the burger stakes may be the most crushing blow to our national pride since British troops burned down the White House during the War of 1812. If it's any consolation, we'd like to point out that World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants is administered by a London-based firm called Upper Cut Media House.

The United Kingdom's best burger, according to World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants, comes from a chain called Bleecker with eight locations throughout the city. Reviewers praised the minimalism of both the restaurant decor and the burger. Bleecker's most straightforward burger has nothing more than cheese, onion, and "house sauce," all on a sesame seed bun. What makes it the best British burger — and the second-best in the world — is the high-quality dry-aged beef it's made with. The third-place winner, a chain called Black Bear Burger, was also praised for its simplicity and quality. Its burgers have such embellishments as brioche buns and American (ha!) cheese.

The number eight burger, from a steakhouse chain called Hawksmoor, consists of "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun." If this sounds familiar (anyone of a certain age is singing the words in their head), it's because the Big Matt was absolutely intended as an homage to one of America's best-known exports.

In ninth place is a very bougie burger from a chain called Burger and Beyond: dry-aged beef topped with ingredients like beef fat onions, bone marrow mayonnaise, and more American cheese (double ha!). At number eleven is the one burger that comes from a standalone restaurant. If possible, Dove's burger is even bougier, topped with onions cooked in Champagne butter. It's not even on the restaurant's menu and is so exclusive it must be special-ordered. Rounding out the list at number 25 is a burger from a two-location chain called Heard. This burger is very British indeed, eschewing American cheese for a local product called Ogleshield.