Within the burger lover circle Bleecker Burger is honoured as serving some of the best burgers in London. In fact you will most likely spot them on all of the “top 10”s floating around the internet. Given their popularity and media coverage we just had to try this place.
They have a great story behind their chain. A Lawyer quits his job, moves to London from New York, buys an old van and converts it into a burger truck. Since then he has opened 4 restaurants around London. For many this guy was living the dream.
Our first Bleecker Burger experience brought us to the joint open a short walk away from Victoria station. A modest 20-seater joint with a striking contrast between the painted black exterior and their pure white logo depicting a burger. If a minimalist theme is what they strive to achieve, they’re nailing it.
The ambiance was quite lacking but I’ll put that down to the time of the day. Regardless we were there for the burgers. They use rare-breed, dry-aged, pasture-fed UK beef. Those are some fancy words but do their burgers cut the mustard?
TLDR; it’s a mixed review.
We both ordered the double cheeseburger, sweet potato fries and a milkshake. First impressions were honestly not great. For £9.50 (burger only) if you expect to walk away full you may be a little disappointed. The burgers are small. Some may say “fun size”. I’m really glad I ordered a double otherwise I think it would not have been enough.
Second impressions were not too great either. The meat was very undercooked and very pink through the middle, nearing red. Additionally the meat was almost tasteless in comparison to the copious amount of butter that had been slathered on the bun. It really was like having a block of butter in your mouth, and a cheap brand at that.
When we thought it could not get worse the fries came out of the kitchen a good 10 minutes after the burger and were served soggy. It is a sad state of affairs when the milkshake is the best part of the meal.
It is safe to say that our first Bleecker Burger experience was nowhere far from a disaster. It was a little hard to believe given the high praise around this chain.
However we did not let this deter us. We decided, albeit about 6 months after our first experience, to return and try again. This time we turned our attention to the joint in Bloomberg Arcade.
Having ordered the same double cheeseburger, fries and shake as before we were more hopeful that this time we’d be impressed.
Our expectations were met and we were delivered a great burger, but with just a few caveats.
The burger was still pretty small. Honestly for the price of the burger alone I believe it is a little difficult to justify the size. It is a very compact build containing a (this time) well charred patty with a perfect pink vein running through the middle.
I enjoyed the basic toppings that pay homage to the minimalist theme they have going. When you go simple it is really easy to go wrong. Fortunately the double cheeseburger at Bleecker Burger has got it right. The strong crunch on the onion pays compliment to the overall burger whilst the oozing American cheese and sauce holds everything in place.
One thing of note is the refreshing use of a sesame seeded bun instead of the over-used brioche that we tend to come across in most places. It had a soft crumb and yet a crisp crust.
Overall Bleeker Burger offer a good burger but nothing too special in our opinion. If only slightly larger and a few more toppings this could have been a game changer. Check out their position in our rankings.
