London legends Proper Burgers close down permanently

Proper Burgers Halal Restaurants London Leyton Brick Lane

Credit: Proper Burgers

Just days after one iconic London burger restaurant bit the dust, another follows suit today with the owner declaring today that “I am done.”

With Stax Diner in Carnaby having permanently closed on Monday, Proper Burgers made its announcement earlier this morning on Instagram.

The owner of the well-known restaurant in east London’s Lea Bridge Road posted: “[S]alamualaiku. Just wanted to say thank you to all our families, friends and customers.

“Sadly that’s it from me for now. I will come back to it one day in some form but for now I am done. Jzk. Rofique.”

While Proper Burgers had announced news in December of last year that it would be “taking a break until January 2023”, the dine-in restaurant in Leyton had remained permanently closed thereafter.

News of the closure was met with messages of surprise and sadness on Proper Burgers’ Instagram account, with one customer, helenisabelcole, posting: “So sad to here this. Good luck with whatever you’re doing.”

Proper Burgers closes

Rofique also confirmed with FtLion the reasons behind the closure of both Proper Burger sites Leyton and Brick Lane being “tiredness, family commitments, etc”.

The founder of restaurant directory Halal Joints, Zahid Mahmood, revealed to FtLion that his system had “marked 38 Halal restaurants as permanently closed or no longer Halal in the last week” alone, before adding: “I haven’t seen numbers like that since lockdown.”

Proper Burgers got it spot on with their beef burgers. They used high quality ingredients from the bread down to the pickle and you could taste the difference – Halal Joints

While Proper Burgers is renowned for being one of London’s original fully Halal ‘proper’ gourmet burgers – later adopting what has now become the dominant smashed burger trend – it also became known for its Sunday lunches with one diner, sel110, lamenting: “That’s so sad! You did the best roast.”

With “ratio and consistency” being key factors in setting burgers apart, Halal Joints’ Zahid told FtLion: “Proper Burgers got it spot on with their beef burgers. They used high quality ingredients from the bread down to the pickle and you could taste the difference.

“The owners also took considerable care when pricing their menu and always ensured they ran their business on Islamic principles. Sad to see them go, but hopefully this is an opportunity for new entrepreneurs to fill the gap!”

Meanwhile, owner Rofique vowed to FtLion that he “will come back to it one day. Maybe better location, etc.”