Sixteen of the UK’s best burgers have been chosen as finalists at this year’s highly anticipated National Burger Awards, as the event marks its 10th anniversary in 2024.
The competition will see chefs from across the hospitality sector – including restaurants, pubs and street food traders – go head-to-head in a live cooking showdown to see whose signature burger creation will be named best in the UK.
This year’s stellar line-up includes London-based burger chain and 2020 champion Bleecker, set to face-off against Black Bear Burger, another of the capital’s burger-specialist institutions. They are joined by the likes of Loungers, owner of the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands, as well as Mollie’s Motel & Diner – created by Soho House founder Nick Jones MBE – and Stonegate, the nation’s largest pub and bar operator.
Several well-known and up-and-coming indies have also made the cut, including Bristol’s Fattso, a brand that came third in the signature round last year, along with new entrants Bun & Sum from London and Newquay’s Herd Burger.
The event, headline sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery, will take place at Big Penny Social in London on 20 February. In addition to the signature round, chefs will participate in a technical challenge that will see them create a burger from a specific selection of ingredients supplied by event sponsors in a bid to be crowned Burger Chef of the Year. They will also take part in a meat-free burger round sponsored by Redefine Meat.
Alongside all of the burger action, this year, for the first time at the National Burger Awards, a Freakshake Challenge will also take place, in association with Horlicks.
Winners of every round will be chosen by a hand-picked panel of esteemed industry judges, including former victors of the competition.
“A decade into this respected event and we are beyond proud to reveal our most exciting line-up yet,” says Genna Ash-Brown, editor of Dine Out Magazine, which organises and runs the awards.
“What better way to mark 10 years in the game than with our biggest competition to date? Expect top-notch banter from our host DJ BBQ, cheerful camaraderie from champion chefs and, of course, a bounty of burgers so good you’ll be salivating more than Pavlov’s dogs! It’s always a joy to offer such a platform to some of the UK’s finest culinary talent – all that’s left now is to find out who comes out on top. See you there!”
The National Burger Awards 2024 is headline sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery, and sponsored by Americana, Danish Crown, Fleet Street Communications, Kerrymaid, Kühne, Oil Chef, Pepsi MAX, Redefine Meat, Santa Maria, TABASCO, Urban Foodservice and Violife.
The 2024 Finalists
Black Bear Burger
Black Bear Burger
Bleecker
Bacon Double
Bun & Sum
Bow Dip
Burger Shop
Double Bacon Cheese
Burgervore
Basic Instinct
Fat Dads Kitchen
The Triple Beef
Fattso
Chimmy Chimmy Ya
Herd Burger
The Herd Burger
Libertine Burger
Libertine #044
Loungers
Dirty Brisket Burger
MeatCastles
Royal Flush
Mollie’s Motel & Diner
Mollie’s Double Cheeseburger
Stonegate Pub Company
MVB
That Burger Place
Golden Gate Smash
The Barley Mow
The Secret Burger
Whole Beast
Aged Cheeseburger
