The Burger Spots You Need To Try In Newcastle, UK

Widely considered one of the best music venues in the North East region and previously host to gigs by such legends as the New York Dolls and Seasick Steve, The Cluny, located in a former mill built in 1848 in Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley, is also home to its signature burgers, all made with locally sourced meat and served with chunky, double fried chips. Guests can choose from varieties including the lamb and fresh chilli burger topped with lime salsa or the free-range chicken fillet burger with seasoned panko breadcrumbs, perfect washed down with one of The Cluny’s huge selection of local and world beers.

Set up in 2010 by owner Michael Phillips and born from a love of great burgers, The Fat Hippo has enjoyed rave reviews ever since and is undoubtedly one of Newcastle’s most popular burger joints. Located in the student haven of West Jesmond, The Fat Hippo now boasts two further branches in the city; one on Newcastle’s Shakespeare Street and a mobile burger bar that appears at events including Boiler Shop Steamer. Its burgers, which are all made from 100% Northumbrian beef, include the signature Fat Hippo burger: two four ounce patties topped with cheese, streaky bacon, chorizo, onion rings and house sauce stuffed in a brioche bun.

Popular pub The Brandling Arms, located in Newcastle’s Gosforth neighbourhood, is known throughout Tyneside for its friendly and homely atmosphere, wide range of real ales and lovely, dog-friendly garden. Its food (think upscale gastro pub fare) includes the Monday Burger Day menu where no less than nine different gourmet burgers, all served with onions ring, sauce and fried, are served alongside a drink for the princely sum of £8.50. Choose from the West Country beef burger with crispy pork belly and black pudding or the pork and chorizo burger topped with pig’s cheek and pickle mayonnaise.

If pubs that sit somewhere comfortably between the traditional and the trendy are your thing, then look no further than The Tanners Arms, a popular, long-standing local go-to located in Newcastle’s up-and-coming Ouseburn neighbourhood. The home of regular live bands and DJs and a whole host of locally brewed ales, The Tanners Arms also serves a smorgasbord of handcrafted burgers like the inventive Cheeky Monkey Butter, a classic burger topped with streaky bacon, piri piri peanut butter, salad and slaw, and three vegetarian varieties including the Blue Hal with pan-fried halloumi, roasted peppers, blue cheese sauce and crispy onions.

Ru, on the ground floor of The Kenilworth Hotel in Jesmond, boasts a laidback and hip ambience, great beers and cocktails and, of course, a range of delicious gourmet burgers. Homemade daily from meat sourced from within a 30-mile radius of Newcastle and seasoned with a secret spice blend, Ru’s burgers include a classic cheese burger with aged cheddar, salad, mayonnaise and relish, the Geordie burger, a patty topped with black pudding and a fried egg, and the Mexican burger with sour cream, avocado and spicy kidney bean salsa.

Jesmond’s Jam Jar is a welcoming quirky addition to the city’s dining room and specializes in classic English and American comfort food dishes. Served with regular fries or sweet potato fries, Jam Jar’s burgers include its signature Jam Burger, a seven-ounce chuck steak patty topped with crispy bacon, Red Leicester and tomato jam, and the Cow vs. Pig (a chuck steak patty topped with BBQ pulled pork and Swiss cheese).

Retro dining at its best, Northside Diner, located on the third floor of Newcastle’s long-standing department store Fenwick, is a 1950s style American diner serving classic American eats in a fun, retro space with checkerboard floors, red leather booths and plenty of vintage Americana signs and posters. Northside Diner’s homemade six ounce burgers come served in a demi brioche onion buns and guests can choose from the New Yorker Burger topped with bacon, caramelised onions and jack cheese or the LA Burger, tuna steak topped with spring onion miso relish and poppy seeds.

A traditional British pub located in a renovated Victorian manor house, The Northumbrian Piper has established quite a following for its delicious gastro pub food and popular Sunday lunches, but the pub also serves an adventurous gourmet burger menu too. Opt for the meaty black and blue burger, a Scottish minced steak patty topped with black pudding and melted stilton, or try something more exotic with the spicy Thai-inspired turkey burger made with minced turkey with springs onions, red chilli, coriander and ginger.

Located on Newcastle’s Pink Lane in a beautiful Grade II listed building that was formerly home to famed Northumbrian artist and engraver Thomas Bewick, The Town Wall is a lively local venue serving an extensive range of drinks, from locally brewed craft beers to high-end spirits, and upscale pub grub. Its gourmet burger menu, though small with just four varieties, is undoubtedly tempting with offerings that include the Korean BBQ chicken burger with kimchee slaw, the pulled pork burger with green chilli slaw and, for the vegetarians, a beetroot and barley burger topped with blue cheese and lamb’s leaf lettuce.