Amidst the rainy grey of Glasgow, what better way to warm up than with a gourmet burger? With its beautiful architecture and cultural status, Glasgow is becoming the new hotspot for trendy, artistic types, who trawl the galleries and work up a discerning appetite. Step out of the Scottish cold and enjoy ten of the best independent burger restaurants in the city.
The Butterfly & the Pig
With its shabby chic interior and vintage charm, The Butterfly and the Pig has the relaxed feeling of good home cooking. With a menu that offers to ‘phone in a pizza… or make you something you want’ if their menu doesn’t take your fancy, no where else has such diversity and flexibility with bringing you what you want. The Butterfly and Piglet Burger contains good strong beef with a variety of cheese, space mayonnaise, bacon, egg, jalapeños and any other topping you can imagine. It arrives on vintage crockery with a mountain of chips – enough food to last the week.
The boy-meets-girl of the culinary world, Bread Meats Bread is the perfect romance of good honest food and contemporary creation. Their black, red and green label burgers embody dry-cured Scottish beef, Sichuan nduja pork sausage and falafel with options including garlic brioche, swiss cheese and tobacco onions. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of their menu are the enigmatically-named Cult Burgers. Made from Scotch beef, artisan breads and local ingredients, these are a homage to cult burgers from across the world. Part of an ever changing specials menu, you can go around the world in 80 burgers. Jules Verne would be proud.
Cocktail & Burger
Cocktail & Burger is that perfect blend of eating and drinking that is just what you want before a night out on the town. Choose from the 6oz Classic with any variation on the eight different topping available including Hickory Smoked Pastrami and Kopperberg Onions. Or maybe try some of their more quirky numbers such as Mexican Beandit, Knuckle Sandwich and Duck & Dive. For a match made in heaven, order the St Petersburger – classic beef, pastrami, grilled emental and Russian dressing – with a White/Black Russian chocolate cocktail?
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Ketchup
Diner, British, American
This article, like burgers themselves, would not be complete without Ketchup. Nestled in Ye Olde Ashton Lane, the cobbled streets and black and white fronts are a world away from this chic modern diner. From good old steak beef to Portobello ‘Shroom and kangaroo, you wont be short of choice. Warm wild boar dripping with apple sauce is the perfect hearty lunch on a damp and dreary day. A variety of unusual vegetarian burgers are also available as well as a carb free option. The Colossus 3.0 however, is the real show-stopper with two tiers of meaty goodness, bacon, cheese, onion rings, pepper sauce and of course, black pudding. Not for the faint hearted, finishing a Colossus could get you on their wall of fame.
Ad Lib
Aberdeen Angus beef, three beef tomatoes, two onions, a pound of cheese and a giant bun comprise the aptly named Monster Burger at Ad Lib. Like an old fashioned American eating competition, the customer is given two hours to eat the entirety of burger – without leaving the table – and avoid the bill. If gargantuan burgers aren’t quite your thing, they serve a range of gourmet burgers inspired by world food including Jamaican, Indian and Moroccan varieties.
Oran Mor
Located in a striking church conversion in the West End and filled with murals by Scottish artist Alasdair Gray, Oran Mor certainly makes an impact. While only serving three varieties of burger, Oran Mor is not among the most varied on our list. Whether you go for Scotch Steak, battered chicken breast or the best veggie-burger in Glasgow – flatcap mushroom, spiced chickpea and butterbean – Oran Mor deliver top quality ingredients in a cosy yet lively pub atmosphere.
Bar, Deli, Steakhouse, European, British, Fast Food, Wine, Beer
Famed for their spectacular Scottish steaks, The Butchershop Bar and Grill burgers are of a equally high calibre. Tuesdays are Burger vs Steak Frites – a choice of two butchershop burgers on brioche or two dry aged rump steaks with melted garlic and herb butter or one of each, served with crispy skinny fries and a bottle of house wine.
Lebowskis
In the heart of Glasgow is the home of the legendary Lebowskis burger. Aged minced rump steak with a choice of ‘tats’ of skinny fries is what made them famous. Aside from this delicious meatiness there is also ‘The Vedgy Wedgy’ burger with enough goat’s cheese to feed Europe, and The Whale Burger containing fillets of the huge but locally sourced Shetland Coley, coated in craft ale batter.
The perfect summer spot, located beneath a bridge, nestled in the verdant Kelvinway beside the river, Inn Deep is Glasgow’s best kept secret. Taking the simple approach, their burger is DIY – choose from four choices of burger, including two vegetarian options, and add your combination of 20 choices of toppings to create the ideal burger to suit your taste whatever the weather. They also have 12 draft lines of beer and cider so you can find the perfect pint to accompany your creation.
Tamsin Nicholson is currently studying Art History in Glasgow. With the Royal Naval Reserves, she sails to off-the-beaten track costal locations. Her keen interest in art and culture has taken her through Europe by train and across the Atlantic. Find her doing tours of Glasgow Cathedral.
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