I have always been a big fan of Bleecker Burgers and have often compared others to them (not necessarily in that favourable a way, but when a burger is priced at a comparable cost to those at Bleecker I think it is a fair comparison to make). Much as I enjoy a Bleecker burger I must admit I am a little surprised that it has been deemed the best burger in the world in 2026, based on the Top 101 burger list,  as “best in the World” must surely be a seriously high bar.

On said same Top 101 list, I noted that another London burger purveyor in the form of Black Bear Burgers had taken second spot. Why, I wonder, the “and 1”  rather than the more logical Top 100 (with Hiho in LA missing out otherwise)? Less generic, I suppose, but why not a “Top 79” if you want to be different?

Second best in the world is pretty good (in theory, but context is important as being second placed in the World on a list by me means basically f’all) and I saw that one of their outlets is pretty convienently located close to Paddington train station in the newish (well it is to me as I rarely get up to London these days) Market Halls.

I was up there for a flying visit to see my old man, who has been in the wars recently, and before getting the train back I needed food (with a quickish turnaround time).

Now railway stations (certainly in the UK) have to be some of the most dispiriting places on the planet to eat. Basically what you can generally expect is something utterly crap at a massively inflated price.  This is perfectly exemplified by the Burger King menu on the main Paddington concourse.

Compared to the BK abominations, Black Bear Burgers seemed a pretty good option based on both convenience (2 minutes max. walk away from the BK on the concourse) and reputation.

The menu is short and looked pretty sweet (with, thank the lord, them resisting the temptation of a crassly named burger  linked to the favourite food of Paddington’s most famous bear – I would be amazed, however, if someone in the area hasn’t put 2 and 2 together and used onion maramalade to jemmy the “Paddington Bear” name into a burger”, mind),

with a bit of showing off to boot in terms of more awards .

Just four beef burgers on there and these seem to veer away from the regrettably enduring trend (certainly in Wales) of throwing the kitchen sink at a burger  toppings wise. Personally, I like to taste the patty rather than it being masked (make me suspicious as to why, what are they hidding) by a myriad of other things. As a result, I tend to go just cheese or bacon and cheese.

I decided on the Miso Bacon Burger (£11.90) which seemed to meet my bacon and cheese brief.  It is, also, the burger they get the most plaudits for.

I must say my expectation as to what I was going to get were increased markedly by the chap taking my order asking me if I was OK with it being cooked medium.  I love a bit of pink in a patty (which I take medium to mean) and have rather tired of the overcooked meat smears that often pose as smashed burgers, so this boded rather well.

I added regular fries (£4.20) to my burger, making a total of £16.10. This was, rather remarkably, cheaper than the burger and fries I had at Platform in Cardiff and they would seem to be operating in pretty comparable situations (both within food halls type affairs, by a train station). I bet I know whose rent is higher!!

In ordering you get a buzzer, with food collected from the counter rather than delivered to your table,

which went off about 10 mins after I ordered so you do need a bit of leeway time wise if catching a train (made it quickish rather than fast food).

What I got, once my buzzer had gone off, looked pretty promising,

with an old school sesame capped bun (find brioche ones too sweet for my tastes these days) which didn’t look like it had been sat on (which seems to be par for the course with most fast food burgers), and a decent size (could be shared) portion of fries. Free sauce options were limited to ketchup (🤢) and mayo (the latter the only sauce needed for fries).

On lifting up the bonnet, it was a decent looking beast.

No OTT level of mayo (here infused with miso butter)/ burger sauce, bacon not flabby but also not nuked, raw onions (which I rather like, over the caramelised ones you tend to get, as they bring acidity to the party) and no (waste of space) lettuce or tomato (missing a pickle perhaps). The only negative was the cheese (my preferred placky US number) could have been a tad more melted.

The patty was reassuringly pink

such that I was slightly surprised not to see WaffenH&S stormtroopers rappelling into the place to provide righteous retribution for lack of cooking time crimes. It is a rare thing these day to get a burger cooked like this and I for one applaud it. More of this please.

Good texture too, with the patty having a nice crust that gave way to a yielding (rather than ice hockey puck) interior.

The patty had that slightly funky flavour you get from good quality dry aged beef, with it being very savoury and earthy in flavour and having an almost nutty butteriness to it. I would wager the beef used came from a well looked after and happy cow (they source the beef from their family farm in Devon, apparently).

Good burger patty this, with the umami of the miso adding nicely to the mix and the raw onion providing a welcome textural crunch and a nice bit of acidity. What dominated, as it should in a good burger, was the taste of the patty with the other elements useful adjuncts to the patty main character rather than fighting it for supremacy.

I have heard tell that some people find the addition of miso makes this burger a bit too salty, but I thought it fine with the miso amping up the innate umami flavour of the beef. I am, however, a bit of a salt fiend.

The fries were probably not needed (as the burger was a decent size and enough on its own to assuage my immediate hunger pangs),

but had some nicely crispy gnarly bits and a pleasing salt and vinegar seasoning applied to them  If there were two of you, I think these could easily be shared.  Whilst the chips were nice, in hindsight, my money may have been better spent by double up (£3.90) on the beef patty front.

The chips (and possibly the miso) did make me quite thirsty (London was insufferably hot on the day – the Central Line was a balmy 900°C and if there wasn’t air con on the Elizabeth Line I think I may have expired) and I downed an iced filled soft drink (Cawston Press sparking apple – £3.60😲) in double quick time, followed by a bottle of water  The bar at Market Halls does pretty much the works, with beer, wine (looked indifferent quality at first blush), a myriad of cocktails etc. Cheap it ain’t.

The verdict

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this burger, with it definitely giving the  Bleecker cheese burger a run for its money. Based on my last visit to Bleecker in Victoria, where it seems they had succumbed to the demands of the “perfidious pink ” brigade, I actually think I preferred this Black Bear burger.

Price wise Black Bear Burger ain’t cheap, but it is not silly money for the quality of what you get. I don’t mind paying when it is a good burger (I do when it isn’t) and this was a good burger.

The fact that it is located (in the Market Halls complex) so conveniently for Paddington train station is very much a Brucey bonus. I mean there is this place or you could always go to the nearby Aberdeen Steak House (where a cheeseburger is £19.50 san fries)

whose continuing existence is one of the world’s great mysteries (along with how Stonehenge was built, who killed Jimmy Hoffa, what happened to Flight MH370, the location of Atlantis and, perhaps the greatest mystery of them all, how I managed to qualify as a solicitor and be gainfully employed in the legal profession for over 30 years).

The details

Website: https://www.blackbearburger.com/

Address:  Market Halls Paddington, 1 Paddington Sq, London W2 1DL

They have various other branches/outlets around London (https://www.blackbearburger.com/restaurants)

Opening hours: