Feast on these fabulous, filling, scrumptious meat delights
5. Honest Burgers
The newest eatery in our round-up, Honest Burgers opened the doors to their Cambridge branch just a few short months ago, but they’ve already made their mark on burger lovers in the city. It’s the 18th outpost from the chain, who’ve got a cult following in the capital where the other 17 of their restaurants are – and we’re not surprised. With fastidious attention to detail, they’ve created a superlative menu, which champions British flavours and always features loads of tempting specials. The Honest burger oozes beefy goodness, topped with lip-smacking red onion relish, smoky bacon, rich mature cheddar and pickled gherkins. It’s honestly incredible. All burgers come with Honest’s signature rosemary chips, which make a stonkingly tasty side.
4. The Cambridge Brew House
There’s a lot to love about The Cambridge Brew House, which combines a lively atmosphere and cool décor with excellent food and loads of top beers. One of the biggest draws of all, though, is the mighty Brew House burger, in which a chunky, spiced beef patty is topped with garlic and melty Red Leicester cheese in a bouncy brioche bun. For an additional £2.50 (here’s where it gets really good), you can Make it Dirty by adding a fried egg and a stack of crispy onion rings. Be still our beating hearts. Hand cut chips and a mixed salad come as standard, and we’re pleased to report that the Brew House veggie burger, with its squidgy roast squash and sweet potato patty, is also a winner.
3. MillWorks
With the impeccable pedigree of the Cambscuisine name behind it, MillWorks opened its doors at the tail end of 2016, delivering yet another resounding success for the local restaurant group. Meaty indulgence is the order of the day at this eatery, which sits perched on the edge of the Mill Pond – and the BBQ Burger is reason alone to visit.
Making excellent use of MillWorks’ custom-built charcoal grill, it features bone marrow, which gives a rich unctuousness that levels it up a notch before we even get to the decadent layer of pulled beef brisket. De rigueur brioche bun, plus pickles and a dollop of lemon and garlic mayo complete this burger of kings. If you need more reasons to make the trip, the ridiculously sized Rapture Rupture ice cream sundae, with doughnuts, chunks of brownie, marshmallows and Maltesers, is another MillWorks delight to behold.
2. Butch Annie’s
Butch Annie’s was a hit in Cambridge from the get-go, helped along by a canny marketing tactic of giving away free burgers on its opening weekend. As it turns out, no gimmicks were needed in selling these exceptionally tasty patties, which are made using prime cuts of 28-day dry-aged beef. Hugged by a golden-brown brioche bun, toppings include sautéed herby mushrooms, blue cheese, whole mustard aioli, fresh tomato and red onion jam (the B.B. King), or aged cheddar, bacon, gherkins and smoky barbecue sauce (the Lewd Lizzie). The Honolulu Babe, Smoky Joe and Topsy Turvy’s patties, meanwhile, are made of Iberico, the famous porkers whose meat, the jewel of Spanish cuisine, is unrivalled in its rich tastiness. Wash it all down with one of the great craft beers that Butch Annie’s has on tap.
1. Steak & Honour
There’s no way you could round up Cambridge’s best burgers without including Steak & Honour. Our city’s most pre-eminent patty purveyors, these local legends have been lording it over the Cambridge burger scene since 2012, serving burgers from the hatch of their Citroën H Vans and now their own restaurant on Wheeler Street.
S&H revolutionised burgers in the city, taking inspiration from the cream of the London burger scene and bringing it to the street corners and car parks of Cambridge. Perfect each and every time, the burgers consist of thick and juicy Riverside beef patties encased by squishy brioche buns, with crunchy salad and tangy pickles, and are served oozing with ketchup and mustard. Don’t skimp on sides, either, especially the gorgeous grilled mac ’n’ cheese. Veggies: check out The Pulse burger – a beanburger with beetroot pickle and seaweed mayo that roars with flavour.
