Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sean Murphy

We tried El Perro Negro's 'Best Burger in UK' winner and can see why it took crown

When El Perro Negro first opened in Glasgow in 2018, it quickly garnered a cult following and regularly topped blogs and polls as the city's best burger.

And it wasn't long before the burger specialists, led by founder Nick Watkins, were gaining national attention, so much so that when they entered the National Burger Awards in 2019 with their signature Top Dog burger they smashed (no pun intended) the competition and took the crown for the UK's best burger.

A feat they then repeated in 2021, seeing off competition from 14 other top burgers from around the UK, all of which were cooked, served, tasted and judged at a live final in London – and they are even back in the running for this year's final with a new burger, the Big D.

The top Dog Burger is topped with bone marrow, Roquefort butter, double bacon, caramelised onions and black truffle mayo (El Perro Negro)

READ MORE: We tried Gordon Ramsay's street burger in Edinburgh and had some thoughts

So with a two-time UK Burger of the Year winner quietly arriving in Edinburgh at Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Food Hall in 2021, Edinburgh Live decided it was time to try this burger and see what we really thought.

For context, the Top Dog Burger is a grass-fed, dry-aged beef patty, topped with bone marrow and Roquefort butter, double bacon, caramelised onions and black truffle mayo.

Sounds mouth-watering right?

Arriving hungry on a busy Thursday evening, the food hall was bustling, which for us is a great sight and good to see people out and about supporting small businesses and enjoying great food.

Ordering the Big Dog (£12.50) and regular fries (£3.50) from the friendly staff, we grabbed a seat at one of the long tables and waited for our buzzer to flash signalling our burger was ready.

When we were finally able to collect the burger looked as appetising as it sounded.

El Perro Negro arrived in Edinburgh in 2021 (SM)

Well, first off, let's start with the fact it's a smash patty burger, which, in a land of tumbling tower burgers and overstuffed options in crumbly buns, is greatly appreciated.

Seriously, the fact we can actually hold the burger in our hand and take a bite without it dripping everywhere or exploding salad and squirting sauce out the other end is a real Brucey Bonus. There are rules to a great burger and this, for us, should be one of them.

The first bite was pretty heavenly. As down and dirty a burger as you could hope for, with the patty filled with flavour and well seasoned and that black truffle mayo and caramelised onions working so well with the crisp rashers of bacon (another thing we appreciated).

Usually, we find truffle to be overwhelming but the balance in this was pretty spot on. Another big plus point was the in-house demi-brioche buns which held together well and tasted delicious.

The chips were, much like Gordon Ramsay's Street Burger, a cut above the usual fare you find in high street places, with a perfect crunch and fluffy potato, we'd maybe have liked more seasoning but that was us being overly critical.

A good portion size – though smaller than we remember from the Glasgow branch – and plenty of chips meant we left feeling pretty satisfied too for the £16 we spent.

So, there you have it, Edinburgh is home to the best burger in the UK and it seems crazy to us that more people don't know about it.

Was it the best we've ever tried? It was pretty close and to be honest, we already can't wait to go back to try some of the other options on offer such as the Double Smash with Chipotle Mayo (£12) and the Black Dog with Lawson's Black Pudding (£10).

READ MORE:

Edinburgh's hidden gem Outlander locations fans of the hit show can visit

Stunning village pub with its own flat near Edinburgh hits the market for £550,000

One of Edinburgh's biggest beer gardens running ultimate Six Nations Fan Zone

Edinburgh's Conifox running wizard lessons and nerf battle for February break

Chic Edinburgh bar named only Scottish entry on UK's top 50 gastropub list

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.