If it seems like the only restaurants opening in London are smashburger joints and pizzerias, you’d be mostly correct.
Next in line is Heard, the upmarket burger concept from chef Jordan Bailey which is to launch just off Carnaby Street in Soho in September.
Heard started as a food truck before Bailey opened a restaurant near Borough Market in south east London. The restaurant is all about using the “finest British beef” sourced from regenerative farms and which is aged for a minimum of 35 days.
The menu sets itself apart from typical smashburger joints by calling on artisan cheeses, offering the option to add caviar and pairing burgers with craft beers and champagne.
A flagship Heard Burger (£12.50) comes with jalapeno hot honey, Yorkshire Ogleshield cheese, white onions and house sauce, while the self-styled “Boring Burger” — cheddar, onions, pickles — is £10.50 or £20.50 with a caviar supplement.
Other options (around £13) call on the likes of Baron Bigod, a now famous English brie produced in Suffolk, black truffle mayonnaise, and red onions pickled in balsamic vinegar. Bailey makes his vegetarian burgers with black beans, mushrooms, kimchi and Devon cheddar.
Cornwall-born Bailey opened his Borough restaurant in March this year, having moved into the “elevated fast food” market following a career in some of Europe’s most prestigious kitchens.
After stints at the likes of Elephant in Devon and Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, Bailey joined the three Michelin-starred Maaemo in Oslo, Norway, before opening Aimsir near Dublin alongside his wife Majken Bech. After launching in 2019, the restaurant won two Michelin stars and held them until its closure in 2023.
Bailey said the beef he uses at Heard is “world class” and makes a point of only sourcing English cheeses. Burgers are made with potato buns toasted in butter, while pickles are made in house.
Though Heard opened with a menu of smashburgers, very much the trend of the moment in London in 2025, the new site will also bring what some might now call an “old school” option.
Called the Soho burger, a thicker, heavier patty made from chuck, brisket, and rib cap will be topped with melted gruyère, sweet caramelised onion, thyme and peppery watercress, then combined with mustard mayo, tarragon and plenty of chopped cornichons. It will be served with a peppercorn sauce for dipping.
The new menu item is a bold move from Bailey, whose use of caramelised onions and mustard mayo harks back to the influx of “gourmet” burgers found in British pubs around the turn of the millennium.
Majken Bech-Bailey will lead on the drinks list, with beers from Forest Road Brewery and the likes of Alsace riesling and orange wines from Georgia.
Heard is to open in Soho in September. 31 Foubert’s Place, Carnaby, W1F 7QG heardburger.co.uk
