Black Bear Burger (Exmouth Market)
Every patty is dry-aged beef from grass-fed native breeds, ground as a blend of cuts rather than one commodity mince, which is why the crust behaves the way it does under the smash.
Why go
Liz and Stew Down started this as a market stall; she was a burns specialist nurse, he grew up on a beef farm in Devon, and the sourcing reads like someone who knows where the animal came from. The Miso Bacon Burger took Burger of the Year at the National Burger Awards 2025, judged at Big Penny Social on 11 February against fifteen other UK finalists (Time Out). Miso butter mayo is doing the work there: the fermented paste brings glutamates and a little residual sugar, so the burger reads meatier and browns harder than the same build with plain mayo. In June 2026 the group placed second on the World's 101 Best Burger Places behind Bleecker (Time Out). Exmouth Market is one of the full-service sites, with bifold windows that open onto the street in summer.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Double Miso Bacon at £16.40 if you want the award-winner, or the brisket burger at £14.50 with twelve-hour beer-braised brisket. Time Out on the snacks:
Both a pile of house chicken nuggets and a plate of brisket spring rolls were truly stratospheric snacks.
1 - Avoid: assuming every Black Bear is the same shop. The food-hall counters run a cut-down list of burgers, fries and shakes; this one has the full menu.
What locals & experts say
- Time Out (4/5, Tom Howells, on the Brixton site): the house burger is
Two dry-aged patties, smashed thin and crisp-charred to maillard perfection, neatly offset with onion jam, synthetic cheese and garlic mayo.
1 - National Burger Awards 2025 (Burger of the Year): the Miso Bacon Burger, two 45-day aged patties with bacon and miso butter mayo, beat fifteen UK finalists.2
- Local rec: a bartender at Mikkeller Brewpub London sent Jeff here. That bar sits at 37-39 Exmouth Market, on the same street. REAL.
Good to know
- Timing: noon to 10pm Monday to Wednesday, to 10.30pm Thursday to Saturday, to 9.30pm Sunday. Kitchen closes with the room.
- Booking: through SevenRooms, and worth it at peak; walk-ins get seated when there is space.
- Price: £11.50 for a cheeseburger up to £16.40 for the double miso bacon. Around £60 for two with drinks and service.
- Dietary: the menu carries a vegan burger with vegan patty, cheese and mayo. No gluten-free bun is offered as far as the venue publishes, so ask before you plan on it.
- Location: 17 Exmouth Market, about eight minutes' walk from Farringdon, with pavement tables in summer.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Burger rec from mikeller" REAL.
- Rec via: a Mikkeller bartender. REAL.
Verdict
should-visit — The craft here is worth the detour. The beef is dry-aged from grass-fed native breeds in a blend of cuts rather than a single commodity grind, and the Miso Bacon Burger took Burger of the Year at the 2025 National Burger Awards. Time Out's 4/5 describes exactly the right crust, patties smashed thin and crisp-charred. It stops short of a trek because it is a nine-site group and Bleecker beat it into first place on the 2026 world list.