What to expect from Junk Soho before you order

We’re off to Junk Soho this afternoon to check out their viral smash burgers. Tik Tok has them as being one of the best in London, but do they live up to the hype?

So come join us as we find out which Junk burgers London to get, and which to avoid.

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Quick info on Junk Soho

• Restaurant: Junk Soho
• Cuisine: smash burgers
• Location: Soho, London
• What to order: standard burgers over truffle heavy options
• Overall take: decadent and enjoyable, but uneven
• Good for: a quick burger fix in Soho
• Would we rush back: not urgently, but it has its place

First impressions of Junk Soho

Junk Soho goes all in on its aesthetic. The interiors are wrapped in steel sheeting, which makes the space look like the inside of a futuristic duct or a stripped-back industrial capsule. It’s visually striking, and it works.

What’s more, there’s enough seating to make eating in realistic most of the time, which is not always a given in Soho.

It’s loud visually but straightforward operationally. You order at the til, find a table if you can, and then wait for your order number to be called.

Understanding the Junk burger menu

The Junk Soho menu is built around indulgence and scale. Burgers increase in size as you move through letters rather than numbers.

So when it comes to ordering Junk burgers in London, An M equals two patties. An L equals three. It goes all the way up to a massive XXL with five patties.

All the burgers at Junk in London are focused on smash patties, brioche buns, cheese, and add ons like truffle.

The smash patties at Junk Soho

Both Junk burgers we try feature proper smash patties. They’re thin, pressed hard onto the grill, and cooked until the edges turn lacy and crisp. This is the strongest part of the experience. The patties have good beefy flavour, and the texture hits that sweet spot between crispy exterior and juicy centre.

The truffle Junk burger problem

We start with an M truffle Junk burger, and this is where things wobble.

The truffle is extremely dominant. If you love truffle to the point of obsession, you might enjoy this.

Otherwise, it overwhelms the beef almost immediately. The smash patty loses its identity beneath the richness, and the burger becomes one-note very quickly.

It’s not badly made, but it is heavy-handed. This is one Junk burger in London I’d actively advise skipping unless truffle is your absolute thing.

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A larger Junk burger with better balance

Next, we try an L burger with three patties, and this works better. The extra beef is a delight, and the overall structure makes more sense. However, the brioche bun is a little denser than ideal. It holds together well, but it slightly dulls the experience instead of lifting it.

Still, this is the better order of the two. It shows what Junk Soho can do when the focus stays closer to beef and technique rather than aggressive flavour additions.

Chips and sides at Junk Soho

The chips are fine. That’s really the best word for them.

They’re cooked properly and arrive hot, but they don’t have that addictive quality that makes you keep reaching back into the tray. We share one portion and comfortably stop halfway through without regret. In a city full of great fries, these don’t stand out.

How Junk Soho fits into the London burger scene

The smash burger scene in London is fiercely competitive. Junk Soho is a confident and interesting addition, but it doesn’t top the category. It leans into decadence rather than balance, and sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Final thoughts on Junk burgers in London

Overall, Junk Soho delivers a solid smash burger experience with flashes of real quality. The patties are well made, the setting is memorable, and the operation runs smoothly. At the same time, some flavour choices don’t work, and the supporting elements don’t always elevate the experience.

Whatever you do, skip the truffle Junk burger.

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Junk burgers in Soho, London
Address – 49 Old Compton St, London W1D 6HL
Nearest Tube – Leicester Square