There are few foods as varied as the humble burger. A really good burger can make your day and fill you up for hours. And a really bad burger can be just about the most disappointing thing you’ve ever tasted. But it’s hard to tell which is which until you take your first bite.
To save you time on your quest for the perfect burger, we’ve identified our top six burger restaurants in the North East. Which one’s your favourite?
Meat:Stack promises real American cheeseburgers and we can confirm, they serve up some truly meaty delights! They’re smash burgers, but not super thin, and then the patties are steamed on the grill with all the other ingredients, ensuring a soft, warm bun and dripping cheese. Everything is made fresh to order, but this clever method means that you rarely have to wait longer than ten minutes for your burger.
Meat:Stack sources all its meat from Taste Tradition Butchery, a multi-award winning butcher which is also a farm, so that buyers can visit the cows before committing to buy! And all of Meat:Stack’s nine delicious sauces, butter pickles and relishes are made in-house. All this means the food is incredibly fresh and local. Their most popular burger is the West Coast Classic, a simple double cheeseburger with American cheese, shredded lettuce and Stack Sauce. But the burger that has the most people talking is the Kahuna, with fresh pineapple, cream cheese and jalapenos – would you try it? As for sides, the chicken tenders are a customer favourite, but you can’t beat a portion of fresh-cut beef dripping fries to sit alongside your burger.
Meat:Stack’s Newcastle branch opened in July 2020, right as the country was plunged into lockdown. Despite this rocky start, the restaurant has thrived, and there’s no doubt that their authentic, juicy burgers have helped establish this as a must-visit restaurant in the city. And they believe their personal service adds an important extra touch to your meal – there’s no automated machines in sight and the playlist helps bring a fun, welcoming atmosphere to the establishment.
And what does Allan Hyslop, Company Director, think about being in Collection magazine’s top burger restaurants? “Honestly, it’s lovely to receive such nice praise from editorials like yourselves. It means we are still throwing out some of the best food in the city and we’re on the right track!”
Although The Rat Inn is not exclusively a burger restaurant, they are well known throughout Northumberland for their incredible steaks and locally sourced meats. They are very transparent about where their meat has come from, displaying the farm names on a board in the pub.
As for the burgers themselves, they are made with top quality beef. You won’t find unnecessary bells and whistles on these burgers – just steak patties that taste amazing, proving that sometimes the best meals are the most simple ones. Served in a homemade bun with their own spicy tomato ketchup and a side of handcut chips, these burgers will have you salivating!
The gastropub is an award magnet, with all their accolades proudly displayed on the homepage of their website. Karen and Phil took over the establishment in 2007 and they’ve been topping food lists and winning awards ever since. When you visit, you’ll likely chat with Karen, who tends to stay out front, while Phil will be in the kitchen, cooking up a storm and creating the juiciest burgers you’ve ever eaten.
It’s worth noting, however, that because Karen and Phil care so much about the quality and location of their ingredients, their menu can change daily depending on seasons and what’s available. So, if you turn up at The Rat Inn, and the burgers are on the menu, then you know that’s what you need to order. If not, there is sure to be plenty of other delicious options, and you’ll just have to return another day for the burger.
But make sure you book first, as the Rat Inn is regularly booked up weeks in advance. Seems nobody can get enough of those big, beefy burgers!
Lola Jeans, Tynemouth & Newcastle
A beacon of burger excellence in Tynemouth, Lola Jeans has been serving up meaty yumminess since 2011. Operations manager, Dale Lilford, thinks the business success comes from its commitment to refining the burger-making process. Each burger is created from scratch, made with high quality ingredients, an all-hands-on-deck process and meticulous execution. He calls it the “burger ballet”!
Lola Jeans’ most popular burger is the Clancy Wiggum. It won Newcastle’s Battle of the Burger competition in 2019 and has been hot property ever since. This unique burger is made with double-stacked signature patties, smoked streaky bacon, American cheese, red onion jam, baconnaise and Tennessee BBQ sauce. This mouth watering delight is then finished with a few bacon Frazzles!
It’s not the only burger garnished with crisps. Frazzles and Monster Munch play a big part of the Lola Jeans experience, adding a tasty crunch to the burgers. Once you’ve experienced it for yourself, you’ll wonder how you ever enjoyed a burger without them!
In fact, your choice of sides is a much more controversial food issue! The Lola Jeans team spent a while arguing over the best accompaniment to their favourite burgers! In the end, they chose the Ultimate Mac and Cheese with beef chilli. This hearty side dish is packed with crispy pepperoni, jalapenos, tater tots, crispy onions and Lola’s famous sauce.
Another huge selling point for Lola Jeans is that they take their allergens very seriously. Some members of the team have very strict dietary requirements, so all their procedures are based around their needs, making it easy for them to cater to others with the same food issues. There’s an allergen matrix that explains what is in every dish and the cross-contamination risk is mitigated as much as possible.
And a final note from Dale: “There’s some incredible burger specialists here in the North East, so being in this kind of company makes us extremely proud!”
This successful burger brand’s newest restaurant has only been trading since last August, but it’s already a firm favourite for us. The brand mission is simple: bold burgers, fresh flavours and a welcoming atmosphere. With created-to-order double smashed beef patties, house-made sauces, fresh, high quality ingredients and homemade buns, there’s a lot to love about these carefully crafted burgers.
You won’t find Friez & Burgz cutting any corners when creating your meal and there are even options for vegetarians. The Whitley Bay store has a particularly relaxed, coastal feel, perfect for a casual lunch or a bite with friends. The music is upbeat, the staff are energetic and the food is fantastic. They’ve recently launched a breakfast menu too, bringing that irresistible Friez & Burgz vibes to your tummy even earlier in the day.
The Classic is the most popular burger, perfectly balanced with cheese, lettuce, diced onions, pickles and the signature sauce. If you’re looking for a burger that’s a little bit different, the weekly specials are a must-order. In the past, they’ve served crispy chicken tikka with smashed bhajis and masala sauce and another option was a pastrami and brie burger with truffle drizzle, proving that they’re not afraid to get creative in delicious ways. They recommend a traditional side of fries alongside your burger, or the chicken fillets. Make sure you also check out the milkshake of the week!
“We’re genuinely honoured [to be one of the top burger restaurants]. Friez & Burgz started with a passion for bold, flavour packed burgers and creating a place people love coming back to. To be recognised among the best in the North East means so much — especially in a region with such an incredible food scene. We’re proud to represent it in our own way.”
If you’re in the mood for a big, succulent, messy burger, then Fat Hippo is your dinner destination. You will need a napkin as you work your way through these huge burgers, and this might not be the right place for a first date, but the flavours and enjoyment that you’ll get out of every bite will be more than worth the effort.
There’s something for everyone at this restaurant, with classic beef and boneless buttermilk chicken patties as the mainstream option (with free fries included as standard), as well as vegan burgers, gluten free burgers and dairy free burgers. There’s an extensive kid’s menu too. All the ingredients are high quality and the team have built up amazing relationships with their suppliers, so they know exactly where everything has come from, ensuring the freshest burgers.
The restaurant might be small, but the atmosphere is calm and welcoming, making it extremely popular. So, you might want to book a table before turning up. When you get there, the Wild Bill is a fantastic burger made up of a double beef patty, American cheese, smoked bacon, Cajun tater tots, BBQ sauce, ranch sauce and jalapeños, served in a toasted demi brioche. Your free side can be hand-cut chips, fries or purple slaw.
The team at Fat Hippo are obviously doing something right, because the independent chain is slowly spreading throughout the Midlands and beyond, but the Jesmond restaurant is the one that stands out to us. This is where the Fat Hippo story started, back in 2010, but the founders are intent on burger world-domination! Who knows where the next Fat Hippo will pop-up!
The Joiners Arms is a little bit different to the other establishments on our list, as it is a pub rather than a dedicated burger joint. But you’ll get a warm welcome, cold drinks and a hearty meal if that is where you choose to get your burger.
Of course, being a pub, it does far more than just burgers. There are all kinds of pub classics on the menu, including pies, fish and chips and hunter’s chicken. But if you are in a group of people who don’t have the same craving for a burger that you have, then the Joiners Arms is the perfect place for dinner.
There are three burgers to choose from: a steak burger, a chicken burger and a vegan burger. These are simple recipes, ensuring a good quality burger with no surprises – just exactly what you’d expect. All are served in an artisan brioche bun and come with seasoned fries and house relish. You can add bacon or truffle and parmesan fries, but that’s as unusual as it gets. All the high quality ingredients are locally sourced – some are even picked from the pub garden, as and when they are required! It really doesn’t get fresher than that!
A lovely place to stop for refreshment after a walk along the coast, this village pub is a regular haunt of ours. It’s the home-style cooking that does it for us, making these burgers a much different prospect to the ones you’d get at a dedicated burger restaurant. The menus are subject to change with the season, so you should check before you book if you’ve got your heart set on a steak burger, but the meaty experience doesn’t get much better than this!
Be right back – we’re off to get a burger!