It’s National Burger Day in the UK this Thursday 27th August. To celebrate, we’ve put together a list of the best burgers in Oxford for your delectation.
Gone are the days of plain old hamburgers with nothing more than a bog-standard beef patty, lettuce and tomato. Whether you like yours stacked to the Gods with various toppings, dripping in condiments, or green and meatless, the burger options really are endless in this day and age. Plus, is there really anything more satisfying than a big, juicy, graspable burger? Didn’t think so… Which is why there’s a national day to celebrate this delicious delicacy.
If you’re clever enough to celebrate National Burger Day one day earlier, you can enjoy it for an even tastier 50% cheaper, as most of these guys are taking part in the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme. However, a word of caution – reading the below on an empty stomach is not advised and may lead to extreme hunger.
The best burgers in Oxford, in no particular order:
Dirty Bones
Westgate Roof Terrace, Oxford OX1 1TR // dirty-bones.com
If you plan on getting down and dirty this National Burger Day, then Dirty Bones is where it’s at. They’re celebrating with 50% off all burgers on Thursday, as well as 50% off their online burger delivery kits! So indulge in The Mac Daddy – packed with pulled beef short rib, mac & cheese and BBQ sauce, or dig into a spicy buttermilk chicken burger, with chipotle aioli and sweet chilli sauce. And what better way to wash them down than with their early evening cocktail hour that runs all week – it would be a crime to not order their fried mac & cheese balls, too.
Dirty Bones are taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’
Happy Friday Kitchen
282 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1UR // happyfridaykitchen.co.uk
With the likes of Californian-inspired Happy Friday Kitchen gracing our Cowley Road, there’s absolutely no reason for vegans to be left out this National Burger Day. Whichever of the 6 plant-based burgers takes your fancy, including the Mac Daddy Burger and Nacho Burger, you now have the choice to dine in, takeaway or get it delivered. But their super cute pup Buddha will more than likely tempt you to eat in.
After really mastering that comfort food but with ingredients such as jackfruit, seitan and mushroom, we think even meat eaters should give this one a try if you haven’t already.
Happy Friday Kitchen is taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’
Atomic Burger
92 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE // atomicburger.co.uk
This soul-satisfying burger joint is back open for business, so you can enjoy the giant-sized Spiderman and comic posters that adorn Atomic Burger’s walls once again. The best bit about this Cowley Road classic is that you can build the burger your heart desires, or, live out your superhero dreams with one of the Fantastic Four burgers. Make sure you head there hungry, because you won’t be able to resist the super sides – like dirty fries with its beef or veggie chilli, cheese and jalapenos.
Atomic Burger is taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’. They’re also offering 20% off the food bill for all dine-in customers on National Burger Day (27th August).
Peppers Burgers
84 Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6EA // peppersburgers.com
An Oxford icon in burger form; this long-standing establishment on Walton Street sells their legendary burgers as either ¼ or ½ pounders. It’s primarily a takeaway, with a couple of tables inside if you just can’t wait to tuck in at home. Choose from beef, lamb, chicken or veggie, as well as a huge selection of sauces; give Pepper’s own White Shark sauce a try – if you can handle the spice!
The Dodo Pubs
The Rickety Press – 62 Cranham Street, Oxford OX2 6DE
The Up In Arms – 241 Marston Road, Oxford OX3 0EN
The Rusty Bicycle – 28 Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RB
dodopubs.com
Luckily, you can enjoy the same Dodo burgers on the menu at all three venues: The Up in Arms, The Rusty Bicycle and The Rickety Press. All with dry-aged prime cuts and super soft brioche buns, find your favourite from the ‘Big D’ (beef patty, smoked bacon, cheddar, caramelised onions, tomato lettuce and burger sauce) to ‘The Jacked’ (pulled BBQ jackfruit, slaw, pickled red onion, lettuce, vegan burger sauce and a beetroot bun). If you’re still not quite ready to eat out just yet, you can get the full menu through click + collect.
All Dodo Pubs are taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’
Big Society
95 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1HR // bigsocietyoxford.com
‘Oxford’s freshest hangout’ is back open for business – and whilst we can’t quite enjoy the ping pong and football table just yet, what we can enjoy is a kick-ass burger. Whilst you have the option build your own with add on’s like beef chilli, cheese and egg, if you really want to go all out this National Burger Day, the buttermilk chicken burger really is a stack worth Instagramming. As the ideal spot for you meat-eaters, don’t forget to add some wings or fried chicken to your order, too.
Big Society are taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’
Tommi’s Burger Joint
Westgate Social, Westgate Oxford, New Rd, Oxford // tommis.is
Whilst this mini-chain of burger joints is originally Icelandic, you’ll find a US charcoal grill, Aberdeen Angus beef and locally sourced bakery buns. Based in the Westgate, Tommi’s boasts a simple burger menu, but with a huge sauce and toppings selection for you to create the perfect burger of desire (we’re talking around 25 hefty options – so not for the indecisive). With a wall tally chart of people claiming their burger from Tommi’s is the best they’ve ever had, will your name be added to the list?
Tommi’s are taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’
BrewDog
119 Cowley Rd, Oxford OX4 1HU // brewdog.com
They’re well-known for their beer, and the ‘wings Wednesday is popular too, but Brewdog dish up a mean burger or two. The chicken burgers and veggie options are excellent. With four different vegan burgers available – ranging from jackfruit to Beyond Meat and seitan for the main fillers – and two buttermilk fried chicken burgers, you won’t struggle to find one you like. And that’s before you read the beef options, which use their bespoke mix of chuck and brisket.
BrewDog are taking part in ‘Eat Out to Help out’
Five Guys
13-15 Magdalen St, Oxford OX1 3AE // fiveguys.co.uk
Five Guys is a contentious one in the Bitten crew – some of us love it, some of us don’t. But, you can’t argue it’s a popular chain, particularly for its made-to-order burgers, fresh-cut and peanut oil-fried fries, as well as its shakes, plus free peanuts while you wait.
Great buns (and burgers) also worth noting…
GLUT and Craft Burger are also both excellent and both independent businesses – so highly recommended. James says the beer selection isn’t bad at Craft either! 🍔🍻
V-Stack is a vegan street food businesses turned fast-food delivery company. The sister duo, which delivers gorgeous fried cauliflower burgers, sides & fries to Oxford postcodes on Saturdays, are also popping up at The Jericho Cafe soon for a kitchen takeover. Check their website for details and read Jacqui’s recent review of their food.
The Gardeners Arms came 2nd place in our list of Oxford’s Best Veggie Burgers. The popular Jericho pub is 100% vegetarian and now offers delivery through Deliveroo. Joe’s Bar & Grill in Summertown also feature in our Best Veggie Burgers list and, according to Phil, if you’re in North Oxford and fancy going somewhere classy for a really top-notch burger, you can’t go far wrong with Joe’s.
Both Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Byron Oxford chins offer an excellent range of burgers and sides, in diner-style settings. Byron remains closed at present, with a large number of their sites reported as permanently closing – Oxford, apparently, will be one of the sites to reopen under new owners.
Reader recommendations
Where’s your go-to for best buns? We’d love to hear from you if you think we’ve missed anywhere, let us know your best burgers in Oxford in the comments below, or on socials: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
One reader, Simon, messaged us recently with the following helpful burger rating list he’s been collating. Do you agree with him? Have you got your own list? Send it in, we’d love to see!
Simon’s Best Burgers in Oxford:
– [x] Big Society 9.5
– [x] Tommi’s Burger Joint 9.2
– [x] GLUT 9.1
– [x] James Figg 9
– [x] Rickety Press 8.8
– [x] The Bicycle Shed 8.6
– [x] Byron 8.5
– [x] The Up In Arms 8.5
– [x] Five Guys 8.5
– [x] CRAFT Burger 8.5
– [x] Jacobs Inn 8.4
– [x] Atomic Burger 8.3
– [x] GBK 8
– [x] BrewDog 7.7
– [x] Chosen Bun 7.6
– [x] Library 7.5
– [x] Peppers 7.5
– [x] Mollies 5
To Try
– [ ] Rusty Bicycle
– [ ] The Ridge
– [ ] The Jericho
– [ ] Chester Arms
“Big Society remains the #1 Burger shop in Oxford. Always consistent, and one of the few places that smash their patties as opposed to pre-pressed (which will never get the same finished results). All of the Dodo pubs are also great, just not quite up there with Big Soc.”
Desmond Brown says
What luxury and abundance. In 1979 there was only Wimpy’s (ghastly) and Bret’s Burgers (terrific.)
Megan says
Chosen Bun is up there for me – great toppings that are pretty customisable, and mac ‘n’ cheese balls to die for