Where Manchester goes for its best burger

A New York-style cocktail and seafood bar from the team behind Higher Ground (which sits next door), Bar Shrimp also does a rather fine burger. For their Dexter beef burger, the team have eschewed the thin and crispy smash burger trend in favour of one thick, juicy patty with a seasonal chutney, homemade mayonnaise, and lettuce on a homemade brioche bun. Best washed down with an ice-cold cocktail or beer (alcohol-free options are available). 

This London-born meat emporium (they’d likely prefer “steak and chop house”) has expanded to Manchester, bringing with it the big hunks of meat, beef-dripping chips and unctuous sauces that have made it famous. The Blacklock Burger might be slightly better for your digestion, however, especially if you’re just popping in on your lunchbreak: a double cheeseburger with vermouth-caramelised onions and burger sauce is just the messy ticket and one of Manchester’s best burgers.  

What started as a dark kitchen concept serving only takeaway and delivery (to thousands of people per week, we should add) now has a dine-in burger restaurant in Piccadilly Gardens. The focus here is the smash burger, with both two- and four-patty options – for those who can somehow dislocate their own jaws to fit one in – available, as well as plant-based burgers, fries and wings. When it comes to the best burgers in Manchester, Burgerism is always part of the conversation. 

This industrial chic venue and “creative neighbourhood” is housed in a 250,000-square-foot former Victorian factory. That’s space for a lot of revellers and Diecast’s Warehouse Kitchen works overtime to keep everyone satiated, from crispy-based pizzas to shawarma to, of course, burgers. Options include the Leno burger, a dry-aged Angus short rib patty with two types of cheese and classic accompaniments like burger sauce and caramelised onions, and a crispy buttermilk chicken burger with ‘nduja honey sauce, with frozen daiquiris to wash them down.

This bar and kitchen in trendy Ancoats peddles a classic cheeseburger with Lyonnais sauce and pickles at lunchtime, whilst in the evening, you can also choose from a chicken burger or veggie option (which, at time of writing – menus are seasonal – is a spiced potato patty topped with mint yoghurt and mango chutney. Yum!). Visit in the summer, though, and you can enjoy your burger straight off the BBQ for that extra char, available as a single or double patty if you’re feeling ambitious.  

Another multi-purpose space, in railway arches on the edge of Salford, Tangerine is part creative hub, part food hall and part music venue that parties into the small hours on weekends. Tangerine’s ‘Canteen Collective’ is a revolving group of local food purveyors that keeps guests fed and watered with yakitori, sushi bowls, spicy vodka pizza and excellent single-origin coffee. Gold Boy are the in-house burger slingers at time of writing, offering great whacks of umami in burger form, like a classic bacon and blue cheese, truffle-Parmesan and a brown butter burger with a mayo infused with the flavour of a certain beefy stock cube.  

This Victorian pub in Salford was brought back to life in 2021 after lying derelict for many years. Chef Ben Chaplin and team have built The Black Friar a solid food reputation, which has become yet another reason for Manchester pub-goers to visit, alongside a fun beer garden and regular live music – think proper pub grub like beer-battered fish and chips, steaks and Sunday roasts. No pub grub menu would be complete without a burger: The Black Friar’s is currently topped with rocket mayo, chorizo, mozzarella, and tomato chutney (vegan patties are available).  

The Trof, in the Northern Quarter, is spread across two levels, with a proper pub downstairs serving bar snacks (think Scotch eggs, toasties, etc.) and more of a sit-down dining room upstairs. The menu upstairs flits between Mediterranean-inspired and classic British, but for the burger they keep it simple: milk bun, burger sauce, lashings of pickles, caramelised onions and a big old slab of red Leicester. It looks striking and tastes even better, making The Trof a sure bet for a great Manchester burger.