We're on a quest to find London's best burger. Scratch that, to maximise our eating adventure, we're on the hunt to find the UK's best burger. So far, Patty & Bun and Shake Shack remain undefeated at the top of our list and for reviewing purposes (ahem), we're looking for one to knock them off their thrones. After hearing numerous raving reviews of Honest Burgers in London, that was next on our radar so off to Soho we trotted ran.
Jordan: Upon arrival we were told that the wait was an hour long.. this was never going to stop us trying this place out, however. Plus when there's a queue that long they must be doing something right! We left her our phone number and using the nifty internet link they sent us, we tracked our position in the 'cyber queue'. A very handy feature, meaning no standing in the cold! The restaurant is situated just off the road down a small cobble-stoned alleyway. Not a big place either seeing as we almost walked past it!
Jordan: Upon arrival we were told that the wait was an hour long.. this was never going to stop us trying this place out, however. Plus when there's a queue that long they must be doing something right! We left her our phone number and using the nifty internet link they sent us, we tracked our position in the 'cyber queue'. A very handy feature, meaning no standing in the cold! The restaurant is situated just off the road down a small cobble-stoned alleyway. Not a big place either seeing as we almost walked past it!
Shu: Honest Burgers' Soho branch is a hidden gem that's a a stone throw away from Wardour Street. It's refreshing to see that Honest Burgers hasn't fallen under the typical 50s American diner theme. A huge blackboard with an enlarged version of the menu and its monthly specials is hung up across the wall and drinks are served in jam jars. Jordan and I both decided to opt for the special: beef, comté cheese, smoked onions rings, bacon ketchup, pickled green chillies and lettuce. Have a moment to take that in, it sounds bloody incredible.
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Jordan 20 minutes after ordering, a dish lined with greaseproof paper plonked itself in front of us. "Woah, this looks good..." We all said aloud. The burger was piled high and wobbling under the weight of the ingredients inside. The rosemary fries, made long and curly and seasoned to, what I thought, perfection! The most over powering taste you'll get is from that large medium-rare patty. DAY-UM it's almost like they forgot to cook it! (In a very good way that is).
Shu: If you're after a burger dripping with oily juices and grease, this won't be it. If you're however, looking for a burger that momentarily widens your eyes as big as they'll go, stop you mid-chew to comprehend the explosion of flavours in your mouth before ravishing the burger like a beast... look no further. Table manners are thrown out of the door - a knife and fork? Ain't nobody got time for that.
I was a tiny bit jealous of Jordan's burger as his was definitely more medium rare whereas mine teetered towards the more 'well done' side. Nothing is worse than a thoroughly cooked patty - I want my meat to be a few shades of pink inside! The onion rings worked surprisingly well and was lightly battered. The pickled chillies packed in enough kick without overpowering the overall flavours. Slight criticism? I didn't sense a strong cheesy presence and didn't detect the bacon in the bacon ketchup. This normally isn't a problem as I'm not usually a big fan of bacon OR cheese but the description had lured me in, and I wanted to experience it. A change to a stronger flavoured cheese, a brioche bun over a glazed bun or a bacon slice may have improved it but it's pretty epic already. The rosemary fries were brilliant and I noted that this was one of the only London burger joints that included chips with the dish and not as a separate side order. Value and taste. My kinda burger.
Honest Burgers have branches in Brixton, Soho, Camden, Portobello and Kings Cross. If you're in the area for some grub, we couldn't recommend this place enough. It's worth the wait.
