We need to start this particular piece by saying that no matter how brilliant the UK’s burger scene is – and considering the country’s size relative to America, it really is brilliant – it will never be able to compete with the USA. After all, the hamburger as we know it today is an American invention. The Stars & Stripes have history on their side.
Admittedly, in 2023 you can find as many amazing burger joints in London as you can in New York. There are Californian-style smash burgers in Manchester that stand alongside those they seek to emulate in LA. Go to any British city and you’re sure to find something special.
The real, big difference lies outside of the cities. Many of America’s most iconic spots are out and away from the hustle-and-bustle of skyscrapers and public transport systems that run later than 8pm. They’re roadside diners on quiet state highways, or smalltown bars that also happen to serve incredible burgers, or independent restaurants run by old school friends. And places like that just don’t really exist on this side of the pond.
Except for when they do.
On the cusp of the Peak District lies Holmfirth: a small town, best known for being the setting of the seemingly endless BBC sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine, with a population of just over 5,000. It’s surrounded by rolling hills, packed full of gorgeous stone buildings, and feels like your typical sleepy British village. So quite frankly, the last place you’d expect to find a nationally-known and award-winning hamburger joint.
Lou & Joe’s opened in 2019, as the brainchild of childhood friends Joe Wood & Louie Cooper who had both worked in hospitality in other restaurants and bars in Yorkshire. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic almost immediately halting their momentum, it quickly became a favourite within the booming British burger scene. And it’s easy to see why.
“Our ethos is everybody that walks in through the door should leave happier”
Lou & Joe’s founder Louie Cooper to Yorkshire Live
The menu is modest, but gives plenty of options. If you’re a tradionalist like me, then you’ll be happy to opt for the L.T.O., a simple option consisting of beef, cheese, salad, house mayo and bun. For the more adventurous, the brilliantly named Scotty 2 Hotty – featuring jalapenos, mozarella cheese, hot sauce, guacamole, and tortilla chips – might be more your speed.
You can get every burger either skinny (with one patty), standard (with two), or stacked (three patties!). They’re thin, pressed patties but not fully smashed, so don’t be expecting paper-thin Calfornian-style.
For my money, go for the L.T.O. in whichever of the three sizes your appetite desires. The beef is so good that you really want to savour the texture and flavour of the patty, rather than allowing your attention to be diverted on to other toppings or sauces. I’m sure they’re great, but the beef is greater. It’s got that signature beefy flavour which so many hamburger places take for granted. It’s intense and it’s beautiful. You can feel it rise from your tongue and in to your airways. It’s just glorious. Of all the places I’ve been and all the burgers I’ve eaten, there are very few where I would happily sit and eat a single dry patty. Lou & Joe’s is one of them.
The cheese is gooey and, somewhat rarely for American cheese, actually adds flavour. The salad was fresh and crunchy, and added texture without detracting from taste. If you could buy the house mayo in bottles I would fill an entire cupboard with it. Air itself is not as light as the soft fluffy bun which did a tremendous job in holding it all together. And what’s incredible about all of that is that these elements don’t need to be standouts: the beef is so good that the rest only needs to be a supporting act. The reality is that in most other burgers across the country, each element would be the main event. Each layer of this burger is it’s own superstar. It’s the Real Madrid squad of 2004. The Galacticos.
Importantly, it all seems super fresh. And that’s probably because it is. The beef comes from Yorkshire farmers, is dry-aged by local butcher D.R. Binns, and the patties are minced and pressed in-house. The bread comes from the ultra-popular family run Roger’s bakery in Marsden. They get their salad & other veg from Keith Mawby’s, a fresh produce supplier in nearby Barnsley that celebrated its 50th year in 2022. And the house mayo, along with all of the other sauces, are homemade by Lou & Joe’s. It doesn’t really get any fresher than that.
Aside from their regular menu, a new special burger hits the menu on the first of each month. In August, it was their own take on the Oklahoma fried onion burger – the brilliantly named Oklaholmfirth – which features sweet onions smashed into the patty, with American cheese on top. It was complemented by their excellent house mayo and, unusually for an Oklahoma, BBQ sauce too.
The current special at time of writing is El Impostor. With smashed patties, Monterey Jack cheese, al pastor sauce, salsa verde, pineapple salsa, and padron peppers, it stands apart from the rest of the regular menu.
And that’s the point of the specials – offering something different, without having to crowd the regular menu with tons of different niche hamburgers. The downside is that when they disappear from the menu, there’s a period of mourning from the regular punters. But that only goes as a testament to how excellent each of the special offerings are.
Since opening in 2019, Lou & Joe’s has really only gone from strength to strength. It found itself alongside some of the powerhouses of the British hamburger scene in early 2023 when its Holme Boy special – made from 30-day aged ribeye beef, a sauce with real truffles and a bun made with marrow fat instead of butter – was nominated for the top prize at the National Burger Awards. It helps that the restaurant itself is a gorgeous place to be, feeling intimate and welcoming yet still giving off the aura that you’re about to experience something of the very highest quality.
All the hard work has most certainly paid off. People are starting to pay attention. The city-dwelling burger lovers are making pilgrimages to rural West Yorkshire just to experience Lou & Joe’s.
I can guarantee it’ll be worth the trip.
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Lou & Joe’s Burger Co. louandjoes.com
Location: 11 Victoria Square, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 2DN
Price: £16.90 for a standard L.T.O. with regular skin-on fries
While you’re there: Try a homemade milkshake – be brave and add bacon bits for something a little different.
Hamburger Britannia 