Beefy Boys Oxford, worth the hype 

Round & About

Oxford’s Westgate just got a whole lot messier – in the best possible way. Liz Nicholls tucks into The Beefy Boys’ award-winning burgers 

Is it even a good night out if you don’t wake up covered in meat juices and reeking of garlic and truffle oil!? (Don’t write in, please… the answer is no.) 

That’s the glorious state I’m in as I write this, snout-deep into my box of leftover goodies from last night’s mega feast chez The Beefy Boys, who have just opened their newest temple of indulgence on the rooftop terrace at Westgate Oxford.  

Do my jeans feel a little tighter than they did yesterday? Yes. But I have no regrets, only fond memories, the kind of full-body contentment you get from being fully, gloriously fed, and a hankering to go back for another feast this weekend with my boyfriend (AKA The Burger King). 

If you’re a red-blooded carnivore (or even a part-time vegetarian) you’ve probably heard the buzz around Beefy Boys. Oxford foodies have been collectively drooling in anticipation, and judging by the launch night alone, they’ve delivered the goods and then some. With their award-winning, American-style “dirty burgers”, this crew aren’t just flipping patties, they’re serving up flavour stacks. 

But who are The Beefy Boys? Well, back in 2011, four childhood mates from Hereford – Anthony “Murf” Murphy, Daniel Mayo-Evans, Christian Williams, and Lee Symonds – took their love of backyard barbecues and turned it into a burger empire. What started with home-grilled experiments quickly spiralled into full-on success after the boys entered the World Food Championships in the land of excess, Las Vegas, and walked away with global acclaim. Since then, they’ve scooped Best Burger and Best Burger Chef at the 2023 National Burger Awards, opened five restaurants (Hereford, Shrewsbury, Cheltenham, Bath and now Oxford), and even launched a cookbook that topped Sunday Times bestseller lists. 

And let me tell you – the food lives up to the hype. These are not dainty burgers. These are filthy, finger-dripping, stacked-to-the-ceiling monsters, crafted with obsessive attention to flavour, with options galore, including cheese “skirts”, the option to have your prime patty pink in the middle, and gazillion more fun-in-a-bun options dripping in meaty flavour. Every bite is a high-five to your taste buds. The OG Beefy Boy is the ultimate gateway burger: juicy Herefordshire beef, layered with classic fixings, and cooked to perfection. The Oklahoma Onion Boy is a next-level experience, with onions smashed right into the patty as it cooks, creating sweet, caramelised edges slapping you with an uppercut of umami. It’s award-winning for a reason. 

Add in great fries (stacked, natch) craft beers, cocktails, and a lively, neon-lit vibe and you’ve got your next favourite night out. My fellow reviewer Marlie Green also gave top marks to the crispy bacon fries (including brekkie the following morning) as well as the divine shakes (have them for afters as you waddle home and think of them as a guilt-free pudding?), especially the Biscoff option.  

The Oxford restaurant is a 100-cover rooftop venue with a buzzing open kitchen, bold signage, and a central bar slinging cocktails and mocktails, it’s got fun written all over it. 

Calories… who? I loved every decadent second of it. In a world full of “clean eating” and food noise, there’s something gloriously rebellious about going the whole hog when the food is this good. 

The Beefy Boys haven’t just brought burgers to Oxford – they’ve brought a vibe. So book a table (especially at peak times) or try your luck as a walk-in. I’d advise limbering up: turn up hungry in your baggiest, darkest clothes and get stuck in! What better work-out ahead of the Christmas scoffathon (just me?) than tucking in and enjoying the meat sweats?