The best burgers of Leeds- now that's a pretty big claim to make.
Every time we even utter the words 'this might be one of the best' on Instagram or TikTok, there's a lot of controversy. Granted, we haven't sampled every burger in Leeds- and we're still up for plenty more recommendations, but we have definetly sampled plenty over the years. These are some of our favourite places to grab a burger, be it veggie, chicken, pork or beef filled.
Keep reading to find out our top 16 burgers, and how you can recommend your favourite burger spot for us to sample...
Big Buns
Inside Northern Market, Leeds City Centre
Big Buns has been raved about by plenty of Yorkshire folk over the past year or so, and the burger joint, operating inside The Brewery Tap, is quickly gaining traction as one of the city centre's go-to spots for a bite to eat before the footy or afternoon in town.
Fat Hippo
Otley Road, Headingley
Image: The Hoot Leeds
If you're looking for big, fat, juicy burgers with weird and wonderful toppings - then Fat Hippo is most definitely the spot for you. They're always cooking up a seasonal special too, so you can pop back time and time again to get your chops around something brand new.
Burgerism
Order food delivery apps
Hoot recommends: Classic beef burger
Burgerism keep it simple with single or double patties with cheese - but you'll still taste a rainbow of flavours in every bite. These burgers remind us of that cheeseburger in The Menu where you can see the tastiness of 'a simple cheeseburger' in both Julian and Margot's eyes as the movie comes to its dramatic crescendo.
Good Boy Burger Co.
Leeds Kirkgate Market
Hoot recommends: The Cauli Schnitzel or The Good Boy With Cheese
Good Boy Burger Co. is that familiar face that you look for at a festival. Spotted at Live at Leeds Fest and Peddler Market as well as a permanent spot in Kirkgate Market, we keep going back for the melt-in-your-mouth short rib smash patties and 'organic wherever possible' ethos.
Patty Smith's
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Inside Belgrave Music Hall, Cross Belgrave Street, Leeds City Centre
You'll find Patty Smith's over at Belgrave Music Hall, nestled between the staircase leading to the rooftop terrace and the intimately lit bar.
Grab meat-free patty or two on the weekend and help yourself to the buy one get one for £1 on selected burgers each Sunday. Plus, if you pop in during the week for a lunchtime burger fix, Patty Smith's offers free chips with all burgers 12pm - 5pm.
Meat:Stack
Opposite Leeds Train Station, Bishopgate Street, Leeds City Centre
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Standing proud on Boar Lane, Meat:Stack is a cult indie favourite from Newcastle that grew so popular, they needed another venue in the north- and we're just grateful that they chose Leeds. The menu here is big and bold, just like the flavours available. Think Yellowstone burgers with bacconaise, hash browns, french onion, Carolina gold BBQ sauce for an idea of the offerings here.
Fat Annies
Inside Leeds Kirkgate Market, Leeds City Centre
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Fat Annies has been a Leeds Kirkgate Market favourite for quite some time and between their meat-free menu pledged to protect the planet and their tasty burgers and 'not' dogs certain to become your next favourite hangover cure. The Mexicana burger in particular is a real treat: made up of a vegan bean burger (with a kick and crunch) with cheese, salsa, mayo, jalapenos, nacho crunch and iceberg, dor a spicy meal deal, you can add some Chilli Cheese Fries, complete with jackfruit chilli and stringy cheese-nacho crunch and soft drink of your choice.
Kerbside Kids
The Woods, Chapel Allerton
Image: The Hoot Leeds
These legends have really made a name for themselves for serving up some of the best stacked burgers in Leeds. You can find them now at The Woods in Chapel Allerton where you can grab a pint, a burger and get nestled on their vast rooftop for hours on end. Bliss.
Banyan
Park Square, Leeds City Centre Ilkley, Harrogate and Roundhay
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The summer menu from Banyan is locally-crafted but inspired by faraway destinations- and the burger offerings are no different. The Korean Fried Chicken Burger is a spicy cajun chicken burger, served with gem lettuce, tomato caesar mayonnaise, crispy slaw and a huge chicken gravy dripping pot for that added saucy serving.
Hooyah Burgers
Albion Street, Leeds City Centre
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Recently visited by Rate My Takeaway YouTuber Danny Malin, Hooyah Burgers is the Deliveroo king of takeaway- and all because of their build your own burger concept. Choose from four different patties, including beef, chicken and meat-free options before building up your burger with different types of cheese, salads and sauces.
Featured Image- The Hoot Leeds
Eats
A Leeds icon has been reborn as The Smithfield opens in former The Reliance site
The Smithfield is finally here - and we're pleased to report that it's every bit as special as you were hoping.
This newcomer to Leeds has taken over the site that was home to The Reliance for more than two decades.
The team's transformation of the site started with a paint job - probably the most-talked-about paint job in the city - taking the site's exterior back to its memorable dark red.
That move immediately won over fans of The Reliance, with one person writing: "Seems the team here held the Relly in high regard and rightly so! Hopefully they can recapture some of its magic."
But the efforts to recapture the essence of the iconic old venue go way beyond that.
The Smithfield, a collaboration between Crooked Brewing and Chef James Donovan, is setting out to mix up relaxed hospitality with simple dining.
It's all about connection - to seasonal food, to the heritage of the building, and to the community that will make connections here.
Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The SmithfieldThe Reliance has been reborn as The SmithfieldWayward WinesThe dining room
If you're wondering what sort of things will be on the table, allow us to enlighten you.
There are sharing plates like grilled leeks on romesco, pigs head croquettes (a must-order), and whipped cods roe with radishes, all served on charming mismatched plates.
The bigger dishes include a comically massive pie for sharing, packed with chicken, leek, and tarragon. It's a mighty thing, especially paired with their crispy-edged chips.
You can also order a whole wild Cornish seabass for a real feast, or a fantastic beef sirloin with wild garlic butter.
There's a fantastic selection of natural wines from Wayward Wines, as well as (unsurprisingly) great beers.
Steak, pie, and charred leeksA spread of the plates at The SmithfieldSticky toffee puddingThe Smithfield has taken over the old The ReliancePigs head croquettes with gribicheThe chicken and tarragon sharing pieA sharing pie and chips at The SmithfieldBeef sirloin with wild garlic butter, and purple sprouting broccoli with ricotta and mintWild Cornish seabass with kohlrabi, fennel, and chervil - plus an orange wine from Wayward WinesThe Smithfield is now open
Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, and his business partner chef James Donovan, were drawn to the old The Reliance site and are seizing the opportunity to contribute to the area's dining legacy.
While Steve's focus is on creating a social meeting point, James will focus on the casual, social dining, taking inspiration from the building's reputation as a cutting-edge gastro pub.
They'll be sourcing seasonally and locally, with menus that will change with the seasons.
The space itself inside is still familiar - those huge windows are the stars of the show, with the bar still standing centrally, while the dining room at the back is stripped-back and simple overlooking the open kitchen.
It's very early days for The Smithfield - they're just out of their soft launch period and gearing up for their first 'proper' weekend.
On their soft launch period, they wrote: "We were so grateful to welcome friends, neighbours, and the Leeds hospitality community to The Smithfield. Seeing the bar and dining room full after weeks of cleaning, painting, and graft has truly made it all worth it.
"A huge thank you to everyone who came along, showed their support, and has made this journey possible. Not least the Kitchen and bar teams, whose incredible service has kept the plates coming and the drinks flowing."
We feel pretty confident in saying Leeds will be very proud to have The Smithfield in our city.
In pictures – Mexican restaurant Madre opens up in Leeds at last
Daisy Jackson
Madre is one of those few restaurants that has been making us jealous of Manchester for years - but finally, it’s Leeds’ turn.
A couple of months after the launch of Salon Madre, a colourful pool hall and taqueria, it’s time for Leeds to welcome its sister restaurant.
Madre will open its doors on Wellington Place this week, promising to educate us all in the art of ‘sobremesa’, which means to linger at the table long after the meal is over.
And trust us, after popping in for a sneak peek today, you won’t be in a rush to leave this place.
The unit has been totally transformed by the Madre team - it’s all jagged angles on the tables and soft curves on the walls, with a colour palette that goes all the way from deep terracotta to neon green.
From an open kitchen you can see the team constructing tacos and piling oysters with jalapeño mignonette and salsa brava.
The menu is split neatly into four sections - snacks (elote, wings, Caesar salad and guac); raw (oysters, tuna tostadas, and aguachile); tacos (including birria); and parilla (wood-fired dishes like BBQ octopus and slow cooked lamb breast).
Click through the gallery below to see inside Madre Leeds
Madre LeedsA selection of the Madre Leeds menuDishes at Madre in LeedsMargaritas are a mustBeef birria tacosFire-roasted mushrooms with egg yolkMadre opens in Leeds this weekBone marrowMadre on Wellington PlaceOysters with salsa
Pull up a seat at a tile-topped table and you can expect to dig into everything from rich Oaxacan-inspired moles and salsas to Baja-style mariscos and Sonoran grilled meats.
Pop down on a Tuesday and you can take advantage of Madre’s two-for-one taco deal - we can’t really think of a better evening than tucking into dinner at Madre before heading across the road for happy hour margs and a game of pool at Salon Madre.
Madre is brought to the city by the teams behind London’s famous Breddos Tacos and esteemed Liverpudlian eatery Belzan.
Clementine Hall -
21st August 2025 
