Harry: I'm a London local, and I think London has some
of the best food in the world. I've invited my friend Joe
Avella over from the US to teach him how we do things slightly differently over here. We'll be visiting the
best-rated burger spot, my personal favorite, and a wild card all in one day to see if we can find
London's best burger. This is "Food Tours." Our first stop of the day: Honest Burgers. So, what is it about this place that makes these burgers so honest? I think the reviews kind
of speak for themselves. On Tripadvisor, I believe, if you search "best burger in London," seven of the top 20 are
Honest Burger locations. They place a lot of emphasis on finding good-quality ingredients. It's all, like, locally
sourced British beef. They have beers from London breweries. Joe: Fantastic. Sounds very London-y. Harry: It is. And that's what we're
doing here, so I would love to try the burgers and get
one of these beers, man. Harry: We need to try just,
like, the cheeseburger. Joe: Get the cheeseburger? Harry: Which I think
here is just the Honest, which is an Honest beef,
smoked bacon, cheddar, red-onion relish, pickles, and lettuce. Joe: Perfect. Harry: And then we need to
try one of their specials. What we could do is try
their new smashed burger. Get this ad out of my face. Get out of here. Yeah, let's do the
smashed. That sounds good. I want to do the Honest. The regular's got bacon,
cheddar. Fantastic. And then a smashed. Smash that bad boy up. Server: So, we've got the Honest. Joe: Oh, nice. Harry: That's looks great. I love that it smells like —
do I smell rosemary? Harry: Smells good. There is. So, the rosemary fries are a bit of an Honest Burger thing.
Joe: Oh, it's the fries. Harry: You get the cheddar as well. It's a stronger kind of smell. Caramelized red onion going on. Joe: Caramelized red onion?
That I'm not used to. All right, dig in. Here we go. Oh, this — oh, man. Yeah. Yes. Are you kidding me? Oh, my God, dude. Harry: You may need one of these. Joe: Holy. Wow. It's a juicy burger. Joe: That is fantastic. Oh, my God. And these onions, like, yo,
that's the secret weapon. Harry: Good sweetness.
Joe: Is that common? Harry: I'd say in the sort of
more upmarket burger chains. I don't want to touch the fries 'cause I don't want to waste
valuable stomach space. Harry: Very fair. That's really high praise, 'cause the fries are good as well. Yeah. Like, and the bacon is fatty, so it's softer, and then the grease of it
kind of works at the burger. This thing is incredible! Oh, my God! Have you guys had this before? [crew laughing] Have you guys eaten here before? This place is amazing, right? Harry: Do you see why they are dominating the charts on Tripadvisor? Joe: They should rename it
the Honest Burger charts and then just, they'd name every place that isn't Honest Burger. It's a lot easier. Like, ah, this is great. Oh, yeah. Harry: That's some high praise. It's a really good burger. This is the one to beat.
This is the one to beat. Do you get the, like, the
quality of the beef is there. The quality of everything is really good. Everything. The meat, the
cheese, the bacon, the onion. Everything together
just works so perfectly. This thing's freaking
fantastic. Are you kidding me? Like, everyone's looking at me. I'm sorry. Harry: I think, so,
with the thicker burger, as I was saying, it's important, I think, that you can customize
how you want it cooked. 'Cause my problem with some thick burgers is that if they are
thick and also well done, then it becomes very dense,
very dry, very chewy. This is juicy as hell. Yeah, this is, like, a light medium. I know LA's expensive, but so is London. If you ordered this exact
dish, with the fries, with the burger in LA, what would you be
expecting to pay for that? What would you be happy to pay for that? I think I could see this
costing, like, 25 bucks. This is standalone high-quality-restaurant level. If this was in LA, like,
lines out the door. Huge hype. Every celebrity would go just to get that 'Gram shot
of, like, look, I'm here. This place would kill in LA. What up? What up? What up?
Harry: Ooh, here we go. Server: Our new burger,
the mayonnaise smashed. Got the brown-butter mayo. Joe: There you go. It's a brown-butter mayo? Harry: Brown-butter mayo, he said. Joe: Oh, my.
Harry: That sounds delicious. Joe: This looks like a
quintessential smashed burger. Harry: This looks good, man. Joe: Looks like it's really well done. Harry: Yeah. Joe: What's underneath here? Harry: Is there any — ooh,
there's some onions and pickles. Joe: All right, I'll have
this with the pickles. Harry: Smashed burger's
always best while they're fresh out the grill. Joe: Yeah, well this guy's on top of you with the camera here. Can you step back so he can
eat? What are you doing? Harry: David's taking his time. All right.
Joe: Ready? Harry: I'm so ready. Let's go, man. I'm excited to try this mayo. Have had the smashed burger before? Harry: No, never. This is new. Joe: Oh, OK. Let's go. Look at the butter. The butter's, like, dripping
off of this. Goodness me. Joe: Uh-huh. Yeah. [Harry chuckles]
That's so good. Hm. Is this better than the first one? This is, like, really good. That's real good, man. Joe: That's really good. That is so buttery. Joe: Yeah, and crispy. And with the cheese and
that, what did he say? Like, a brown butter or whatever? Harry: Brown-butter mayo. Oh, my God. Harry: Anything with brown butter in it, my God, it's so good. I will say, your extra pickles, kind of making this for me. Joe: It's crazy how good that is. It's, like, ridiculous how good that is. So, obviously, smashed burgers, smashed burgers are pretty popular in — Very popular. Yeah, I gotta
say, very popular in LA. There's been a smashed-burger
renaissance, if you will. They're popping up everywhere. Lot of good contenders. Harry: How does this compare? Right up there with them. Harry: Wow.
Joe: This is fantastic. This would kill in LA. This is so good. This might be one of the best
smashed burgers I've ever had. Harry: Wow. What's setting it apart? Joe: Perfect crispiness on the beef, the way the cheese has
melted to it, amazing. This butter sauce they put on there. That enhances the flavor so well. The onions too. Just the
whole thing together. The flavor is just out
of control on this one. It's rich, but it's not overwhelming, and this locks in with
the cheese and this, ugh. [Harry laughs] Oh, my God. Harry: Are you good? You're
having an experience here. Yeah, this is absolutely fantastic. We'll come back. Joe: Can we just do this —
let's just do just this place. We only just pick one. It's this one. Seven out of 10 on Tripadvisor, baby. That's a C-plus in America. That's a first at a British uni. Joe: What do you mean? 70% at a British uni is, like,
the top grade you can get. Really? You can't get 100%? Harry: I mean, technically you can, but it's, like, unheard of. Really? Harry: 70% at a British
uni, you've killed it. No. What did you get? 55. Joe: Dumbass, this guy is. That's an F in America, bro! 56, you said? Harry: I think 55.
Joe: Even worse. What a maroon.
Harry: Not good. All right, well. OK, well this has been
fantastic. Do you agree? Joe: Yeah, fantastic. We've got another spot to hit. Nothing complements a
burger like a burger. OK.
[all laugh] Let's go. Let's go. [Joe burps] Oh, my God. Play this video at my funeral. All right. You promised me a
best-burger-in-London tour. Harry: I did. I couldn't help but notice
we are in a Wimpy's. Harry: It's true.
Joe: Why is that? They claim to be the first place to serve a hamburger-based
meal in the UK, so. Not a lot has changed
since the kind of '70s, or even, like, '50s in the UK. It's very traditional. Mixture of kind of fast-food elements with more classic restaurant elements. But then also I think we
should try some of the specialities, which, at Wimpy, for me, it's going to be something
that includes a Bendy in a bun. A Bendy in a bun is a frankfurter,
like, hot-dog sausage. They kind of slice it at intervals, which then lets you bend it into a circle, add it to a burger. I do understand the dilemma
of wanting to eat a hot dog or a hamburger.
Harry: Right. And finally someone figured
out, let's put them together. Harry: Wimpy figured it out.
They've been doing it here. Get that floury bun in there, you know, that I hear so many good things about. Maybe some beans? Joe: I swear to God, if there's
any beans on the burger, I'm walking out of here, all right? You put a bean on the burger, I am gone. Harry: OK, understandable. Joe: This all sounds
great, man. I am starving. Harry: Yeah, me too. I think
we should get ordering. Joe: Let's do it. Harry: Ay. Thank you.
Joe: All right. Nice. I see why it's called Wimpy's, though, 'cause this is a wimpy-ass-looking burger. [Harry laughs]
Look at this thing here. Like, what's going on over here? Harry: That is disrespectful. What's wimpy about this burger? Joe: It's a little thinner
than I thought it was gonna be. I mean, I think 'cause
the bun is so much bigger, it just makes the patty
look a lot smaller. Cheers. [coughs] Man. They're generous with their
signature ketchup on this one. Harry: Are you good? Yeah. Oh, man. All right. This is pretty good. I get it. I can see why this would be, like, a burger people keep coming back to. It has a distinct enough flavor, but it's not so overpowering
and overwhelming that it would turn people off. You see why people were
losing their minds about this in the '50s? Joe: [laughs] I could see after a night of doing the Lindy Hop with the fellow blokes leaving the, I don't know, box social, hitting a Wimpy's on the way home. This was definitely ahead of its time around the same time as the polio vaccine. Yeah, I get it. Harry: Thoughts — [laughs] Thoughts on the dusty, aka floury, bun? Yeah, it's fine. Harry: Yeah, it's OK? No strong opinions. I don't know, whatever. What am I tasting here? It's like a mayo, but
it's got relish in it? Harry: Thousand Island
would be the closest thing you have, maybe?
Joe: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thousand Island, yeah. I think basically in the UK
we call that burger sauce. Not bad. Harry: Not bad. Have you ever tried English breakfast tea? Joe: All teas taste the same.
Harry: OK, interesting. All tea tastes the same. Harry: That's a hot take. Oh, thank you. Joe: Hey, hey.
Harry: Here we go. [Joe laughs] [Joe continues laughing]
Harry: Is this — Joe: What the f—? What's in the middle? Not a lot, I don't think. Joe: Oh, onions. Harry: Talk me through your gut reaction to the Bendy in a bun. Joe: This looks like
something a kid would make when occasionally parents are like, "Hey, why don't you make lunch?" And then you gotta be
like, "Ah, thanks, Timmy." What's funny about it is that you said this has been around forever.
Harry: Yes. And they haven't solved the, hot dogs are long, and buns are circle. I think we should eat this. Let's go. Joe: I'm morbidly curious. All right. Bendy in a bun. Welcome to the UK. So juvenile. [laughs] Mm.
Harry: Uh-huh? Well ... the hot dog is a little more,
like, spiced or flavorful than a regular hot dog. Harry: I will concede, logistically, not the best thing to eat. I think you kind of have
to go round it in a circle. 'Cause if you try and eat just
through the middle of this, you're going to get bites that
are just cheese and onion. Which might be to some people's taste. Might be not to others. I don't wanna eat this. [Harry laughs] I don't wanna eat this. I'll take one more bite, 'cause I'm being employed to do so. Can I shock you, Joe? I quite like this. It might be because I
have the sort of palate of that, like, little 8-year-old kid who's been left on his own to cook dinner. But this is good! What are you not liking about this? The hot dog's weird. I know there's a lot to be
desired about UK cuisine. Case in point, on my way to
this fine country of yours, I mentioned to three different people, three different strangers, while
I was traversing over here, that I was going to the UK specifically to do a show about food, and all three of them
were like, "Ugh. What?" And I'm like, "Yeah." But I don't know about this hot dog, man. I mean, like, it's just, I hate it. So, that is a miss. Have we ruined hot dogs? No, but you've ruined Bendys, and to be honest, I got
a bit of a headache now. Harry: Bendy headache.
You've got the bends! Yeah, I've got the bends. Oh, God. That's what it's named after. And they're like, "You
can't keep calling it that. We're not moving these. I
don't know what's wrong!" So, I mean, this was maybe
not the perfect way to end, 'cause you seem to have not
enjoyed the Bendy in a bun. Joe: Yeah. We're just going to put this
to one side for a minute. As an overall experience at Wimpy and also focusing more on maybe
the burger than the Bendy, like, do you have some thoughts? I do like it. I liked it more
than I thought I was going to. Admittedly, I came in here
with expectations real low. No, I did like the burger. I get why it has a nostalgia to it. If I lived in the UK or if
there was a Wimpy's nearby, I think I would frequent
it every once in a while. Wimpy's, I get it. OK. But not the Bendy. Never touching that again, ever. I look forward — my life will be pre-Bendy and post-Bendy, and I look forward to existing and never having that ever again. But I am looking forward
to where you take me next. OK. Let's go.
Joe: Let's do it. Yo, what's up with that egg
over there? What is that? Harry: That's the Gherkin. Joe: What is it really? Harry: It's literally the Gherkin. Joe: It's not the Gherkin. Harry: That's the Gherkin! Joe: Why is it called it the Gherkin? Harry: Because it looks like a gherkin. The next stop isn't
technically on the list, but I did want to show Joe a
true British burger experience, and we happened to stumble across one. How you doing? I'm trying to show my friend
here some British burgers. Can we order two beef burgers please? Chef: Yeah. You're gonna love it. Harry: This, to me, is a very traditional British burger experience. We're at Petticoat Lane
Market in East London, and I thought there were some
more British burger lessons to be taught from here. Joe: And what lesson is that? Harry: A lot of the burgers
I would eat growing up, especially when I was out and about, were, I guess, like, burger-van burgers, is what they'd be called. This is similar to that. It's
a store, but similar vibe. It's, you know, outdoors,
cooked on one big grill. And what you get here
is, it's a beef burger. It's very simple. It's
beef, usually cheese, fried onions, and then
ketchup and mustard. And that's kind of all you need to create a very simple but elegant British burger. Joe: Looks simple and elegant. This actually looks really good. I saw him smash it on the
grill, which I like to see. Doing an authentic smash with the — I don't know what those tools are called, but he's definitely
smashing it the right way. I love grilled onions. The cheese is nice and
unnaturally yellow, so, and not a lot of other
obnoxious vegetables that I don't want on my burger anyway. So I could see why there'd
be nostalgia factor to this. Harry: Without further ado,
should we give this a try? Yeah, let's go.
Harry: Cool. I want to try this. Oh, yo. Yeah, dude. Oh, you see it's, like,
piping hot? See that? Harry: Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah! This for me is very nostalgic. It's definitely better
quality than what I'm used to from burger vans, the kind
of roadside burger vans that you might find on a sort of A road or at a car-boot sale, for example. If either of those things
mean anything to you. No. Harry: Fair enough. We can move on. Joe: All right. The quality's good here. The
beef is actually really good. Like you say, smashed burgers,
delicious. Love those onions. The onions give such a nice texture to it. It's also just really simple, right? It's a simple burger. I was going to say, the
simplicity is clutch here. Especially if you're kind of eating it on the street or on the go. Like, you can just kind
of get the whole meal here on your way to work, on
your way to the train, on your way to the pub
to meet up with the lads. I mean, I like, yeah, I like how — I mean, they also put
some pepper on here too, which I really like. Harry: Little bit of fresh pepper. Joe: Yeah. Harry: So, this is English mustard. Does that taste vaguely
similar to the mustard that you're used to?
It's quite potent, right? Joe: Yeah, yeah. It's
a little bit stronger. I was thinking maybe they just
put a lot of mustard on here, but that makes more sense.
Yeah. But no, I love it. 'Cause I love mustard, so,
mustard in this is legit. Yeah, the fries are really good too. Harry: They are really good. Yeah, this is awesome.
Like, this is totally an upscale, on-the-go burger. Yeah. I really like this. Joe: Burger & Beyond. Harry: Our last stop on this. Joe: You've been here before. Harry: I have. Joe: And you seem to like it very much. I do. So, we did a video
a while ago where we were ranking some of our
favorite burgers in London. This was my favorite. So I'm holding this
personally to high standards, and I hope it lives up. What do you think made this one the best? They don't try and overcomplicate things. It's just good-quality beef, good-quality toppings, in a nice bun. So I think, again, we'll order
just, like, a cheeseburger and then one of the slightly
fancier options, I think. Joe: Ooh, fancy ones. Harry: In the past I've gone
for the bacon butter burger, which is really good. But I think today we should
maybe try the bougie burger. Joe: Look at this. Dry-aged beef patty, American cheese, steak
sauce, "marrownaise," which is bone marrow and mayonnaise. Harry: Bone-marrow mayo. Yeah, dude. That sounds
ridiculous. Oh, my God. Joe: What's up?
Harry: There we go. Server: Two bougie burgers. Thank you so much. Look at these. Server: And two cheeseburgers. Harry: Thank you. Wow.
Joe: Nice. Oh, yeah. Server: Enjoy. Can I get
you guys anything else? Harry: First thoughts? Joe: Yeah, looks incredible.
Smells incredible, too. This looks like such a perfect burger. It's one of those things where, like, I'm tempted to cut into it and
find out it's actually cake. Harry: Literally! Joe: It looks like the cheeseburger emoji. Harry: Yes. Joe: Ready? Sleeves. Sleeves rolled slightly. Joe: Sleeves rolled up. It's going to be a little bit messy. Joe: Here we go.
Harry: Here we go. [chuckles] Mm. Yeah, dude. This is so flavorful. That's, like, incredible. I got the two ones
confused on what's on it. This, whatever this white sauce is, paired with — the
burger's cooked perfectly. The cheese is incredible. Like, this thing is amazing! And sometimes, the bun is really fluffy, yet crunchy on the outside. I'm like, I don't have the
vocabulary to describe it, but this thing is incredible. Harry: Yeah. Joe: Yeah, after a day of eating burgers, like, this is incredible. You look, like, revitalized
slightly by this burger. I was worried this
would just kill you off, but it's done the opposite. Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay! Harry: It's, like, brought
you back to life. Like CPR. Joe: This is absolutely fantastic. You've been defibrillated by this burger. Joe: So you've been here before? I have. Yeah. Joe: Talk me through it. What am I eating? What am I tasting here? Harry: I mean, I shamelessly
love this burger. It's really, really good. Like I say, it previously
was my top pick in London. I was going into today with
an open mind, and I still am, but this is, it's so good, man. It's simultaneously very
rich but also quite tangy. It cuts through itself in a way. Yeah. This is fantastic.
Good call on this place. Little bits of pickled
white onion as well. You kind of need that when it's this rich. Joe: Yeah, 'cause the onions,
I was tasting the onions, but they tasted like not
just straight-up onions. Not even like grilled ones. You're telling me they're pickled? Harry: Mm-hmm.
Joe: Yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense. Wow, dude. Harry: Mm-hmm. Joe: That's fantastic. Whew! I mean, I want to keep eating it, but we got what appears to be a burger sundae. I don't even know where, like, what angle to go into this next one. Have you had this before? This one? I have, yeah. I'm a Burger & Beyond fanboy. I've tried pretty much
everything on the menu. Joe: So you come here a lot? I try to, yeah. It's really good. You got that second date coming up. Harry: Exactly. Is she Burger & Beyond worthy? She's vegetarian. So, tricky. Yeah, break up. Forget it. Delete her number. Delete her. What are you, what? Look at what we're doing. Who's this person going to be with? Harry: Maybe she will — We almost fired Charlie
because he's a vegetarian. Maybe she'll see this video and she'll be so inspired that
this will bring her back -- Joe: Oh, she's gonna see this? Harry: This will bring
her back to the dark side. Hi. You sound nice.
[Harry laughs] I was kidding with that earlier stuff. How you doing? Harry: So, what we have here, Joe, we have the bougie burger. Joe: This is ridiculous-looking. Harry: So, you know, bougie means you're
feeling a little bit fancy. I mean, I'm thinking, like, I don't know if I can just
pick this up with one thing if it's gonna be — am I going to ruin this
video by doing this? I think I just want to kind of ... I am going to judge you for doing that. If you're comfortable living
with that, please be my guest. People of the internet, you cannot expect me to
pick this up with my hands. People of the internet, I'm gonna pick this up with my hands. This one was incredible. But they're advertising this one as, like, "Yo, we took it up a notch." Which is, like, I can't fathom taste-wise how they could have increased
the decadence of this. On that note, I think we try it. Joe: All right.
Harry: Good luck. Whew. Harry: Napkins at the ready. Goodness me. The absurdity has gotten to Joe. Oh, man. Wow. Yeah, that gravy is, like, unbelievable. Do they sell that? Can they? Harry: They could make a killing
if they started doing that. Joe: That gravy's incredible.
And, yeah, the bone marrow, like, it makes this whole
thing incredibly rich. The fact that they're able
to take the bone marrow and make it like a mayo sauce. Ugh, this is incredible. Is it a good delivery
system for the bone marrow? The only note, and we're being picky 'cause it's kind of a review show, is it's a bit sloppy. Harry: A bit sloppy. It is, yeah. Joe: Burgers are fantastic.
Harry: Yep. Joe: The bun's incredible.
Harry: Yep. Joe: But the key is whatever
sauce they have made and put on either of these
is like, what is this, how did you invent this,
and where can I get it? Like, wow, wow, wow. Harry: Get some sauce. Need
a spoon or straw, maybe. I'm going, I'm so full, but
I'm going in for one more bite. I cannot stop myself. Joe: It's incredible, but dare I say, it's a tinge too decadent. This one over here, I mean, this guy, hoo-hoo-hoo, you! I'm mad that you took me here, because before, when I
walked out of Honest Burger, I'm like, crown them.
They're the kings. But ... Harry: Man, you got a
decision to make now. Oh, man. The cocktail finale. Another cheers? We can cheers cocktails when we're halfway through them, right? Harry: I think so.
Joe: All right. Harry: Cheers, Joe.
Joe: All right. Cheers. Well. Successful day of burger eating. I mean, I knew you guys
were gonna bring the heat, but this is a really hard decision. Harry: It is.
Joe: Oh, my God. Some of these burgers are maybe the best burgers I've ever had. These are absolutely incredible burgers. I'm almost dizzy. We've been eating burgers all day, and I'm still so full I feel
like I'm going to burst, and also I want to eat
more of that burger. So, we're going to focus primarily
on just the cheeseburgers that we've had today.
Joe: Yeah. We have had some great signature burgers, but to keep it a fair comparison, we'll stick to the classics. As a tourist visiting London, if you had to pick one
of the spots we hit today to recommend as a must-visit
spot for the next person the next time someone comes to London, which one are you picking and why? Goddamn it. This is really hard. Harry: Take all the time you need. And we obviously know the hard decision. Harry: They're all great. To be clear, all of these are great. Would you happily recommend
any of these places? No.
Harry: No? Joe: Not all of them, no.
Harry: Maybe one exception. Yeah, yeah. Obviously it's
between Honest and this place. When I left Honest, I was
thinking that's the winner. I couldn't conceive a burger topping that. And then we came here, and I'm like, f---. Oh, damn it, this is really good. So I have to pick one? I'm picking here.
Harry: Yeah? Yeah, I'm picking Burger & Beyond. All the burgers are cooked really well. This one was cooked perfectly. The cheese, everything,
but, like, this one, just whatever they're
putting on that burger to enhance that flavor, I'll use your guys' measurement system. We're talking millimeters, if that, ahead of Honest Burger. My opinion, it's still Burger & Beyond. Joe: Yeah! I was gonna say, like, what? Like, you've been talking
about this place all day. Harry: I know. It's really good. But Honest Burger's ridiculous. It's really good. And I came
into this with an open mind. I've been to Honest before,
and I do think it's great. And also, like, value
for money, really good. Like, that smashed
burger we had at Honest, £8.50 for that and fries. Joe: Yeah. Insane deal. Really, really good deal. This place is slightly
more on the expensive side when compared to that. But, yeah, the quality on this is amazing. Joe: You need to go here
and have this burger. Like, that's a must. It's fantastic. And I'm dizzy with burgers. And if you had something
s----y to say in the comments, go ahead and do so now. And we'll be sure to get
back to you on YouTube. Thanks for watching.
