London to Leeds – Burger Bars

• 11 Feb, '15
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Over the past few years, Leeds has quickly built its reputation as one of the top places in the north, if not the UK, for culture, business and socialising.

The capital of the north

Throughout the course of this feature we will be looking at some of the top places to eat, drink and generally spend your time in Leeds, with places that started life, or took inspiration from the capital.

Leeds now has a reputation as a leading financial centre, third behind London and Edinburgh; bringing with it high-end retailers such as Harvey Nichols, and exclusive bars like the Alchemist, only seen previously in Manchester and London.

One thing that Leeds hasn’t scrimped on in 2014 are burger bars, although it now seems as though there are more places to get your fix of meat than there are taxis in the city. Leeds List said earlier in the year that ‘everyone loves a good burger, but that doesn’t mean Leeds has enough’, we have seen this reign true in 2014 and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

With Five Guys opening just before the new year and the highly anticipated Get Baked restaurant ‘The Joint’ set for late January 2015, the options are endless as we break down some of the top picks from 2014.

Almost Famous

Hailing from Manchester, Almost Famous arrived in Leeds this summer, and with the only other restaurant in Liverpool; this is truly something exclusive to the north, for the moment at least.

Take a walk inside and the sign welcomes you to ‘the happiest place on earth’, much like in Manchester graffiti fills the walls, with their tongue-in-cheek slogans. Taking centre stage however has to be the food, especially the burgers. Almost Famous is an American style bar, serving up informal dishes, inspired by the fast food outlets of the USA.

Byron Hamburgers

Starting life in London, Byron has now made its way north, with restaurants in Manchester, York and Leeds. Byron was started due to owner Tom Byng searching for the perfect hamburger in the UK after a prolonged stay in America. He decided that it did not exist, so set out to create it himself.

Located just outside Trinity shopping centre, on the corner of Albion Place, Byron has more of a restaurant feel to it, than just a burger joint. With the exposed brickwork and industrial lighting, you could be forgiven for forgetting that you’re in Leeds city centre and not Shoreditch. If you’re looking for a great, simple burger in the heart of the city, then Byron ticks all the boxes.

MEATliquor

The last of our top picks for this year is another immigrant from the capital; MEATliquor. First arriving in London and Brighton, MEatliquor has set up outside Trinity, in Leeds centre. Taking on the more American diner style of décor, the burgers follow suit. The famous ‘Dead Hippie’ burger consists of a double pattie, and pretty much everything else you can fit on there, mixing indulgence and quality on equal terms.

What is on the horizon?

For 2015, the list of burger bars and restaurants does not appear to be slowing down. Five Guys is opening for the New Year, with Get Baked not too far behind. Furthermore, with some of the top bars such as Belgrave Music Hall and Nation of Shopkeepers providing a range of top quality food, it is no doubt that Leeds has stapled itself as one of the best cities when it comes to eating out.