Take beef, mince it, add onion. Squash into a patty. Not the most auspicious start for a culinary classic. But in the right hands (ie, not Mr McDonalds) it can be elevated to something that’s more about the food than the fast. And, this year, it’s the burger’s time to shine, as the humble quarter pounder is suddenly centre of the culinary stage. So what’s the best Liverpool can offer?
The Attic
An uptown shrine to the burger, The Attic’s bewildering combinations throw goat’s cheese, pulled pork, chilli-cheese…to combine, we imagine a million varieties. Really, you only need the one – their gourmet burger is New York good.
Byron
A bullish new chain, offering burgers, served reassuringly pink and charcoal-tinged, skin-on fries, tangy real lemonade, Eton mess, and Brooklyn Lager. Veggies can tuck into a grilled Portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper and goat’s cheese concoction. But it’s all about the burger, really.
The Ship and Mitre
The Ship and MitreMade in front of you, from the finest triple-minced beef, with a dollop of mature cheddar cheese parcelled up inside, for extra creaminess, this is as good as a burger gets. There’s a menu offering wild boar, lamb and venison burgers too, should the mood take you.
Home Canteen
The ‘other’ home of the whopper – Home Canteen’s tottering in house burger, with Snowdonia black bomber cheddar and onion rings is a comfortingly asymmetrical disc of beef, cooked just a little too well-done, but we’re sure you could ask to go easy on the grill, should you like yours pink’n’juicy.
Free State Kitchen
An American street-food restaurant that happens to find itself on Maryland Street, with Stateside classics such as juicy burgers, pulled-pork baguettes and heavenly pastrami on rye, Free State Kitchen is mining a resurgence in the popularity of such fast-food-done-good cuisine, with an Atlantic seaboard tip.
Nolita Cantina
Nolita CantinaThere’s dirty, and there’s Nolita Cantina – for us, their super-stacked burgers err towards the over-ambitious, and really do create a culinary conundrum. Just how do you eat them? Once mastered, there’s no denying they are delicious, and the pulled pork reassuringly melt-in-the-mouth. Try the Frickles (deep fried pickles) for starters, but do save room for the gargantuan main course. The Pastrami (double stack burger topped with hand carved pastrami strips, Swiss cheese, pickles & chipotle mayonnaise) is a particular guilty pleasure.
Camp and Furnace
The Chorizo burger at Camp and Furnace is the stuff of legend, together with its little galvanised bucket of jackets-on chips, this mighty meaty Iberian mouthful, with smoked cheddar and sunblush tomatoes is well worth heading to the Baltic for. £6.95.
Brink Quarter Pounder
A satisfying homemade quarter pounder with cheese, tomato, dill pickle and salad on foccacia bread – served with the Brink’s famous chunky chips. A great new addition to the city centre.
Moose
Moose100% Aberdeen Angus, the Dillinger is topped with cheese, bacon, tomato and dill pickle, and served with Moose’s trademark potato salad, and is the best burger in the Business District. For more information about Moose Coffee House, take a look at our things to do in Liverpool guide.
Almost Famous
Ignore the bluster and spin (One SevenStreets commenter called the place ‘Loaded magazine in a bap’, for good reason), this is an assured and dependable new addition to the city’s ever expanding burger waistline. Expect generous frisbees full of freshly cooked, and juicily pink, burgers, spicy chilli sauce and gooey, cheesy chips. Messy and moreish.
More Information
If you would enjoyed this guide, why not take a look at some more Liverpool attractions and events in our other Liverpool tourism and travel information guides.
