Old Wild West

Old Wild West opened in 2002 in Martignacco, near Udine in north-eastern Italy, and grew into the country’s leading chain of burger and steak restaurants. It belongs to Cigierre, a restaurant group from Friuli that also runs America Graffiti and Temakinho. The restaurants and menu are styled on the American Far West, with burgers, steaks and Tex-Mex.

The chain passed two hundred restaurants in Italy in 2019 and has also opened in France, Switzerland and Monaco; attempts in Croatia, Georgia and Australia did not last. It has been voted Italy’s “Insegna dell’Anno” in table-service restaurants five times, sponsors basketball and football clubs, and has used Italian celebrities such as Ezio Greggio and Lino Banfi in its advertising.

The classic and special burgers are made with 100% Italian beef in a soft bun enriched with milk and butter, and every burger comes with fries and the house OWW sauce. Alongside American classics, the menu has smash burgers and some very Italian ideas, such as a burger with Pecorino Romano sauce and guanciale, a nod to Roman carbonara.

More than two hundred restaurants across Italy, plus a few in France, Switzerland and Monaco.

• Goody’s Burger House (Greece, since 1973). Greece’s biggest fast-food chain, from Thessaloniki, with burgers built on a Greek-style biftéki patty. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.
• Patty & Bun (United Kingdom, since 2012). The London burger joint that names its burgers after TV characters and soul singers. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.
• Burgermeister (Germany, since 2006). The Berlin burger chain that started in an old public toilet under the U-Bahn. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.
• Honest Burgers (United Kingdom, since 2009). The London burger chain that comes with rosemary salted chips. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.